DARIEN - Neuqua Valley waited three days to play a game that was postponed twice. But then things started happening real quick in this regional championship. Neuqua has less than 24 hours to enjoy it.
The Wildcats fell behind by five runs, and then scored 14 unanswered to knock out No. 4 Plainfield North with a 15-6 victory on Tuesday in Darien. No. 5 Neuqua (25-11) advances to face No. 16 Providence Catholic (20-15) tonight in the semifinals of the Class 4A Lockport Sectional.
Jordan Williamson hit two solo home runs against the Tigers (27-7). Joe Ippolito lifted the solo home run in the fifth that gave Neuqua the go-ahead run and a 7-6 lead. The next inning saw Alex Lincoln add a two-run shot.
With that type of production throughout the lineup, Mike McKinley (6-3) received some breathing room. The Indiana recruit recovered from a rocky start -- he gave up back-to-back homers in the third -- and began relying more on his curveball. McKinley retired the final 12 batters he faced in a complete-game effort, finishing with 10 strikeouts.
