Jonny Lee, Romeoville make their own history, beat Yorkville in regional semifinal to match program win record

YORKVILLE – Jonny Lee is well aware of Romeoville’s baseball history, or lack thereof.

But this is a different Spartans team.

It starts with Lee, their senior right-handed pitcher. Lee, despite a modest 5-foot-11, 150-pound frame, carries the confidence of a giant and a chip on his shoulder to the mound.

That mindset extends to a veteran, fundamentally sound Romeoville core intent on making their own history.

“We’re trying to accomplish something that’s never been done,” Lee said.

The Spartans took a big step toward that Thursday.

Lee was brilliant in throwing a complete-game four-hitter with six strikeouts. Nolan Holgado reached base four times with two hits and keyed a Romeoville lineup that manufactured its offense throughout a 6-1 win over Yorkville in the Class 4A Yorkville Regional semifinals.

Romeoville (22-14) matched the program wins record set way back in 1976. The Spartans can break that record, and win the program’s first regional title, Saturday against top-seeded Downers Grove North.

“It feels really good, knowing all of our players,” Lee said. “I know we have the ability to be really good. We just have to keep playing at our level. Just trust the training and we’ll be good.”

Romeoville is very much in uncharted waters. Head coach Mike Skroch, who’s been at the school for 23 years, said the Spartans haven’t had a winning record in at least 15.

But they’ve been building something with four-year varsity players Holgado in center field and Karlos Otero at shortstop, and three-year players in Lee, Justin Perez at second base and Nicholas Whitford in right field.

“We prepare the best we can and play our game, and go at teams,” Skroch said. “This team doesn’t lay down without a fight.”

Lee established himself as Romeoville’s ace as a sophomore, and Skroch is confident with him on the mound.

He needed just 82 pitches Thursday to reverse his own recent playoff history, 58 for strikes. Lee was nicked for only one unearned run in the sixth.

“He had a little chip on his shoulder – he didn’t have the greatest playoff last year," Skroch said. “He showed that wasn’t him, went at them.”

“My main goal is pump the zone, throw a lot of strikes,” Lee said. “I know I’m not a super flamethrower guy, not throwing super hard. I have to throw strikes, let them hit and let my defense work.”

A tremendous athlete who plays third base when he isn’t pitching and even runs for himself on the bases, Lee did plenty of his own work defensively.

He picked off a runner in the fourth and made a snap throw to third to get a lead runner after Yorkville’s first two batters of the sixth reached on errors.

And Lee finished his day by fielding two comebackers.

“Especially me being also our infielder, I need to do my thing,” Lee said. “Trust my training.”

Lee retired the first seven batters he faced, the only offense for Yorkville (16-17) coming on Kal Arntzen’s two-out RBI single in the sixth.

“Credit to their pitcher – he did a fabulous job mixing three pitches and keeping us off balance," Yorkville coach Tom Cerven said. “We didn’t get many opportunities, and the ones we gave them they capitalized.”

Indeed, Holgado was hit by a pitch leading off the first and fifth innings and scored both times on sacrifice flies. Holgado singled in Lee with two out in the second.

In the fifth, Holgado’s chopper up the middle stayed in the infield, but two Romeoville base runners raced home on the play. Holgado later scored on a wild pitch.

Romeoville had just five hits for the game but took advantage of three walks, two hit batters and two Yorkville errors.

“That was playoff baseball at its finest and ultimately that’s what it comes down to at times,” Cerven said. “It’s not always going to be a clean game. It will be a gritty game, and you have to take advantage of opportunities given to you.”

Romeoville also stole three bases and twice had sacrifice bunts set up scoring rallies. Holgado, Romeoville’s single-season and career record holder for steals, had one.

“Speed has been our MO all year. We rely on it,” Skroch said. “We wanted to get runners on base that we could take advantage of them on the bases and we did.”