Plus, after Aiden Lauritzen blasted a long, two-run homer in the top of the frame, the Bulldogs owned a seemingly comfortable 4-1 advantage.
“We felt really good,” Bulldogs coach Tony Kreke admitted. “We had a lead and had Brock throwing. He’s been our guy the last two to three years. I would take that every time.”
Leadoff hitter Henry Thompson got things started. With a 1-1 count, he made good contact on a fastball.
“Coach told us to be confident at the plate,” the Shoes senior second baseman noted. “I was trying to cover the plate. I missed one pitch, but then I swung and hit one down the rightfield line. There was a little luck on my side. It hit about a foot or so fair. I just started running as hard as I could.”
He made it all the way to third base with a triple. But that was just the beginning. Gavin Addis walked after working a 3-2 count and Aidan Niemerg then walked on four pitches to load the bases. When Dawson Hoene was hit by a pitch to force in the first run, Coach Kreke decided to make a pitching change, bringing in Lauritzen with the bases loaded and no outs.
The junior righthander came close to working out of the jam. He got Davin Worman to ground out, although it drove in a run, and then recorded a strike out.
Laurtizen then got the next two batters to hit ground balls, but both were misplayed. Jason Kreke’s grounder resulted in the tying run crossing the plate. On that play, Worman advanced all the way to third base. And when Austin Borries’ grounder was also bobbled and then dropped, Worman raced home with the winning tally, setting off a bench-clearing celebration.
“Aiden executed perfectly,” Kreke said. “He got the ground ball and then a strike out against a tough batter. Then he got two more ground balls that I’d take every time. We normally have a strong defense. But that’s baseball.”
“When we came off the field after the top of the seventh, we had a meeting with coach,” Thompson noted. “He told us to trust each other and stay confident. He said anything can happen and he was right. Somehow, we came out with the win.
“It was a great day,” Thompson added. “The atmosphere was amazing. This is the most memorable game of my career.”
Many believed the game would be a pitching duel between Fearday and Borries. And for six innings, it was exactly that.
The Shoes got on the board early, pushing a run across in the bottom of the first inning. Worman grounded a base hit up the middle. He stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored when Borries lined a two-out single to right.
The Bulldogs came right back in the top of the second. With one out, Sam Link singled, and with two outs, Charlie Spour hit a towering drive to straight-away centerfield that resulted in an RBI triple. And when the relay throw to third was errant and rolled to the fence, Spour was able to sprint home to give SAHS a 2-1 lead.
It stayed that way until the seventh.
Brock Fearday got his third hit of the game to lead off the top of the frame. Lauritzen then connected on a 3-2 pitch and sent it sailing over the fence near the 352-foot sign.
“I’d like to have that pitch back,” Borries admitted. “I kept it down, but it caught too much of the plate. He put a good swing on it.”
Borries pitched six complete innings, but left after the Lauritzen home run. He allowed a total of eight hits. He walked two and struck out five, while throwing 103 pitches. Caleb Deters relieved and retired all three batters he faced, including two by strikeout. He was credited with the win, improving to 6-0.
“I thought I pitched okay,” Borries said. “We scouted them and had a game plan. We wanted to pound them inside. I felt like I executed my inside pitches pretty well and was able to throw my slider for strikes. I think it kept them off-balance.”
And the junior righthander was able to get key outs. The Bulldogs put runners on base in every inning but the seventh, but stranded nine, including five in scoring position.
“We had traffic on the bases, but weren’t able to come through with those two-out, back-breaker hits,” Kreke explained. “I still thought we’d done enough. But those last three outs are always tough.”
“Austin gave us a great outing today,” Fleener said. “He was able to make some good pitches against some very good hitters to get out of a few jams. He gave us a chance today and that’s all you can ask.”
Fearday also went six complete innings, plus four batters in the seventh. He allowed just four hits, along with five walks and six strikeouts in his 106-pitch performance. Lauritzen took the loss, even though he gave up just the one unearned run.
“I think Brock has pitched six times against us in my career and he’s beat us all six times,” Thompson recalled. “It was nice finally getting to him.”
“Brock has been a great player for us,” Coach Kreke added. “He has a tremendous work ethic. He’s the reigning Class 2A Player of the Year. He’s received a lot of accolades in his career and deserves every one of them. I’m proud of him.”
The Bulldogs, who finished the season 22-8, were hoping for a repeat trip to the state tournament and the opportunity to defend their state title.
“After a championship season like we had, you always wonder if the team will be complacent the next season,” Kreke said. “You fear that as a coach. But these guys were great. We got off to a 9-5 start and then they really turned it on. But as a coach, you’re never ready for the season to be over.”
And for Kreke, it’s even more bittersweet. He has resigned as St. Anthony’s baseball coach.
“This was especially tough being my last game,” he admitted. “I don’t know what all my future holds, but I was proud to go on this final ride with this group of kids. I love these guys.”
In seven seasons – although the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID – Kreke has a 130-39 record. He guided the Bulldogs to four regional titles, plus two sectionals, one super sectional and the Class 2A state championship last year.
“I know this is a rivalry game, but I have great respect for Coach Kreke,” Fleener said. “He has a great program and should be proud of what he’s put together. I’ve never heard an ill word from any of his players. I have nothing but respect for Coach Kreke and his program.”
Fleener’s Wooden Shoes program is also highly respected. T-Town will be making its 19th overall appearance in a super sectional and the 15th time in Fleener’s 24-year coaching career. It will be their first trip since 2019.
The Shoes, now 28-5, will be competing in the Carbondale Super Sectional. They will face DuQuoin. The Indians, 22-14, defeated West Frankfurt, 8-4, to capture the DuQuoin Sectional.
The super sectional game will be played at Itchy Jones Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“I like Carbondale,” Fleener said, followed by a big smile. “Our win today was awesome. This is a fun time of year with a lot of excitement. I’m just fortunate to be part of it.”
