Joliet Catholic edges Glenwood 3-2 to claim
Class 3A state title
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
The Glenwood Titans baseball team played two nail-bitting contests against two of the best teams in
the state of Illinois this past weekend.
And the Titans more than held their own, defeating LaSalle-Peru in eight innings in the semifinals
before falling 3-2 to Joliet Catholic in the championship game of the IHSA Class 3A state tournament last
Saturday at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.
A couple of calls here or there, or a little less wind blowing in, and the Titans are state champions. But
it was not meant to be as the Hilltoppers scored three times in the sixth inning against starter Tristan
Molumby, then watched as Molumby's deep fly to left with two runners on in the bottom of the inning died in
the wind at the warning track for a sacrifice fly.
"I came up with two runners on, got an inside fastball and thought I crushed it," Molumby explained. "I
thought it was gone and the wind died it down. It got a run in but it wasn't the outcome we wanted.
"When I hit it, I thought I just repeated what happened in 8th grade (Jake Ingold's walk-off grand slam to
win the IESA state title)," he continued. It wasn't going to be a walk-off, but it could have been the game-
winning home run."
•Glenwood (32-6) took a 1-0 lead on JCA in the bottom of the second, as DH Tim Sullivan doubled
down the rightfield line and Molumby sent an RBI single to right off Hilltoppers starter Brock Liston (9-0).
Molumby (11-1) held Joliet Catholic at bay for five innings, and overall he allowed three hits and five
walks while striking out three. Reliever Phil Maton got the final four outs, allowing one hit and walking one
with one strikeout.
"I came out of the gate throwing strikes, and everybody was confident and we were treating it like it was
just another game," Molumby explained. "Towards the end there a couple calls didn't go our way. I don't
want to blame the whole thing on that.
"I was keeping the ball low and the slider was working and keeping them off balance," he continued.
"My routine of taking my time was starting to get to them."
Molumby, who threw 106 pitches in the game, walked three batters in the sixth, the final one coming
with the bases loaded to tie the game at 1-1. Steve Cservenyak followed with a single to right to score two
runs to make it 3-1. Glenwood head coach Pat Moomey called on Maton, a sophomore, and he struck out
Steven Fehrenbacker to end the inning.
"Tristan pitched a great ballgame," Moomey stated. "Two of the walks came on borderline pitches. He
was right around the plate the whole game. They (Joliet Catholic) crushed the ball on Friday (in a 4-1 win
vs. Grayslake Central) against a guy who is signed to go to SIU (Aaron Snyder). And Tristan shut them
down and make them resort to play that type of game where they were leaning into pitches and taking
pitches because they couldn't hit him.
"The thing that was hard to take is that two of their walks came on five close pitches," Moomey
continued. "And with two strikes. But on the one he walked in, he did miss legitimately on four pitches."
In the bottom of the sixth, Cservenyak relieved Liston, and Ingold singled to right with one out, and
Sullivan followed with an infield single to third, and both runners advanced on a throwing error. Molumby
then sent his deep fly to left, scoring Ingold to make it 3-2. Maton, who took Ryan Williams' spot in the
order when he went in to pitch (with Molumby moving to first base), struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the
inning.
Maton pitched around a walk and single in the seventh, and in the bottom of the inning, Ben Parks
struck out, Derek Piper grounded out to the pitcher and Derek Crouch grounded out to third to end the
game.
The Titans had a chance to go up 2-0 in the fifth inning, as Parks walked with one out and advanced to
second on a sacrifice by Piper. Crouch walked and Jared Turner singled to left, with the relay to third and
then to home cutting down Parks at the plate, or so the umpire said, at least.
"We played two great ballgames up here, and we didn't commit an error in our last three games,"
Moomey added. "I'm really proud of the kids. We said at the beginning of the year that pitching and
defense would be the key for us, and we gave up eight runs in seven postseason games.
"If there's any disappointment from our end, it was not putting a couple more runs on the board," he
continued. "Their pitcher was good, but he didn't seem like a guy that could hold us to two runs. It's pretty
tough to hold a team like Joliet Catholic in a 1-0 game."
"No team this year really scared us," Molumby added. "We just went out there and did our own thing
and played Glenwood baseball. I've never connected with a team like I have this year. We were a big
family and it was a great year."
