McGuire saves Marian in 7th

Marian Central celebrates after winning Monday's IHSA Class 3A North Central College Supersectional, 8-6, against Nazareth in Naperville. (Jeff Krage - For the Northwest Herald)

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NAPERVILLE – Eli McGuire wasn’t nervous; he just trusted his curveball.

The Marian Central senior came in to close Monday’s playoff game against Nazareth in a tight situation: tying run at the plate, runner on third, one out and a trip to the IHSA state semifinals on the line.

After a foul ball on a full count, McGuire struck out A.J. Ryan looking at his curve for the second out and got Patrick Kelly to ground out to second to seal the Hurricanes’ 8-6 victory in the IHSA Class 3A North Central College Supersectional.

“That was crazy,” McGuire said of the finish after being mobbed by his teammates in a celebration near the mound. “I don’t know what to say. That was amazing.”

The win qualified the Hurricanes (27-9) for the state semifinals, their fourth time qualifying for state but first in the new four-class, four-team state tournament format. Huntley will face DeKalb at noon Friday at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

McGuire came into the game in relief of winning pitcher Dave Luczak (10-1), who pitched shutout ball for four innings before allowing three runs in the fifth and three in the seventh. Also a senior, Luczak found his groove early, giving up only two hits through four innings.

Luczak was able to help his own cause at the plate. With Dave Parr and Andrew Stone on first and second with one out, Brett Kosar bunted to Nazareth pitcher Jake Mijares, but Mijares slipped coming off the mound to load the bases for Luczak. Luczak hit a two-run double that landed right on the left-field foul line as part of a three-run second inning for Marian.

Luczak also drove in Stone as part of a three-run fifth inning on a bloop single to center field, finishing 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

“I got lucky they fell down,” Luczak said. “Those are my only two hits of the playoffs.”

After three consecutive one-run wins to qualify for the supersectional, the Hurricanes, up 7-0, looked like they would cruise to state, but Nazareth rallied in the fifth.

Kane Lombardo reached on a bunt, and Mike Urgo doubled to center for two on and one out for the Roadrunners (28-10). Adam Marske drove in Lombardo on an infield single, Urgo scored on a double to left by Anthony Baldassano, and Marske scored on a fielder’s choice by Mike Barajas to cut the lead to four with two innings left.

After a scoreless sixth, Karl Steiger sent a ball over the left-field fence for his fifth home run of the season to put the Hurricanes up by five.

“When you do that, it demoralizes the other team,” Steiger said. “It mentally puts them out of it.”

Steiger struck out looking in his first at-bat but tripled to center and scored in the fourth and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth.

“If they want to give it to me, I’ll take it,” Steiger said. “As long as we win, I don’t care what I do.”