Griffins Outlive Routt Rematch – Headed To Program’s Second State Tournament

SPRINGFIELD – It took a long time for the Father McGivney Catholic High School baseball team to get over how its season ended a year ago.

A super-sectional loss to Jacksonville Routt Catholic.

On Monday, the Griffins had their shot at redemption, taking on the Rockets once again in the IHSA Class 1A Lincoln Land Community College Super-Sectional.

A tense, back-and-forth game had to be decided in extra innings, but McGivney held on for a 4-3 win, advancing to this weekend’s state tournament.

“I’m really happy for these guys,” McGivney head coach Chris Erwin said. “I didn’t think I’d be this emotional, but I’m really excited. Last year really stung bad.”

The Rockets won 4-1 last season in eight innings, ending the Griffins’ season at 34-5. This time around, McGivney returned the favor, ending Routt’s season at 24-13.

Monday’s game also took an extra inning to decide the winner.

After a scoreless first two innings, including a one-two-three innings from McGivney starter Ben Sink, the Griffins put a single tally on the board in the top of the third. Omar Avalos drew a one-out walk and got to second thanks to Drew Kleinheider's sacrifice bunt.

Justin Terhaar then singled on a line drive to left field, scoring Avalos from second to make it 1-0. Sink then struck out two of three batters in the bottom half.

The Griffins stranded runners at second and third in the fourth, and Routt made them pay.

Talon Thompson sparked a two-out rally with a single. He then got around to third after a wild throw from Sink to the first baseman.

Jacob Brown drew a walk to put runners on the corners, bringing up Samuel Long. During his at-bat, Thompson would score on a passed ball to tie the game. Samual Long then singled, Sink’s first hit of the game, putting Brown in scoring position.

What happened next was a highlight defensive play of the year.

Kale Reich singled up the middle to the centerfielder, Avalos. He snagged the ball from the short outfield grass midstride and delivered a strike to home plate, just in time for catcher Scott Phelps to make the play and end the inning.

“That’s such a great throw,” Erwin said. “I’m just super proud of those guys. That was one heck of a ball play. For him to come up, come in, and throw him out with a speedy runner coming around third, it was just a well-played ballgame today.”

The throw kept the game tied at 1-1 heading into the fifth.

Right after making that throw, Avalos led off the inning with a single. Kleinheider then drew a walk.

That ended the day for Routt’s starting pitcher, Brady Turner. He had gone four innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits.

In came Eli Olson, who would go on to finish the game.

Olson’s first action of the game was a wild throw to first, advancing Avalos and Kleinheider to second and third. Terhaar then hit his second RBI single of the game to score Avalos and make it a 2-1 game.

Olson gathered his composure and ended the inning via groundout, flyout, and strikeout.

Sink allowed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, but proceeded to get a fielder’s choice. That baserunner, Dalton Brown, got caught stealing second, and then Olson grounded out to end the fifth.

Olson had a one-two-three inning to start the sixth, and then his team tied the game again.

Dane Keeven was Sink’s replacement in the sixth, and after an initial strikeout, he ran into some trouble.

He gave up a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases. That forced Erwin’s hand into going to his other closer, Evan Koontz.

Coming into the game in a tough spot, he did give up a run on Long’s fielder’s choice that scored Turner. Koontz got the strikeout to prevent further damage.

But the back-and-forth game continued.

McGivney took the lead right back.

Avalos, who ended the day a perfect 3-3 with two walks, led off with another single, but was out at second after Kleinheider hit into an FC. He stole second anyway and was then brought home by another RBI from Terhaar, this time in the form of a double on a line drive to center field. That gave the Griffins a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Koontz struck out his first batter and then got a pop-up. He was one out away from the win.

But, with a flair for the dramatic, Olson took a fastball over the right field fence for a game-tying solo home run, sending the game to the eighth.

“It was a good pitch, a fastball out of the corner, but it was an even better swing,” Koontz later said. “Props to [Olson]. That was on me, I wanted [my team] to know that if I went back out, and I had another opportunity, I’d have their backs.”

He’d have his chance.

Not before the Griffins took the lead for good in the top of the eighth. First baseman Ty Etcheson reached on an error to lead things off, but then Ryan Sutberry hit into a double play.

The good news is that it brought up the top of McGivney’s order, and they delivered.

Kamp started the two-out rally with a single. Avalos was then walked. That brought Kleinheider back up, who singled to left, scoring Kamp to regain the lead at 4-3.

Terhaar walked to load the bases, but Mason Holmes struck out to end the threat.

That put Koontz back out on the mound, just another three outs away.

He gave up a leadoff single to Thompson but then went lineout, popout, and groundout. He celebrated with a back flip from the mound before being moshed by his teammates.

After giving up the game-tying home run in the seventh, a frustrated Koontz came back into the dugout and jokingly said ‘I hate baseball.’ But that didn’t last too long.

“No, absolutely not,” he said with a grin when asked if he still hated the game. “So many ups and downs, sometimes it makes you hate it, sometimes it makes you love it, but at the end of the day, it’s one of my favorite things to do in the world, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

A dramatic game, but a game that McGivney never trailed and never gave up on.

“These guys have just no quit in them, just none,” Erwin said. “I looked in the guys’ eyes in the dugout; there was just no doubt that they were going to win this game. I didn’t know how, or when, or what was going to happen, but I had no doubt that we were going to win.”

“This means everything,” Terhaar said after a four-hit, three-RBI outing. “This is a big moment. It doesn’t happen very often. It’s almost like once in a lifetime. It’s really big.”

Terhaar watched his older brother Nathan take second at the state tournament back in 2021, when the Griffins lost 4-2 to Farina South Central at Illinois State University.

Now, Justin and the Griffins have a chance for the program’s first state championship this weekend at the University of Illinois.

The Griffins (37-3) will play in the second state semifinal on Friday, June 6, at 1 p.m. against Pawnee (24-13). The Indians beat Waltonville 5-4 to win their super-sectional on Monday.

The other state semifinal at 10 a.m. will be between Ottawa Marquette (33-3) and Lexington (19-11).

“It’s funny because these guys have never been to the state tournament,” Erwin said. “That group graduated last year, who had remembered going. So, it’s really important for these guys to get there; it’s a special, special deal.”

“It’s such an important thing for our guys and our program,” Erwin continued. “We don’t talk about it a lot, but they work so tremendously hard to get to this spot, and to finally get rewarded to go back, I’m super blessed.”

And if you ask around, that was the expectation all along.

“Coming in freshman year, they were coming off a state run,” Koontz said. “I felt almost like, expected to make another one. It took us four years.”

Sink delivered as McGivney’s starter. He worked the first five innings, only allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out five. He ended the day at 67 pitches.

“We wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for Ben Sink,” Koontz said. “He threw really well against Routt last year, and obviously again this year. Props to him. That is a great pitcher. He can take us very, very far.”

Sink started last year’s super-sectional against the Rockets and put up very similar stats. He threw five innings, allowing one earned run on two hits with five Ks.

The Griffins are now promised some sort of hardware this weekend, but the most important thing for Erwin is that the season lives on.

“That’s the best part about it is we get to practice tomorrow; and Wednesday,” he said. “And I love it. This is fantastic. These guys don’t want it to end, and I don’t either.”

Print Version