Varsity Sports keeps control to take Streator Major city championship over Screaming Eagles

STREATOR — Varsity Sports was the top team in Streator Youth Baseball’s Major (11-12) Division all season long.

They were the top team Wednesday under the lights in the city championship game too.

Varsity Sports rode three-RBI performances from both Kellen Gassman and Krillin Calkins along with a strong relief pitching performance from Lane Harcharik to claim Streator’s Major Division city title, 11-7 over the runner-up Screaming Eagles at Southside Diamond.

“It feels awesome to be in this game with all my teammates and how we bonded all this season to make it to where we won this championship,” said Calkins, who came to the plate three times and every one of them delivered an RBI single. “I’m proud of all these boys, and it was a great season.

“I apparently had a good day today. We had our heads up all game, no heads were down.”

Gassman’s day at the plate was just as impressive — 2-for-2 with a single, double, three runs scored and three runs batted in. His first-inning double put Varsity Sports ahead for good, scoring both Brandon Mangruem and Cal Mital to kick off a six-run bottom of the first.

Cal Mital would later add an RBI single of his own, Kole Yuhas delivered two runs scored, and additional hits were added by Mangruem, Logan Ludkowski and Cutter Dutko in the winning effort.

“We had a good group of kids,” Varsity Sports coach John Mital said after his team finished the season 10-3-1. “They’ve all gotten better to get us to this point ... and this was just a total team win.”

The champions’ 11 runs were plenty for Harcharik (3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 6 K) to work with in relief of starter Yuhas (2 IP, 1 ER, 3 K).

“This is one of the best teams I’ve ever been on,” Harcharik said. “I moved from Grand Ridge baseball to Streator baseball. It’s just my second year here, and we won a championship.

“I knew they’d probably have to pitch me ... and I was ready.”

Varsity Sports’ comfortable lead all game got a little less comfortable in the sixth and final frame, though, as the Screaming Eagles rallied for three runs — Sebastian Flores singling and Jaxon Rzasa drawing a bases-loaded walk for an RBI — and got the potential tying run on deck before southpaw reliever Cal Mital came on and induced a double play on a Trace Campbell ground ball that scored a run but ultimately ended the contest, earning Cal Mital the save.

The Screaming Eagles fought to the finish, took advantage of opportunities given them via bases on balls and rode a gutsy relief pitching performance from Maddox Magana (3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 K) to stay in the ballgame until the final out was recorded.

“My two-seam and changeup [were working],” Magana said. “I’m happy. I tried my best for my team, and we were playing [for the city championship] tonight.”

The Eagles (5-8-1) were limited to just two hits by Varsity Sports pitching — Flores with his aforementioned sixth-inning single and an inning earlier Elijah Milian with a run-scoring triple to left-center, driving home Trace Campbell with one his two runs scored on the night.

”It stung my hands when I hit it,” Milian said. “I think I stared at it for a little bit before I ran, but I didn’t think it was gone. I knew it was way too short, so I just kept running.”

Starting pitcher Flores (1 IP, 2 ER, 2 K) and Campbell (1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 K) also took the bump for the Screaming Eagles, with the team’s pitchers backed by a par of outstanding Milian catches in center field.