Baseball: Rainouts alter pitching rotations
By Pat Disabato pdisabato@southtownstar.com May 31, 2012 8:54PM
Tyler Laurisch and his Mount Carmel teammates are scheduled to play St. Rita on Friday. | File photo
Baseball Sectionals
CLASS 3A
At Lincoln-Way West
Marian Catholic vs. Lincoln-Way West, 11 a.m. Saturday
CLASS 4A
At Andrew
Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Lincoln-Way North, 4:30 p.m. Friday
H-F-Lincoln-Way North winner vs. Marist, 11 a.m. Saturday
At Mount Carmel
St. Rita vs. Mount Carmel, 4:30 p.m. Friday
St. Rita-Mount Carmel winner vs. Lyons, 11 a.m. Saturday
Updated: July 6, 2012 9:52AM
Mother Nature did more than simply force Thursday’s sectional semifinals to be postponed one day.
She put a major wrench into the remaining teams’ pitching rotations.
None of the other Southland 4A teams pushed back Thursday, however, face an impact as potentially devastating as Homewood-Flossmoor.
The Vikings play Lincoln-Way North at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Andrew Sectional.
“The problem now is, if we do win (Friday), we can’t bring back (Dan) Lietz on Monday,” Homewood-Flossmoor coach Todd Sippel said. “It makes getting to state for us a whole lot tougher.”
Lietz is 9-4, with a 1.04 ERA and an area-leading 123 strikeouts, for the 22-11 Vikings. Whether he pitches Friday or, assuming a win that day, in Saturday’s sectional title game, he’d be unavailable to start a potential Monday supersectional contest.
Now, with only two days off between starts, teams will have to hand the ball to their No. 3 starters.
The local team in position to best handle such a scenario is Mount Carmel, whose sectional semifinal against St. Rita is rescheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday at Mount Carmel.
The Caravan has three bona fide starting pitchers in T.J. Laurisch, Jeremy Kravetz and Jason Gasser. If needed, Austin Dodson and Marko Boricich could step in as well.
“We have three front-line starting pitchers,” Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry said. “We have all the confidence in the world in all three. We felt like we were going to have to use all three to get through this. But all we’re concentrating on right now is (Friday).”
With its top two starting pitchers, Eddie De La Riva and Scott Thomas, out for the season, St. Rita already was leaning heavily on a youthful staff.
Some combination of seniors Billy Henry (7-1) and Rick Faron and sophomores Mike Costanzo and Jake Shepski will have to get the job done.
“It’s another challenge for us, but I like the guys we have and have complete confidence in them,” St. Rita coach Mike Zunica said.
Lincoln-Way North, like Mount Carmel, has a deep staff. Mike Miller (9-0) and Jake McCabe (7-1) are 1-2 in the Phoenix rotation.
North also has undefeated Josh Reid (5-0) and Alex Lesiak waiting in the wings.
“You’re going to have to have a third starter on Monday now, no doubt about it,” North coach Joe Skarbek said. “But the kid that started on Friday could give you a few innings in relief on Monday.”
