Lemont Tops Metamora, Advances to IHSA Class 3A Baseball State Championship

Senior catcher Mike Papierski doubled, homered and drove in four runs while senior pitcher Charlie Wright overcame a tough first inning to go the distance, and the Lemont High School baseball team topped Metamora, 8-3, in the first IHSA Class 3A State Semifinal at Silver Cross Field in Joliet on Friday, June 13. Head coach Brian Storako’s Indians, who improved to 34-5 on the season, will face Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the 2014 IHSA Class 3A State Championship at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 14.

Lemont racked up 13 hits in the victory, with every starter tallying at least one hit. Senior center fielder Ryan Folliard reached base in all four appearances, tallying two hits and two walks while scoring twice. Senior shortstop Mike Wisz had two hits, while junior left fielder Jamie Glista had two hits and drove in two.

Wright moved his record to 8-1 win the complete game victory. He scattered five hits while allowing three runs (two earned), and struck out seven while walking two.

The first three batters of the game reached for Metamora, and the Redbirds (26-13) led 2-0 after a half inning. However, Lemont struck back with four runs on six hits in its half of the first. Papierski’s two-run double knotted the game, and RBI singles from seniors Jake
Terrazas and Eric Tucker gave the Indians a lead they would not relinquish. Glista’s two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning extended Lemont’s lead to 6-2, and Papierski’s two-run homer in the
sixth inning clinched the victory for the Indians.

Lemont has established a school single-season record for wins and captured its sixth straight South Suburban College-Blue Division title in 2014. The Indians also earned the program’s first-ever IHSA Sectional and IHSA Super-Sectional crowns. When senior pitcher Jake Latz
(11th round) and Papierski (16th round) were drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, they became the first Lemont baseball players to be drafted out of high school.

Lemont is seeking its first-ever team state championship in a boys’ sport. Lemont has had three runner-up state finishes in boys’ sports; its football squad posted consecutive runner-up IHSA Class 6A finishes in 2007 and 2008, and its boys’ track and field squad—featuring Nick
Bromberek ‘00 as its only competitor—was second in the 2000 IHSA Class AA State Finals. Its cheerleading squad has captured four IHSA Medium Division State Championships in the last six years.

The baseball program is the school’s 11th sport to be represented in IHSA State Finals competition this year. The girls’ bowling squad competed in the IHSA State Finals; the cheerleading squad won the IHSA Medium Division State Championship; the poms/dance team competed in the IHSA Class 2A Competitive Dance State Finals; sophomore Taylor Campos
participated in the IHSA Class 2A Girls’ Cross Country State Finals; senior Bridget Lynn competed at the IHSA Class AA Girls’ Golf State Finals; junior Annette Lesnicki advanced to the IHSA Girls’ Swimming State Finals; senior Joe Ziebell and juniors Nathaniel Burner and Nick Urban all competed at the IHSA Boys’ Tennis State Finals; senior Lisa Gawron took part in the IHSA Girls’ Tennis State Finals; juniors Jacque Desmond (6th, pole vault) and Vika Marmaite (2nd, triple jump) each medaled at the IHSA Class 3A Girls’ Track and Field State Finals;
and junior Jimmy Brennan and freshmen Egan Berta and Jake Kirkman each participated in the IHSA Class 2A Wrestling Individual State Finals.