Lemont’s Cannon Madej endured a long, painful time between outings.
After pitching in the Class 3A state championship game in June, Madej didn’t have the luxury of playing summer league or travel. He underwent surgery and then rehab for a torn meniscus.
Madej, who pitched and played on the injury all season, gave up the winning run in the sixth inning of a 3-2 loss to Crystal Lake Central. It was hard to forget, or even temper, the disappointment.
“It’s still with me,” Madej said of that setback. “I remember it every day.”
Madej took his first step in trying to erase some of those memories Saturday afternoon.
The junior pitcher/DH delivered a two-run double in a sixth-run fourth inning and pitched two scoreless innings of relief while striking out four, leading Lemont to a 10-4 victory over Sandburg in a Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament first-round game in Orland Park.
Donovan Moleski picked up the win for Lemont (1-0) and gave up two runs in three innings but also got out of based-loaded jams in the third and fourth. Shea Glotzbach added two hits and two RBIs and Zach Corse drove in two runs.
Quinn Durkin contributed three hits for Sandburg (2-1), which beat Eisenhower and Downers Grove South by a combined score of 28-2 earlier in the week.
The left-handed Madej, meanwhile, was pumped up after making his first appearance on a baseball field in nine months. Lemont played in the state championship game on June 8 in Joliet.
“It was a cool experience to be there,” said Madej, who also praised Crystal Lake Central. “They had a couple of solid hits, but that was a really good team.
“It motivated me more to want to get out there and start working. I want to go forward from there.”
In that game, Madej lined a single to right field in the third inning and scored on a passed ball to put his team ahead 1-0. He came on to pitch in the sixth with the score tied at 2-2.
Lemont coach Brian Storako said Madej, who would strike out the side despite allowing two hits and the winning run to score, carried that performance with him throughout his recovery.
“I don’t think as an athlete that you ever forget about those things,” Storako said. “You tend to remember the bad moments and forget about the good moments.
“To say he didn’t use that for fuel would be a mistake. He definitely had that on the back of his mind when he was training and getting ready for this season. We’re expecting big things.”
Moleski, a senior heading to Carleton, was happy to see Madej bounce back after all that time.
“He’s a great dude,” Moleski said of the 6-foot-6 Madej. “He works hard. He’s come off some injuries and he’s worked really hard to get his body back in shape.
“Obviously, he’s ready. In his first game, he had a big hit and some big innings pitched. He’s done everything in his power to make sure he was ready.”
Hoping for another deep run in Class 3A, Lemont is heading this week to Florida. Starting Saturday, Lemont will play Northside Christian (9-7), followed by Dunedin (7-7), Cambridge Christian (9-7) and Berkeley Prep (13-4).
Madej credited his father, Mark, and older brother, Nate, for getting him involved in baseball and helping through his recovery. Mark played for Lemont in the 1990s. Nate was an all-state player who pitched for Florida Southern.
“They taught me to keep my head up, keep working hard and results will happen,” Cannon said.
And so far, it’s all good for Madej.
“I’m feeling back to normal now,” he said. “I’m feeling a lot better.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
