It stands to reason that in each round of the postseason things should get progressively harder.

Minooka is putting that rather reasonable theory to the test though, running rough shod through four postseason to date including a 15-1 victory over Edwardsville in the Class 4A Normal Community Sectional final on Saturday.

The win lifts Minooka into a 6 p.m. Monday contest at the Corn Crib in Normal where it will face Naperville Central in the the Class 4A Normal Community Supersectional. Naperville Central defeated Downers Grove North 3-1 in the title game of the the Lockport Sectional.

“I’m glad that it feels easy, because it doesn’t to me,” Minooka coach Jeff Petrovic said. “I think after all of these years, I understand how difficult it is to be in these positions and how hard everybody works to get yourself to this spot.

“It’s easy to take for granted thast we’re throwing up some crooked numbers and a lot of things are going our way. But they’ve earned everything they’ve got.”

Minooka wasted no time in making a statement.

Ryan Keener coaxed a walk to start the game and Gavin McReynolds was hit by a pitch. Landon Currie then doubled home Keener and after a lineout, Rhett Harris deposited a ball on the other side of the fence to give Minooka a 4-0 lead after just five batters had reached the plate.

These sorts of outbursts have become common for Minooka in the postseason as they have outscored opponents 46-7 in four games and have invoked the mercy rule in all but one of those contests.

“We’re just going out there and having some fun. We’re not trying to overcomplicate things,” Harris said. “We’re all feeding off one another. It’s really easy when you get into these big games to get super stiff and serious about things, but we just need to keep playing the game the way it needs to be played.”

Minooka chased the Edwardsville starter from the game, the first of four Tiger pitchers that tried to slow down the red-hot Indians offense.

None of them succeeded.

Tyler Ebel, Minooka’s No. 9 hitter, started off his three-hit day with a double to lead off the second and would later come around to score to stretch Minooka’s lead to 5-0 and the Indians would throw up two runs in each of the third and fourth inning, with Harris providing his secon home run of the day, a two-run shot in the fourth.

Edwardsville’s only run of the game came in the second when Nolan Vojak connected for an RBI double, and the Tigers looked like they were on the brink of adding more in the third, but Minooka starter Cam Rujawitz bore down and left Edwardsville will the bases loaded and no damage done on the scoreboard.

It was one of the very few times Rujawitz was put to the test as he kept Edwardsville off balance throughout the game.

“It’s nice to have all of those runs out there, but it all comes from the energy,” Rujawitz said. “We’re all so connected and you see what happens on the field because of that.”

Minooka put the finishing touches on the win with a six-run sixth that included a solo home run from Brady Kozlowski and a two-run triple from Keener.

That ended the game early and with it was a result that while it delighted Minooka’s veteran coach he admitted to a bit of a surprise at the way his team took care of one of the power programs in Illinois.

“Gosh, no,” Petrovic said if the result was something he anticipated. “Even the other day against Normal, you’re expecting maybe it is going to be a race to three runs or something. And today, this is one of the best programs around and they do everything right and we have so much respect for them.

“And some days are just your day. We are just playing some inspired baseball I couldn’t be prouder.”

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