One wild opening inning

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JOLIET – Anyone who witnessed the first inning of the IHSA Class 3A Baseball State Tournament semifinal between Marian Central and DeKalb will call it one of the strangest starts they have ever seen.

Two DeKalb fielders collided on a fly ball and were taken from the field by stretcher to a hospital. The Hurricanes thought they had scored two runs, but one was later taken off the scoreboard. Eventually, the Barbs overcame the losses and won, 6-1, to earn a spot in today’s noon championship game against Chatham Glenwood.

Marian leadoff man Steve Zubryzcki walked and Scott Franzegrote singled, sending Zubryzcki to third. Eli McGuire lofted a fly ball to shallow left field that shortstop Brian Sisler ran down as he collided hard with left fielder Jake Gordon.

Zubryzcki scored easily, and Franzegrote rounded second and headed for third with Sisler laying on the ground. Sisler rolled the ball to Gordon, who, dazed and wobbly, could not throw the ball back to the infield. Franzegrote rounded the bases, but 20 minutes later, after Sisler and Gordon had been attended to, he was called out for missing second base.

DeKalb coach Justin Keck said after the game that Sisler had been treated and released from the hospital and was headed home. Both players suffered concussions, and Sisler needed 14 stitches on the top part of his right ear, which was severely cut. Keck thought Gordon had a broken nose.

“Somebody said during the delay that we had to appeal to first [to see if Franzegrote tagged up],” Keck said. “Nobody told me he missed second.”

But someone on the Barbs’ bench had called for the appeal.

A little repetitive: Marian pitcher Dave Parr warmed up three times Saturday, once before the game, once after his first-inning at-bat (because it had been so long since he threw) and once again in the third inning, after a 35-minute rain delay.

“It was kind of tough to stop and go,” Parr said. “You want to get warm, but you don’t want to overthrow.”

Rare occurence: Huntley first baseman Tom Crohan misplayed a ground ball in the first inning of the Class 4A state semifinal against Chicago St. Rita, which was the Red Raiders’ second error in six postseason games. St. Rita defeated the Raiders, 7-6.

Huntley had not committed an error since its 11-1 victory against Crystal Lake South to win the Jacobs Regional.

The Raiders also committed two errors in the fifth inning when third baseman Bryce Only couldn’t handle a hard-hit ground ball, and second baseman Andre Sopena missed a windblown pop-up.

Hey buddy! Sopena and center fielder Chris Klein will be facing their future college teammate, Stevenson center fielder Corey Lasky, in today’s third-place game. The three will play at NAIA St. Xavier University on the South Side of Chicago next season.