"Pat and I and Adam (Feld) and Kyle (Moomey) were all talking about this being an unusual year," GHS
assistant coach John Hyde stated. "We had six or seven guys who could throw, along with Tristan being a
legitimate No. 1."
"It was different than all of our other successful teams," Moomey continued. "We had so many kids
contribute and accept roles, roles that changed during the year. And in a couple cases, we had kids who
lost playing time at the end of the year due to injuries, which is a tough thing to do."
Moomey cited shortstop Connor Bryant, who fractured a finger two weeks before regionals and was
cleared to play just before the postseason began, but sophomore Jake Fulks started in his place the rest
of the way.
"He was the first guy to shake Fulks' hand after he made a play," Moomey continued. "This was such
an easy group to coach. Whatever role you gave them, they accepted it and rooted for each other. We
used a lot of kids this year and changed pitching rotations. We had five or six guys who had the role of our
No. 2 pitcher during the year.
"This was totally unexpected," he concluded. "The teams we've had in the past, especially the ones that
went to state, they had the marquee names and people expected us to do good. I don't think this was one
of those years, and that makes it even sweeter."
•Seniors on this year's Glenwood team include Molumby, Parks, Sullivan, Crouch, Williams, Piper and
Nino Mattera. The future looks bright for Glenwood baseball, with pitchers like Maton, Bryce Sablotny,
Patrick Woerner and Jake Ingold returning, along with position players Ingold, Turner, Jake Reese, Jake
Fulks and Connor Bryant, just to name a few.
"Next year we won't be sneaking up on anybody," Moomey said. "Every game we play next year will be
big for the team we are playing. Wherever we start next year, we want to do what this team did, and that's
get better day by day and week by week."
"Our younger pitchers went through the teeth of our non-conference schedule this year," Hyde added.
"Edwardsville, O'Fallon, East Peoria, Normal Community and the games at state. If everything stays the
same, how could it not get better? Those guys, that only prepares them for next year."
Moomey now has a career record of 627-203 in 24 years at Glenwood. He is in the top 10 in coaching
wins in IHSA history, with not all records updated on the IHSA website. Glenwood has finished first
(1996), second (1995, 2009) and fourth (2003) at the state tournament during his tenure.
Class 3A state title
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
The Glenwood Titans baseball team played two nail-bitting contests against two of the best teams in
the state of Illinois this past weekend.
And the Titans more than held their own, defeating LaSalle-Peru in eight innings in the semifinals
before falling 3-2 to Joliet Catholic in the championship game of the IHSA Class 3A state tournament last
Saturday at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.
A couple of calls here or there, or a little less wind blowing in, and the Titans are state champions. But
it was not meant to be as the Hilltoppers scored three times in the sixth inning against starter Tristan
Molumby, then watched as Molumby's deep fly to left with two runners on in the bottom of the inning died in
the wind at the warning track for a sacrifice fly.
"I came up with two runners on, got an inside fastball and thought I crushed it," Molumby explained. "I
thought it was gone and the wind died it down. It got a run in but it wasn't the outcome we wanted.
"When I hit it, I thought I just repeated what happened in 8th grade (Jake Ingold's walk-off grand slam to
win the IESA state title)," he continued. It wasn't going to be a walk-off, but it could have been the game-
winning home run."
•Glenwood (32-6) took a 1-0 lead on JCA in the bottom of the second, as DH Tim Sullivan doubled
down the rightfield line and Molumby sent an RBI single to right off Hilltoppers starter Brock Liston (9-0).
Molumby (11-1) held Joliet Catholic at bay for five innings, and overall he allowed three hits and five
walks while striking out three. Reliever Phil Maton got the final four outs, allowing one hit and walking one
with one strikeout.
"I came out of the gate throwing strikes, and everybody was confident and we were treating it like it was
just another game," Molumby explained. "Towards the end there a couple calls didn't go our way. I don't
want to blame the whole thing on that.
"I was keeping the ball low and the slider was working and keeping them off balance," he continued.
"My routine of taking my time was starting to get to them."
Molumby, who threw 106 pitches in the game, walked three batters in the sixth, the final one coming
with the bases loaded to tie the game at 1-1. Steve Cservenyak followed with a single to right to score two
runs to make it 3-1. Glenwood head coach Pat Moomey called on Maton, a sophomore, and he struck out
Steven Fehrenbacker to end the inning.
