Barrington Post 158 wins state American Legion baseball tournament with pitching, timely hitting

For the second consecutive year, Barrington Post 158 turned up the heat just at the right time.

Barrington got solid pitching for four consecutive games and also some timely hitting as Post 158 won the Illinois American Legion tournament Saturday 3-1 over Rock Island Post 200 in Barrington.

“We made a run at the end of last year and have now a made a run at the end of this year,” Barrington coach Nate Grey said. “We hit well and did some small ball things well. We are happy to be part of the tradition and history of American Legion baseball.”

Barrington Post 158 advances to the Great Lakes tournament for the 10th time. The team will not have to travel far; the tournament is being held in Carol Stream at Lee Pfund Stadium. Barrington begins play at 4 p.m. Wednesday when it meets the Wisconsin state champion.

Barrington (23-9-1) will be joined at the Midwest tournament by Carol Stream Post 76, which also will be entered because it is the host team. Carol Stream will play at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the second-place team from Wisconsin.

Grey is hoping that his team continue to pitch as well as it did in the regional tournament this year. Will Nahza, Connor Lenderman, Liam Shackleton and Saturday’s pitcher Patrick Podlesnik combined to allow just five runs in four games.

“They are three graduated seniors and a freshman in college,” Grey said. “And they pitched outstanding. We also had just one error, so our defense was great as well.”

Podlesnik was in complete control in Saturday’s championship game. He struck out 6 and threw just 82 pitches while limiting Rock Island (28-6) to just five hits.

“Just watching my teammates do so well, I had a little bit of pressure in the championship game,” Podlesnik said. “And I wanted to do just as good. My game plan was to get the first strike and then from there, read the hitter and figure how to get them out. Winning back to back is a great feeling.”

Rock Island touched up Podlesnik for its only run in the second inning when Post 200 put together a pair of hits.

Barrington took the lead for good in the fifth.

Brendan Beals was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He advanced to second as Kade Schneider hit behind Beals for a fielder’s choice, moving Beals to second. Bryce Koch followed with a sharp single to left, and when the outfielder tried to come up with the ball quickly, it scooted under his glove, allowing Beals to score and Koch to go to second on the error.

Then Noah Rasmussen came though with his own flood.

With two strikes, Rasmussen lined a two-strike single to right, scoring Beals to make it 2-1. But Rasmussen was not quite done raining down key hits.

In the sixth Rasmussen came though again. His two-strike line drive just over the first baseman’s head scored Schneider, who had singled and went to second on Koch’s sacrifice bunt.

“That is the approach we are taught,” Rasmussen said. “I figured with a lefty pitching, I figured I would go that way.”