La Salle-Peru blasts Plano in 3A Morris Regional semifinal

MORRIS – Coaches always hope their teams are ready to play when stepping off the bus.

La Salle-Peru baseball coach Matt Glupczynski didn’t have to wait long to find out his No. 4-seeded Cavaliers were ready as they pounded No. 6 Plano 17-2 in four innings in a Class 3A Morris Regional semifinal Thursday to advance to a regional final for the first time since 2016.

Plano was retired in order to start the game before the Cavs’ bats went to work in the bottom half of the inning.

Kaedin Bond started things off in the two spot of the lineup as he blasted a solo shot over the center field fence to put L-P ahead.

Grey Ernat then reached on a Reapers error, and Jacob Gross wasted no time making Plano pay as he sent a two-run homer over the center field fence for a 3-0 edge.

“We came out swinging the bats hot today,” Gross said. “We put the pressure on them early and kept it going.”

After a Griffin May walk and Braylin Bond single, Jett Hill slapped an RBI single down the third base line to push the lead to 4-0.

L-P stayed hot as Jackson Piecha made it 5-0 with an RBI single to center before an RBI groundout from Brandon Lamps made it 6-0. Piecha scored on a throwing error to give L-P a 7-0 lead after one inning.

In the top of the second, Plano looked to creep back into the picture as Brandon Ramos led off with a single and moved over on a groundout.

Nathan Tunt put the Reapers on the board with an RBI single to right field before later scoring on a passed ball to make it 7-2.

“I was happy with the way we responded,” Plano coach Nate Hill said. “We put the bat on the ball, but right at guys, which is kind of how the season went for us.”

L-P quickly got those two runs back in the bottom half of the inning as Gross and May were hit by a pitches to start things off.

After a Braylin Bond walk, Hill drew an RBI walk and May scored on a wild pitch to put the Cavs ahead 9-2 after the second inning.

“The guys came ready to play right out of the gate,” Glupczinski said. “We put them on the ropes early with seven and then quickly got those two runs back after Plano scored.”

After the Reapers were sat down in the top half of the third, L-P went right back to work with the bats. Adrian Arzola led off with a walk and moved to second on a balk.

Ernat and Gross hit back-to-back RBI singles that made it 11-2. After another Plano error and a walk loaded the bases, Hill picked up another RBI walk.

Piecha reached on an error that scored May and Braylin Bond as the lead grew to 14-2.

L-P put the game to rest in the bottom of the fourth with three more runs.

Ernat walked, stole second and eventually scored on an RBI double off the fence in left field from Gross.

Jett Hill ended the game via the run rule with a two-run double into the right field gap that scored Gross and Braylin Bond.

“I felt we were ready to play today,” Jett Hill said. “I was just sitting back on pitches and hit line drives and we just hit up and down the lineup.”

Gross was 3 for 3 with four RBIs, while Hill was 2 for 2 with four RBIs for the Cavs.

Gavin Kallis struck out six in four innings of work, giving up two runs.

L-P (16-16) will face No. 1 Morris (25-8) in the regional final at 11 a.m. Saturday. Morris beat the Cavs three times this season.

The Cavs, who lost to Morris in postseason play in five of the past seven years, last won a regional in 2013.

“[Morris coach] Todd Kein and I have coached against each other every season since I took over in 2012, so it’s kind of a tradition now,” Glupczynski said.