"Tristan pitched a great ballgame," Moomey stated. "Two of the walks came on borderline pitches. He
was right around the plate the whole game. They (Joliet Catholic) crushed the ball on Friday (in a 4-1 win
vs. Grayslake Central) against a guy who is signed to go to SIU (Aaron Snyder). And Tristan shut them
down and make them resort to play that type of game where they were leaning into pitches and taking
pitches because they couldn't hit him.
"The thing that was hard to take is that two of their walks came on five close pitches," Moomey
continued. "And with two strikes. But on the one he walked in, he did miss legitimately on four pitches."
In the bottom of the sixth, Cservenyak relieved Liston, and Ingold singled to right with one out, and
Sullivan followed with an infield single to third, and both runners advanced on a throwing error. Molumby
then sent his deep fly to left, scoring Ingold to make it 3-2. Maton, who took Ryan Williams' spot in the
order when he went in to pitch (with Molumby moving to first base), struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end the
inning.
Maton pitched around a walk and single in the seventh, and in the bottom of the inning, Ben Parks
struck out, Derek Piper grounded out to the pitcher and Derek Crouch grounded out to third to end the
game.
The Titans had a chance to go up 2-0 in the fifth inning, as Parks walked with one out and advanced to
second on a sacrifice by Piper. Crouch walked and Jared Turner singled to left, with the relay to third and
then to home cutting down Parks at the plate, or so the umpire said, at least.
"We played two great ballgames up here, and we didn't commit an error in our last three games,"
Moomey added. "I'm really proud of the kids. We said at the beginning of the year that pitching and
defense would be the key for us, and we gave up eight runs in seven postseason games.
"If there's any disappointment from our end, it was not putting a couple more runs on the board," he
continued. "Their pitcher was good, but he didn't seem like a guy that could hold us to two runs. It's pretty
tough to hold a team like Joliet Catholic in a 1-0 game."
"No team this year really scared us," Molumby added. "We just went out there and did our own thing
and played Glenwood baseball. I've never connected with a team like I have this year. We were a big
family and it was a great year."
"Pat and I and Adam (Feld) and Kyle (Moomey) were all talking about this being an unusual year," GHS
assistant coach John Hyde stated. "We had six or seven guys who could throw, along with Tristan being a
legitimate No. 1."
"It was different than all of our other successful teams," Moomey continued. "We had so many kids
contribute and accept roles, roles that changed during the year. And in a couple cases, we had kids who
lost playing time at the end of the year due to injuries, which is a tough thing to do."
Moomey cited shortstop Connor Bryant, who fractured a finger two weeks before regionals and was
cleared to play just before the postseason began, but sophomore Jake Fulks started in his place the rest
of the way.
"He was the first guy to shake Fulks' hand after he made a play," Moomey continued. "This was such
an easy group to coach. Whatever role you gave them, they accepted it and rooted for each other. We
used a lot of kids this year and changed pitching rotations. We had five or six guys who had the role of our
No. 2 pitcher during the year.
"This was totally unexpected," he concluded. "The teams we've had in the past, especially the ones that
went to state, they had the marquee names and people expected us to do good. I don't think this was one
of those years, and that makes it even sweeter."
•Seniors on this year's Glenwood team include Molumby, Parks, Sullivan, Crouch, Williams, Piper and
Nino Mattera. The future looks bright for Glenwood baseball, with pitchers like Maton, Bryce Sablotny,
Patrick Woerner and Jake Ingold returning, along with position players Ingold, Turner, Jake Reese, Jake
Fulks and Connor Bryant, just to name a few.
"Next year we won't be sneaking up on anybody," Moomey said. "Every game we play next year will be
big for the team we are playing. Wherever we start next year, we want to do what this team did, and that's
get better day by day and week by week."
"Our younger pitchers went through the teeth of our non-conference schedule this year," Hyde added.
"Edwardsville, O'Fallon, East Peoria, Normal Community and the games at state. If everything stays the
same, how could it not get better? Those guys, that only prepares them for next year."
Moomey now has a career record of 627-203 in 24 years at Glenwood. He is in the top 10 in coaching
wins in IHSA history, with not all records updated on the IHSA website. Glenwood has finished first
(1996), second (1995, 2009) and fourth (2003) at the state tournament during his tenure.
Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: June 18, 2009
