Providence baseball wins third straight state IHSA title in true Celtic style

JOLIET – The record third time indeed was another charm.

And once again, as has been the pattern throughout the playoffs, the Providence Catholic baseball team showed how exciting late-game heroics can be.

Coach Mark Smith’s Celtics scored five times in the fifth inning Saturday night to erase a 3-1 deficit and went on to beat Mundelein, 10-3, in the Class 4A state championship game before a huge crowd at Silver Cross Field.

Providence thus becomes the first team ever to win three consecutive state championships. Mike Madej, Jackson Stulas, Zach Pych and Jim Jeffries all were prominent contributors to all three titles.

But they were not alone in securing title No. 3. Jackson Dvorak delivered the go-ahead two-run single in the fifth inning and left-hander Tyler Zarembka pitched three innings of one-hit, shutout relief to gain the victory. He replaced starter Connor Hilty after a walk leading off the fourth inning.

Noah O’Brien and side-winding Matt Trzesniewski closed it out in the seventh, and the Celtics celebrated a record that is not likely to be challenged for a while – unless they themselves continue the streak in 2017.

Mundelein got off to a fast start, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Nick Stricker began the rally with a half-swing single to right on Hilty’s first pitch. Brendan Murphy singled with one out and Reese Dolan drew a two-out walk to load the bases.

Drew Breitenreiter then hit a high hopper to third, and the Celtics’ Zach Pych could not find the handle as a run scored to make it 1-0. Brett Parola followed with a two-run single for a 3-0 lead.

Providence got a run back in the bottom of the first. Kevin Fitzgerald singled leading off, but was picked off first. Jackson Stulas singled and went all the way to third on a errant pickoff throw. He scored on Madej’s groundout.

Pych led off the second inning with a single, and with one out stole second and continued to third on an errant throw but the Celtics were unable to cash in.

The bottom of the third inning featured Providence near-misses. Colin Airola walked leading off, and with one out, Stulas dropped a bunt down the third-base line. However, Mundelein pitcher Wil Michalski made an outstanding off-balance throw to nail him for the second out.

Madej then beat out a hustling infield hit with a head-first dive to put runners on first and third. Matt Waznis then lofted a long fly ball to right, but it came down in the glove of right fielder Reese Dolan as he stepped he took a couple of steps onto the warning track.

Hilty walked the leadoff hitter in the top of the fourth and was relieved by left-hander Tyler Zarembka. He picked off the runner and knocked down the next two hitters.

Pych began the bottom of the fourth with a double to left and Jackson Dvorak followed with an infield single on a high hopper to third, leaving runners on first and second. Mundelein replaced Michalski with left-hander Zach Zentz. He struck out the next two hitters and finished off the inning with a fielder’s choice.

The bottom of the fifth inning provided to be the Celtics’ time to shine. Kevin Fitzgerald walked. Stulas bunted for a hit and when Zentz threw the ball away, the Celtics were left with runners on second and third.

Madej singled home a run to make it 3-2. Waznis was hit by a pitch and so was Pych, driving home the tying run. Mundelein coach Todd Parola claimed Pych leaned into the pitch and should not have been awarded first base, but to no avail.

Dvorak followed with a two-run single to center off the shortstop’s glove, and Providence had its first lead, 5-3. Zentz looked like he was going to escape with no further damage, but a two-out wild pitch scored a run to make it 6-3.

The Celtics tacked on four insurance runs in the sixth, highlighted by Madej’s RBI single and Tom Kelley’s two-run triple. Kelley added the exclamation point with an incredible throw to third from deep right field as he gunned down a Mundelein runner trying to advance after the catch.

Madej finished with three hits and three RBIs. Stulas, Pych and Dvorak added two hits apiece.

In Friday’s 7-4 semifinal victory over Plainfield North, Providence scored three times in the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie. Stulas delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly and Waznis singled home two insurance runs.

That’s the kind of run it was for the Celtics. Late-game heroics, over and over again, en route to a third straight state championship.

The Green Machine, and how.