Walk-Off Hit Sends Kits To Regional Finals

Noah Nelson was just happy to see Nick Linares removed from the game when the hard-throwing Walter Payton Prep right-hander’s pitch count got too high after six innings Wednesday night at the Niles North Class 4A Regional tournament.

After striking out twice against Linares’ 90-mile-per-hour fastball, Nelson delivered the first walk-off hit of his career against reliever Sam Merrill as Evanston earned a 1-0 victory and punched a ticket to Saturday’s regional championship game.

Nelson doubled to right center on the first pitch he saw from Merrill with one out in the seventh inning, scoring teammate Calvin Hayes from second base and triggering a wild, dogpile type celebration for the No. 7 seeded Wildkits.

They’ll meet Glenbrook North, a 15-0 winner over Niles North in the other semifinal, on Saturday at 10 a.m. Winner of that game will advance to the Lane Tech Sectional.

Coach Frank Consiglio’s squad prevailed in a classic pitcher’s duel between ETHS junior Sam Kalil and Linares, who has committed to play college baseball at Holy Cross --- unless the major league draft changes his mind.

The matchup on the mound produced a rarity, a pitcher’s duel in a sport where pitch counts are always foremost in consideration for who’s pitching how many innings and high school coaches can’t count on complete games from their aces.

But there was no concern about that for Evanston. The Kits, now 15-21, advanced to the title game behind a one-hit masterpiece from Kalil. The junior only required 78 pitches to chalk up a complete game shutout.

He surrendered a hit to Payton’s leadoff hitter, Merrill, in the first inning and allowed nothing after that. Kalil finished with 9 strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.

Nelson’s night got better once Linares exited the contest for Payton (19-13-1). The Wildkits did muster four hits against the Payton ace --- two apiece for Ryan Rappoport and Elliot Paul --- but whiffed 10 times.

The winning rally started with a one-out walk to Hayes. Merrill then hit Nate Willman with a pitch, and one pitch later Nelson was one of the night’s heroes along with Kalil.

“It feels great! That’s my first walk-off,” Nelson explained. “I just went up there and said I’ve gotta find a gap. I was ready to swing at anything --- and luckily he left it over the plate.”

“I started off the season pretty hot in Vero Beach (Florida, on the annual spring break trip for the Kits), but when we came back I was missing pitches in the (strike) zone that I normally wouldn’t miss. Tonight that guy (Linares) was absolutely pumping strikes and hats off to him. I’m just glad they took him out.

“This is such a great group of guys and every day I see them all working and working to get better. It’s finally all clicking for us. We’re getting hot at the right time.”

Kalil’s gem came after Consiglio chose him to open postseason play on the mound even though Paul leads the staff in victories. And the veteran coach said it wasn’t a difficult choice to make.

“I had zero questions about how Sam would perform tonight,” Consiglio said. “He actually relaxed me because he’s taken such a huge leap pitching the last couple of weeks. I knew it would be a tight game because of who we were up against, and I knew he’d keep us in the game. It was not a decision I worried very much about.

“Those two dudes (Kalil and Linares) were unreal --- both of them. Their kid was one of the better pitchers we’ve seen in quite awhile. We did get some baserunners, but he was very unpredictable. We never knew what pitch was coming. But not for a second did I think that Sam wouldn’t step up to the moment. This is playoff baseball, and if you can’t win the tight games in the playoffs, you don’t belong.”

Kalil and the Wildkits scored a 4-3 triumph over Payton the first week of the regular season --- a game Linares didn’t pitch in --- and the confident junior thought ETHS would have the edge again in the rematch.

“I’ve faced these kids before and I knew I had the best of them. It just took a regular day (effort) to beat them again,” he said. “We earned this because we wanted it more.

“Their pitcher threw his tail off --- he’s a good kid, a buddy of mine because we’ve played on the same travel team --- but you just need a little more heart to win in the playoffs. I was blessed to get Game 1 (in the playoff rotation) this year. Elliot and I shared the (team) Cy Young Award at our awards ceremony, and I’m confident in my stuff and in the guys I have behind me. I know they have my back.

“Our camaraderie as a team has grown so much and I’m much more confident pitching to contact now because I know these guys are behind me. I’m throwing harder now and I have the confidence because I’ve yet to see a better hitter than I am a pitcher.”