Newman holds off Marengo in Class 2A sectional semifinal win

MENDOTA – In a pitchers’ duel at Wednesday’s Class 2A Mendota Sectional semifinals, Newman had to grind out a win against Marengo starting pitcher Michael Kirchhoff.

Kirchhoff had 13 strikeouts in six innings, but Newman’s Evan Bushman got just enough run support as the Comets won 5-3.

The Comets (26-7-1) and their willingness to play small ball helped them advance with just four hits, moving on to face Johnsburg in the final at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Skyhawks beat Byron 9-2 in the first semifinal to snap the Tigers’ 28-game winning streak.

Bushman allowed three runs (two earned) in 5⅔ innings pitched, allowing six hits, three walks and striking out five.

Newman’s Garret Matznick got the final four outs by strikeout, including a pivotal strikeout of Kirchhoff to end the sixth with two runners on. Matznick earned the save after two Marengo batters reached in the seventh.

“They had a great pitcher on the mound, but it’s just the little things that rack up the runs,” Bushman said. “It’s these little bunts, it’s these little hits moving the runner over and it’s all about momentum – and keeping your head up. And we did that tonight.”

Matznick scored the first run after being hit by a pitch to lead off the game. Chase Decker made it 2-0 with an RBI double. That lead held until Kirchhoff tied it with a two-run single in the third.

Kirchhoff struck out six straight Comets in the third and fourth innings, but Newman rallied in the fifth with two runs as Kirchhoff’s pitch count began to rise. He hit the limit in the sixth as Newman took a 5-3 lead.

Newman’s Joe Oswalt laid down a sacrifice bunt for Newman’s final run.

“We’re very clutch,” Oswalt said. “Our game is all about small ball. Against a pitcher like that, you’re not going to be able to string together hits. All it takes is one big hit, groundouts, move the runners over and then bunt them in.

“Put the ball in play.”

Liam Nicklaus also scored a run after leading off the fifth with a single from the No. 8 spot. Oswalt, batting seventh, did not come through until his third at-bat.

“I go up there, I strike out two times in a row,” Oswalt said. “I know I’ve got to put the ball in play somehow. ... Our team is always unselfish, we’re always willing to bunt.”

Newman’s patience led to Kirchhoff reaching 116 pitches to get his last out.

“Against a pitcher as good as he is, you’re going to have to grind it out,” Oswalt said. “Long at-bats, and get his pitch count up and make sure you can put the ball in play when it matters.”

Having your own big-game pitcher on the mound doesn’t hurt, either.

Bushman set the team’s single-season wins record last season and finished 11-1.

Bushman has yet to lose this season and often flirts with complete games.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Evan pitch a bad game before, and I don’t think I ever will,” said Oswalt, a senior. “He’s always in there dealing strikes, getting strikeouts when we need it, pitching into outs, and he’ll always make it happen.”

Kirchhoff led Marengo (23-10) with two hits and two RBIs. David Lopez also knocked in a run for Marengo, and Alex Johnson pitched a clean seventh to give his team a chance.

But Matznick closed the door with two strikeouts after a leadoff walk and one-out hit batter.

Marengo coach Nick Naranjo said the hit batter and walk hurt his team as Newman took an early advantage.

“All game we were playing catch-up,” he said. “[We] come back and tie it up, and then next thing you know, they score again. It’s just tough to be in that situation.”

Newman coach Kenny Koerner said it was a good game against a good team. His Comets will place for a fifth straight sectional title on Saturday.

“Bushman is always going to give us a good day on the mound,” he said. “For us, it was just trying to figure out a way to put the ball in play and grind out a run here and there. I thought we played good baseball today. I thought we really grinded one out.”

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Newman’s Garret Matznick smiles after hitting the deck on a strikeout pitch against Marengo Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in the Class 2A Sectional semifinal in Mendota. (Alex T. Paschal)