Baseball: Antoine Harris sets the table, Broncos feast in supersectional blowout

NAPERVILLE – Montini’s Antoine Harris hit the first pitch he saw into the right-field gap for a leadoff triple in the bottom of the first inning Monday.

That was only the beginning of a banner game for Harris. The sophomore left fielder reached base all four times up, scored three runs, including one on a delayed steal of home, and drove in two.

Harris was the table-setter for Montini, but many of his teammates also feasted in a 10-0 victory over Grayslake Central at the Class 3A North Central College Supersectional.

The five-inning rout sends the Broncos (21-11) to state for the first time since 2005. Montini will play Dixon, a 1-0 winner over Dunlap, in the semifinals at noon Friday at Route 66 Stadium in Joliet.

“I had to do what was needed,” the speedy Harris said of his leadoff hit. “I felt like if I do something big here, I might just set the table, get my team chilled out, ease it down for the pitcher, make sure he can do his thing.”

That’s exactly what happened. Harris gave Montini starter Michael Koszewski all the offense he would need by scoring the first run when Michael Sclafani hit into a double play.

Grayslake Central was fortunate to get out of the first inning down only 1-0, but the Rams’ luck wouldn’t last long as Harris had lit a fire under his teammates.

“To lead off a game like that with a triple, it just took the pressure off a lot,” Montini cleanup hitter Ryan Nelson said. “That’s what puts things in motion and we can go from there.

“That’s a big way to start a game and that got the momentum going. We put our foot on the gas and never let up.”

Indeed, the Broncos chased Rams starter Kevin O’Brien in the second inning, when they scored four runs without the benefit of a hit. They took advantage of four walks, an error on a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice flies from Nate Kremkow and Sclafani.

Harris, who drew the first of his two walks, stole home during that inning as part of a delayed double steal with Nelson.

The big early lead put a smile on the face of Koszewski, who needed only 54 pitches to throw a two-hit shutout with two walks and four strikeouts. It was only the third start of the season for the sophomore, who had been used exclusively in relief until two weeks ago.

“All those runs, honestly, each and every one just takes the pressure off me,” Koszewski said. “Then I’m just going in, firing strikes, getting outs.”

Grayslake Central (20-7) never did get Harris or Nelson out. Nelson, an Eastern Kentucky recruit, reached safely all three times up, highlighted by an inside-the-park grand slam in the fourth inning that broke the game open.

Estevan Moreno was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and Harris and Sclafani reached on walks to load the bases with two outs for Nelson, who blasted a 3-2 pitch from reliever Eric Sturm high off the left-field fence.

Grayslake Central left fielder Nic Presutti smashed into the fence while trying to catch the ball and crumpled to the ground as Nelson circled the bases to extend the lead to 9-0.

“I’ve had a grand slam, never an inside-the-park [one], though,” Nelson said. “That’s something special, especially at this stage in a supersectional.

“I was just thinking through the at-bat. The pitch before that I hit a foul ball pretty far.

“I was thinking he’s throwing me a curveball and on the next pitch he came back with a fastball and I just capitalized on the mistake. In a game like this, at this time of the year, you’ve got to capitalize on mistakes.”

The Broncos made plenty of mistakes during the regular season but were nearly perfect against the Rams. Harris capped the victory with a walk-off single to score Rocco Catalano in the fifth, thus finishing what he started.

“My coaches have so much confidence in me,” Harris said. “Since I was a freshman I’ve been on varsity and they’ve been having me at the top of the order.

“Their confidence builds my esteem up. It gets my adrenaline going.”

Now the Broncos, despite having only three seniors, are going to state.

“This is my senior year and it’s really something special,” Nelson said. “We’ve all had our ups and downs and we stayed the course.

“We listened to our coaches, we trusted the process and the plan they set out for us and look where we are.”