Baseball: Aidan Thompson, 9-run 5th lead Marquette past Serena into regional title game

OTTAWA – The Marquette Academy baseball team came up empty in solid scoring opportunities in each of the first four innings of Wednesday afternoon’s Class 1A Marquette Regional semifinal against Serena.

However, it was a different story for the Crusaders in the fifth.

Marquette had the first nine batters reach base, all of them eventually coming around to score in a 9-0 victory over the Huskers at Masinelli Field.

The Crusaders (27-2), winners of 18 consecutive games, move on to face the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between St. Bede and Yorkville Christian at 1 p.m. Saturday for the championship. Marquette has claimed six straight regional titles.

Serena finishes the season 15-13.

“I felt like I had pretty good stuff today and was confident throwing any pitch at any time. The last two innings, though, I just wanted to make sure I was getting ahead in the count, and if they hit it, they hit.”

—  Adian Thompson, Marquette Academy pitcher

“We were able to get guys on there in the first four innings in good situations, but then had some base running mistakes that hurt us,” Marquette coach Todd Hopkins said. “It may have been some jitters, and even though this is a veteran team, postseason games are tough to win.

“To the kids’ credit, they stayed with it and hung in there. We were able to get zeroed in right off the bat in the fifth.”

Marquette starting pitcher Aidan Thompson allowed only two hits – singles by Carson Baker in the first and seventh – didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10 in the complete-game shutout.

Baker, Serena’s starter, worked out of danger in each of the first four innings and kept the hosts off the scoreboard until the fifth.

“Credit Aidan. Things weren’t going well for us offensively, but he just said, ‘[Serena] just isn’t going to get on base,’ ” Hopkins said. “He pitched a great game for us and kept things in check until we could get him some runs.

“Give credit to Baker as well. He pitched a solid game and worked out of some tough situations.”

Thompson, who retired 17 straight batters at one point, allowed only two balls to be hit out of the infield and no runners to advance past first base.

“To be honest, even though today was a regional game, I really had the same game plan I always have,” Thompson said. “Serena is a good-hitting team, but I told the guys behind me in the field, ‘I’ll get you guys ground balls and fly balls, just have my back.’ They did that again today.

“I felt like I had pretty good stuff today and was confident throwing any pitch at any time. The last two innings, though, I just wanted to make sure I was getting ahead in the count, and if they hit it, they hit.”

In the opening innings, Marquette had a runner tagged out a home, another caught off third and stranded five runners in scoring position.

In the fifth, Krew Bond started the inning with a double to the fence in left before Tommy Durdan was hit by a pitch. Sam Mitre loaded the bases on an infield single.

Charlie Mullen came through with a two-run single to break the ice before a Huskers throwing error – one of five miscues on the day for Serena – allowed two more runs to come home. Alec Novotney made it 6-0 with a two-run single, Bond drove home a run with a groundout off reliever Beau Raikes, and Durdan closed out the scoring with a base hit that plated two more.

Baker went four innings, allowing eight hits, four earned runs with three walks and a strikeout. Raikes gave up a run on a hit with two walks and a pair of strikeouts.

“We were able to put up four zeroes on the scoreboard, and were right in it, but unfortunately, there then was a big ugly nine right next to them,” Serena coach Chad Baker said. “I thought Carson pitched a pretty solid game, but we just had too many blunders behind him, and in that fifth inning, it just snowballed on us.

“[Thompson] just knows how to pitch and did a great job for them. He mixed up his pitches really well today and just kept us off balance. He was going to be tough to beat today.”