JOLIET – Carter Gaskill hit a dramatic game-tying three-run homer over the fence in right field with two out in the top of the seventh to bring Triad back from a seven-run deficit, but a sacrifice fly in foul ground in the bottom of the eighth gave Chicago St. Rita Catholic a 12-11 win over the Knights in the IHSA Class 3A baseball championship game Saturday afternoon at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.
The Knights were in the final for the first time in school history and were attempting to win the school’s first-ever boys team state championship. The girls’ soccer team has won a pair of state titles, in 2011 and 2017.
The Knights scored first in the opening inning, starting with a lead-off single from Braxton Yates, and a Keegan Seipp walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Gaskill singled home Yates to make it 1-0 for Triad, with Seipp going to third, and one out later, Auggie Bugger singled home Seipp to double the lead at 2-0.
The Mustangs countered with five runs in the first, all with two out. Colin Quinn singled, went to second on a walk to Ryan Jones, and scored on an RBI double by Jayden Ibarra to cut the lead to 2-1, Jones stopping at third. Both runners scored on a RBI single by Jake Sellis, and Vinny Stubitsch hit a 1-0 pitch over the fence in left, with Sellis scoring ahead of him to make it 5-2 for St. Rita.
With two out in the top of the second, Yates drew a walk, and Keegan Seipp tripled home Yates to cut the Mustang lead to 5-3, then in the third, Gaskill led off with a double, and Kade Rocca singled him home to make the score 5-4, but Rocca was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double to end the inning.
St. Rita extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth. starting when Joe Carner was hit by a pitch, then went to second on a single by Jayden Hawkins. Aden Gutierrez singled home Carner, and Colin Quinn grounded into a double play to bring in Hawkins to make it 7-4.
The Mustangs then led off the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles by Ibarra, Sellis, and Stubitsch to load the bases, and one out later, Carner reached on an error off a squeeze bunt to score both pinch runner Xander Norbut and courtesy runner Timmy Swanson to make the score 9-4. After Hawkins was intentionally walked to load the bases, Gutierrez singled home Stubitsch, and Colin Quinn reached on an error, allowing Carner to score and put St. Rita up 11-4.
The Knights were far from finished, and in the sixth, with one out, Kannon Seipp singled, Yates was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, Keegan Seipp singled to load the bases, and Nolan Keller came up with a clutch single that scored two runs and cut the Mustang lead to 11-6. Gaskill then doubled home Keegan Seipp to make the score 11-7 before the side was retired.
Maddux Hunt led off the Triad seventh with a single, and two outs later, Keegan Seipp walked, and Keller doubled home Hunt to make the score 11-8. It set the stage for Gaskill’s game-tying three-run homer over the fence in right field, scoring both Keegan Seipp and Keller ahead of him to tie the game 11-11. The Mustangs were set down to force extra innings.
Triad was retired in order in the top of the eighth, and in the bottom of the inning, Colin Quinn led off with a walk, and was sacrificed to second by Jones. Ibarra was intentionally walked to set up a possible double play, but Sellis singled to load the bases, and Stubitsch hit a fly ball that was caught in foul ground in right field. Colin Quinn tagged up and scored after the catch to give St. Rita the state championship 12-11.
Gaskill led the Knights with four hits, including his game-tying homer, and five RBIs, while Keller also came up big with three hits and three RBIs. Keegan Seipp had two hits and an RBI, Bugger and Rocca both had a hit and an RBI each, and Yates, Hunt, and Kannon Seipp also had hits.
Brody Hasquin started on the mound, and pitched three innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two, Kody Anderson came in to pitch in the fourth, and faced three batters, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits, walking and striking out none, Grayson Yank came in and pitched for one inning, giving up four runs, two earned, on four hits, walking one and striking out one, and Pearce Goodfield threw in the final 3.1 innings, and was charged with the loss, allowing an earned run on one hit, walking two and striking out three.
The Mustangs won the state championship in Class 3A with a record of 31-12, while Triad ended its historic season 36-5.
In the third-place game, East Peoria nipped Crystal Lake South 7-6. The Raiders end the season 28-14, while the Gators conclude at 29-11.
