Benet and Naperville Central both advanced in the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association summer state tournament on Tuesday in Glen Ellyn. The two teams will meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. in a Glenbard South regional semifinal.
Connor Reilly went 5-for-5 with three singles, a double, a triple and five RBI as No. 8 Benet hung on to beat top-seeded Neuqua Valley 9-7. Mike Chiaro hit the game-tying home run in the sixth and pitched four effective innings to earn the win for the Redwings.
The event, which is now officially called the Phil Lawler Summer Classic, is named after the long-time Central assistant, and the No. 5 Redhawks remained in the tournament with an 11-7 comeback victory. They trailed 7-5 heading into the seventh, but then exploded for six runs to eliminate No. 4 Hinsdale Central.
They sent 10 to the plate in the decisive seventh inning that began with a Marc Mantucca solo homer. Matt Cmiel - who in the second had given Central an early lead with a two-out, three-run triple to the gap in right-center - drove in the go-ahead run with a line drive to short that settled as an infield single.
Mantucca threw two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win.
Phil Lawler Summer Classic
Tuesday
Benet 9, Neuqua Valley 7
Naperville Central 11, Hinsdale Central 7
Wednesday at Glenbard South
Benet vs. Naperville Central, 2 p.m.
Thursday at Glenbard South
Regional final, 4:30 p.m.
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