JOLIET – After putting on a remarkable defensive display for a high school first baseman, Joliet Catholic Academy senior Jack Surin stepped into the batter’s box.
In the bottom of the seventh inning of a 2-2 East Suburban Catholic Conference thriller against Notre Dame, Louisville-bound Michael O’Brien was at third base, 90 feet away.
O’Brien, who had singled and tripled earlier, walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Hilltoppers starting pitcher Aidan Tyrell sacrificed, moving O’Brien to second with two outs. O’Brien moved up to third on a ball in the dirt, and Simon Grasshoff walked.
Surin, who had been hitless in three trips, hit a wet frozen rope through the cold rain and into right-center field. Out of nowhere came Notre Dame center fielder Matt Doherty, who dove and made an unbelievable catch to save the game for his Dons.
The cold rain continued and the two clubs played a scoreless eighth inning before the umpires suspended the contest.
JCA got on the board first in the second inning, when the Dons’ defense made three errors. Justin Conant reached on an error and went to third on a single by Greg Ziegler (2 for 3, double), who moved up to second when the left fielder booted the ball. Notre Dame starting pitcher Paul Bergstrom’s errant pickoff throw went into center field, and Conant scored the gift run.
Meanwhile, Surin was saving his teammates errors in the infield. On five occasions, he made sensational scoops out of the dirt to register outs. On another occasion, Surin used his vertical leap, developed this winter for coach Joe Gura’s basketball Hilltoppers, to save another error and made a super swipe tag to get the out.
O’Brien tripled with one out in the fifth and scored on the fifth Don error of the game on a ball hit by Tyrell.
Notre Dame (8-11-1, 2-4) tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth off Tyrell. Leadoff man Jackson Kaplowitz doubled home the first run and Notre Dame relief pitcher Nat Moore picked up the tying RBI on a groundout.
Tyrell (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits in his 51/3 innings. Right-hander Kyle Winkle fired 22/3 innings of shutout relief.
“Not much to say about that one,” Hilltoppers coach Jared Voss said. “Aiden pitched well and Kyle did a great job in relief. Jack really was outstanding at first base and we thought he won the game for us in the seventh.”