Baseball: Burbank (Ill.) three-peats as Senior League Central Region champion

PERU – After an inauspicious start, the Illinois Senior League baseball team bounced back to accomplish a rare feat.

Illinois, which is represented by Burbank, gave up three runs in the top of the first inning but rallied to defeat Michigan 6-3 on Thursday in the Central Region Tournament championship game at Washington Park for its third title in a row.

“It really means a lot, especially with the guys we’ve played together with,” Illinois pitcher Juan Avila said. “It’s so special being part of this group of guys who really support each other. Most of the core from last year, this is our final year being able to do this sort of thing.”

Burbank is only the second team to three-peat in the Central Region Tournament, joining Clear Ridge (Illinois), which won three in a row from 1973-75.

“It’s awesome,” said Illinois coach Matt Borawski, who also was on the coaching staff in 2022. “Our league the last three years has been on an unbelievable trajectory in this division. We went from not winning many district championships, and here we are three in a row.

“The kids learn about this team, they want to join and bring a friend. It’s all local kids, mostly from Reavis High School and St. Laurence High School. They came together, and here we are.”

Burbank advances to the Senior League World Series from July 27-Aug. 3 in Easley, South Carolina. Burbank went 0-2 in the World Series in each the past two seasons.

“The first year and even last year we couldn’t get anything done out there,” Borawski said. “But we had a lot of close games. This year I think we can really make a run and win a couple games. If we win a couple games, you never know, we could win the whole thing.”

Illinois, which beat Iowa 13-2 in an elimination game earlier Thursday to advance to the final, did not get off to a strong start in the title game.

Michigan, which was represented by Southern, scored three runs in the top of the first on three hits and an error, including a two-run double by Charles Molenbeek.

Illinois, which lost to Michigan 5-4 earlier in the tournament, responded in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs on a two-run single by Avila.

“From the beginning, we were intent on being relentless in the batter’s box, knowing that the same pitcher was coming up. We knew what he was offering,” Avila said. “It’s only a matter of time before we caught up to him. We brought in those two runs and that really helped build the momentum for the rest of the game.”

After having a tough time in the first inning, Avila locked in on the mound for the rest of the game.

He allowed three hits and no runs over the next 5 2/3 innings, striking out five batters. He was pulled after throwing 99 pitchers with one out left in the game.

Orlando Vazquez struck out the final batter.

“Honestly, I just tried to reset it,” Avila said. “Short-term memory is crucial for games like this. If you get stuck on the past, that’s going to kill you, especially against good teams like Michigan and Spring Valley (which Illinois beat 3-2 and 10-9).”

Illinois took the lead with three more runs in the bottom of the second when Vazquez ripped a two-run double down the left field line and Sean Popp brought in a run on a ground out to second base.

Edgar Villaneuva hit an RBI double in the fifth to give Illinois an insurance run.

“Resiliency [was the key to the win],” Borawski said. “We were down 3-0 before we blinked and gave up nothing the rest of the way. They didn’t get frustrated, didn’t quit. We had good at-bats. One at a time. Made good plays.”

After scoring three runs in the top of the first, Michigan managed only three hits the rest of the way.

“We played a tough team,” Michigan coach Adam Reed said. “They were better than us today. We came out loose, and then we got tightened up. That was the whole key. You can see them squeezing the bats hard. We weren’t flowing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it bat.

“It was a great run. It’s a team that hasn’t been playing together too long. I’m really proud of them.”