Sophomore Quinn Rooney was a star Little League pitcher in Hinsdale, and his arm initially earned him a spot on Benet’s varsity baseball team.
Rooney pitched eight innings this season, but he’s made his mark on the best team in school history with clutch hitting. The 6-5, 190-pound lefty has come through in several big moments and he came through again on Friday at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet.
“I just try to stay loose the whole time,” Rooney said. “It is just like any other moment. I have the support of my whole team and all of Benet. It is great.”
Rooney ripped a two-run triple to right field in the top of the seventh to break open a tie game. It ignited a five-run inning and the Redwings knocked off Cary-Grove 11-6 to earn a spot in the Class 3A state championship on Saturday.
“[Cary-Grove pitcher Jacob Duvall] gave me a couple of curveballs in the beginning of the at bat,” Rooney said. “[The triple] a fastball pretty much down the middle and I took my chance on it and hit it hard.”
Benet starting pitcher Jake Rifenburg allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings but was battling a solid rain early in the game.
“In the beginning, I had to adjust to my curveball a little bit,” Rifenburg said. “I couldn’t get the grip I wanted. It was a grind today but I did everything I could to try and put us in a position to win.”
Second baseman Nathan Cerocke had three hits for the Redwings (27-12). Rooney and shortstop Ethan Mendez added two hits and center fielder Josh Gugora knocked in two runs and scored two.
Benet, which has never played in or won the state championship game, will face St. Laurence for the title on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Vikings knocked off Triad 11-6 in the first semifinal.
St. Laurence also leaned on a sophomore to win. Jimmy Benson, a 6-8 lefty, turned out to be the perfect starting pitcher for the matchup against Triad.
The Trojans have six left-handed batters in their starting lineup.
“Those are our guys,” Triad coach Jesse Bugger said. “We didn’t alternate lineups or do any platoon system all year. We figured we would run into a left-hander at some point. Tough matchups are going to happen at this stage.”
Benson pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.
“It was fun,” Benson said. “I was waiting for this moment. I want to pitch in the biggest game possible for us. I like the feeling of pitching in big games, the adrenaline and all that.”
Mickey Lotus had three hits for St. Laurence (36-5), which has also never won a title. The Vikings lost to Montini in the 2019 Class 3A championship game.
“We’ve always been kind of scrappy hitters,” Lotus said. We have [star center field Cory Les, a Louisville recruit] but we don’t have anybody that can hit the ball like crazy. We made [Triad starting pitcher Evan Uhl] work.”
Connor Marino led St. Laurence offensively with two hits and four RBI. Adrian Perez and Danny Donovan each had two hits and two runs.
“[Donovan’s] game is so eclectic,” Vikings coach Pete Lotus said. “He can hit for average and power. He runs and then he comes through in big situations. I’m not surprised at all because he’s been doing it all year.”