Baseball: Joliet Catholic sets tone early in win over Minooka

JOLIET – There’s not a lot returning for a Joliet Catholic baseball team that has won the past two Class 2A state titles.

Although the roster is dotted with players that haven’t had much of a chance to show what they can do, the mission is still the same for the Hilltoppers, even if the IHSA’s success formula won’t allow them to make a run at a third consecutive 2A crown. Joliet Catholic will be classified as a Class 3A team in this year’s postseason.

The largely new Hilltopper’s roster showed its probably up to the task in its new class, scoring eight runs in the first two innings to allow them to ease into a 9-5 victory over visiting Minooka on Monday.

“You know, the last two years, even though every year is different, the last year we kind of knew what we had coming in. We really did. I don’t think the lineup changed much right from the very beginning until the end,” Joliet Catholic coach Jared Voss said. “This year it might take us some time to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Those pieces looked ready to click into place Monday. After the Hilltoppers surrendered a run to Minooka in the first inning when Issac Goddard hit a double and later scored on a passed ball, the Hilltoppers pounced in their first plate appearance.

Fueled by three walks and a hit batter, Joliet Catholic put a five spot on the board and needed just two hits to do it. Jose Granados (two hits) drove in one, while John O’Brien delivered a two-run single. O’Brien played a big part in bringing home a third run when he purposively got into a rundown and kept it going long enough to allow lead runner Jack Ryan to score from third.

That gave Joliet Catholic (1-0) a 5-1 lead, and it was plenty of cushion for starter Jake Gimbel, one of five returners who played roles last season. Gimbel threw three innings, allowing two runs, including an unearned run in the third. He struck out four.

“I felt alright. You know it was the first day, so the nerves were kind of kicking in, but I was really happy with what happened,” Gimbel said. “The team played really well, especially early on, getting five runs in the first inning really helps a lot.”

After Gimbel retired the side in order in the second, the Hilltoppers added three more runs, with the big knock coming from Zach Beitler’s two-run single. That pushed the lead to 8-1 and showed how difficult this Hilltopper’s offense could be to stop.

Joliet Catholic got a run scored or a hit (or both) from all but one spot in their lineup in the first two innings. And that’s the kind of balance Voss hopes his team cultivates throughout the season.

“It’s a different team, and we talked a lot about, you know, the kind of team we’re going to be,” Voss said. “We have to hit the ball with line drives to right field. And a couple of our big hits early when we put up those big numbers were line drives to right field. We’ve got to do that. That’s the kind of team that we are going to be.”

Despite the early hole, Minooka (0-1) tried to claw back. The Indians missed an opportunity in the fourth inning when they left the bases loaded after an RBI double from Jason Duy closed the gap to 8-3. But Lucas Grant settled in after that fourth-inning hiccup, recording five strikeouts over the next two innings for Joliet Catholic.

Minooka made one last push in top of the seventh as Goddard and Nate George hit solo home runs and Brayden Zilis had a double, but the next three Indian hitters were retired in order.