MT. ZION - Keegan Seipp led Triad with three hits and an RBI, but it was Nolan Keller who scored the winning run on an eighth-inning passed ball that gave the Knights a 5-4 win over Normal University in the rain-delayed Class 3A Decatur Milliken University super-sectional game Tuesday evening at Mt. Zion High School.
The game was originally scheduled for Monday night at Milliken, but was rained out, making the switch to Mt. Zion High necessary. With the win, Triad advanced to the state finals for the third time under head coach Jesse Bugger, and for the first time since 2018.
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The Knights took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, when Braxton Yates led off with a base hit, went to third on a Seipp single, and scored on Keller's ground out to short to give Triad the lead at 1-0. Seipp then led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run that cleared the fence in right field to double the Knights' lead to 2-0. One out later, Carter Gaskill reached on a dropped third strike that was ruled a passed ball, went to second on a Nathan Klucker base hit, and scored when Auggie Bugger reached when Klucker was forced at second, and advanced to second on an error, making the score 3-0 for Triad. Kade Rocco was then hit by a pitch, and Maddux Hunt singled, but Bugger was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
In the fourth, Kannon Seipp drew a walk to start the inning, then Yates singled him to second, and a Keegan Seipp single loaded the bases for Keller, who hit a sacrifice fly to center that scored Kannon Seipp and made the score 4-0 for Triad.
The Pioneers started a comeback in the top of the sixth, starting when Caleb Hornbrook led off with a walk, went to second on a base hit by Parker Roop, with Hornbrook being forced at third on a grounder hit by Bodey Klemmenson, and Myles Mitchell hitting a three-run homer over the fence in left, wig Roop and Klemmenson scoring ahead of Mitchell to make he score 4-3. Normal U. tied the game
In the seventh, starting when Hornbrook and Roop were hit by pitches with one out, and Klemmenson singling to right, with Hornbrook scoring on an error in right field to tie the game 4-4. After an intentional walk, the Knights turned a double play to get out of the inning, but could not score in their half of the seventh, forcing extra innings.
Rocca, Hunt and Kannon Seipp walked the bases full with two out in the bottom of the seventh, but the Pioneers got out of the jam with a lineout to right. In the bottom of the eighth, Keegan Seipp was hit by a pitch to start, then was doubled over to third by Keller. Gaskill was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Klucker grounded into a force play at the plate to keep the sacks jammed, and with Bugger at bat, a 2-0 pitch got away from the catcher for a passed ball, allowing Keller to score the winning run as the Knights won 5-4 and advanced to state.
Keegan Seipp led the way with his three hits and two RBIs, while Keller had two hits and two RBIs, Yates and Hunt both came up with a pair of hits each, Klucker had a hit, and Bugger drove in a run. Matt Morris started on the mound and went 4.2 innings, allowing no runs on one hit, walking three and striking out three, while Brody Hasquin pitched one inning, giving up three earned runs on three hits, walking one and fanning one. Kody Anderson came in and pitched one inning, giving up an earned run on one hit, walking two, and fanning none, and Grayson Yank pitched 0.2 innings and was credited with the win, conceding no runs on no hits, walking none, and striking out one.
Normal U. ends its season at 28-6, while Triad is now 35-5, and goes to the state semifinals on Friday and Saturday at Slammers Stadium in Joliet. The Knights will play Crystal Lake South, a 4-2 winner over Oak Park Fenwick Catholic in the Wintrust Field super-sectional in Schaumburg, in the second semifinal Friday at 1 p.m., with a berth in the state final at stake against either Chicago St. Rita Catholic or East Peoria Saturday at 1 p.m. The third-place game is set for Saturday at 10 a.m.
