Baseball: Mustangs' Drop Sectional Final To Providence

NAPERVILLE – When Downers Grove South’s baseball team tied Saturday’s Class 4A Neuqua Valley sectional final game against Providence at 2-2 in the third inning, the Mustangs felt like they were right in the game against the state’s top team.

With Kansas State-bound senior Matt Wivinis on the hill and the emotion of pushing across a pair of unearned runs on a Celtics error, there was no reason to think otherwise.

However, the Celtics went on to show why they are the state’s No. 1 team. Providence batted around in the bottom of the third, chasing Wivinis from the game, and turned the trick again in the fifth en route to a 12-3 win for the sectional title.

“I anticipate that they could finish the deal,” Downers Grove South coach Darren Orel said of Providence’s chances to win the state title. “That’s a great team. They’ve got pitching, they can hit, they play good defense, and they’re athletic. Hats off to them. That’s a very, very good team. There are no easy outs in the lineup. You have to battle and grind every pitch against them.”

Providence (35-2) set the tone early on. After Wivinis (4-6) retired the Celtics’ first two hitters, Sam Travis blasted a solo home run and Dan Potempa, Collin McEnery and Zak Kutsulis followed with singles to plate another run.

But the Mustangs (25-14) looked like they seized the momentum in the third off of Providence ace Matt Trowbridge (8-0). Kevin Strelak singled and Nick Radenkovich walked to lead off the inning, turning the lineup over in the process. They both scored on an error to tie the game.

“No one in that dugout thought there was a chance it would end up like that,” DGS senior catcher Nick Tenerelli said of his team’s thoughts after tying it up.

The Celtics wasted little time taking the lead for good. A leadoff walk in the third was followed by a two-run home run from Potempa, which chased Wivinis. Kutsulis homered later in the inning. Providence scored five runs each in the third and fifth innings.

“I expected us to swing the bats,” Providence coach Mark Smith. “I didn’t expect it to be this good against such a great pitcher. It’s a great day to hit and our kids are confident.”

Radenkovich walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch for the Mustangs’ other run.

The season started with extremely high expectations with Wivinis and Nick Burdi leading the pitching staff and Jake Wolf pacing the offense. But the team suffered many setbacks throughout the season before putting things together in the playoffs.

“I’m just proud of my kids,” Orel said. “We had an up and down season. We battled and got to a point where we gave ourselves an opportunity. There were times in the season where I wasn’t sure that was going to happen.”

It was a senior-laden group, with eight seniors starting all season and 16 on the roster in total.

“It’s a rough way to go out, especially with the score so lopsided,” Tenerelli said. “Six or seven of these guys I’ve been playing with since I was nine. It’s rough going out like that. It’s really rough.”