Bishop McNamara’s four-game win streak snapped by Chicago Christian

KANKAKEE – Following Tuesday’s 5-2 home loss to Chicago Christian in Chicagoland Christian Conference play, Bishop McNamara baseball coach Kurt Quick raised his voice a bit as he addressed his team, but he wasn’t yelling at them, nor was he angry.

He was challenging them to not let Tuesday’s defeat that came via a gem from Knights ace Christian Flutman deter them from the progress they’d built leading up to the game with a four-game winning streak.

"Keep it going," Quick said. “That’s baseball. Some days don’t go your way, and some days you have to tip your cap. [Flutman’s] really good.”

Flutman, the quarterback of last fall’s IHSA Class 2A State championship football team at Chicago Christian, allowed an earned run on four hits, five walks and six strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings.

Mixing a consistent curveball in all counts alongside a strong fastball, the Fightin’ Irish (11-5, 4-2 CCC) kept guessing for most of the day, falling behind early in counts and striking out looking five times.

"He throws strikes, he’s got a really good curveball, stays on the lower half of the plate," Quick said of Flutman. “We didn’t adjust quick enough, and that bites you.”

The Irish did get it going in the sixth, getting on the board with Dom Panozzo’s RBI single bringing Max Rohr home. They chased Flutman after the next batter, Cooper Austiff, drew a walk to load the bases with one out and put Flutman at his pitch count limit.

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Bishop McNamara's Jacob Lotz rounds second base during a home game against Chicago Christian Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

But after reliever Matt Rashaun recorded a strikeout for the second out, right fielder Chase Sytsma robbed Coen Demack of what would have been at least a two-run single with an unbelievable diving catch.

“It kind of deflates you and pops everybody’s balloons,” Quick said. “But again, tip your cap. That kid made a play, they did a good job of stopping the bleeding. That’s one of the few innings we had momentum going, and that’s what good teams do. Kid makes a great play, gets them out of the inning and that’s just how today went.”

They opened the seventh with a Taylor Fuerst single and Jacob Lotz double that brought Fuerst home, but Rashan quickly sat the next three McNamara batters down. The end result wasn’t what he or the Irish wanted, but the fight they showed at the plate, on the mound, in the field and in the dugout was something Quick was pleased with after falling behind 5-0 early.

“I told the kids the one thing we’d been missing is the fight in our team when we’re down. That’s one of the positives you can take away from today, is that we’ve got some fight. We’ve got some senior leadership and we’re never out of it.”

And Quick was similarly encouraged, as he’s been almost all season, with his pitching staff. Starter Colin Downs allowed three hits and two runs in the first inning before settling in, finishing with a final line of four earned runs on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings, a line Quick thought Downs pitched much better than.

He also liked the relief outing he saw from Braylon Ricketts, who allowed an earned run on two hits, a walk and five strikeouts in 3 ⅔ innings. While a pair of NCAA Division I commits, senior Panozzo (Illinois State) and junior Callaghan O’Connor (Notre Dame), anchor the staff, Quick said that they’ve not just had stardom atop the staff, but consistency throughout it.

“We’ve been really good pitching this year,” Quick said. “Our staff has done a really good job. Other than Cal and Dom, who you expect to go out and dominate, [Preston] Payne, Downs, Ricketts, everybody’s been doing a really good job of doing what they’re asked to do and keeping us in games. That’s why we’ve been successful so far.”

The Irish, who finished their two-game series with a split after a 7-4 win at Chicago Christian Monday, begin a two-game series at 4:30 p.m. at Hope Academy Thursday. The two teams will again play at McNamara at 4:30 p.m. Friday.