Brother Rice’s Brady Cunningham could not have picked a better time to hit the first home run of his high school career.
The sophomore infielder/pitcher’s towering shot to left-center Tuesday tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and sparked a comeback win for the Crusaders.
To make the moment even sweeter, it was against Lincoln-Way Central. Cunningham lives in Central’s district in Mokena and has been lifelong friends with several players on the Knights.
“Emotions were pretty high,” Cunningham said. “They were high from the get-go knowing we were playing against a lot of people I’m familiar with.
“I was just looking to put something hard in play and the ball just went. It felt pretty great.”
Cunningham’s heroics set up a walk-off RBI single by Anthony Cartolano as host Brother Rice rallied from a five-run deficit for an 8-7 win over the Knights in a Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament pool-play game in Chicago.
Eastern Michigan recruit Aidan Nohava went 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, a triple and an RBI for the Crusaders (4-1). Conner Stack finished 2-for-2 with an RBI, while JD Maloney threw a perfect top of the seventh to earn the win.
Conor McCabe went 2-for-4 with two runs, a double and an RBI to lead Lincoln-Way Central (2-2). Toledo recruit Liam Arsich finished 2-for-4 with a run and a double, while Austin Welsh contributed a two-run single. Xavier recruit Luke Mensik struck out five over three shutout innings.
The Knights led 7-2 before Brother Rice scored three times in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Cunningham’s long two-run homer with one out in the seventh tied the game.
Cartolano, for one, saw it coming.
“I called it,” Cartolano said. “I said, ‘Do you know how electric it would be if Brady puts one over the wall? Next pitch? Boom.”
“Brady is the definition of a team player, and when he’s on his game, he’s unstoppable.”
Nohava followed with a triple. After two intentional walks, Cartolano came up with the bases loaded and one out.
Cartolano, who also lives in Lincoln-Way Central’s district in New Lenox, ripped a hard grounder that got through the draw-in infield for the game-winning hit.
“When you’re a kid in third grade, playing wall ball with your buddies, you’re like, ‘Bottom of the ninth, World Series,’” Cartolano said. “You dream of these types of moments. It’s a fun place to be.”
Cunningham, meanwhile, was extra fired-up for the game against his friends from home.
“Their starting pitcher (Mensik) and their first three hitters (Luke Tingley, Filippo Baratta and Arsich) are all guys I’m super close with,” Cunningham said. “We live in the same neighborhood and I’ve always been around them. I was definitely excited for this game.”
Cunningham showcased his skills as a freshman last season on the varsity, earning some big opportunities as a pitcher. He also got 55 at-bats but hit just .255.
Now, he’s batting third and blossoming into a two-way star. He threw a five-inning no-hitter in Friday’s 11-0 win over Oswego East.
“My goal is to be a two-way player as long as possible,” Cunningham said. “I feel like my approach at the plate is a lot better. I’ve been looking for pitches that I can handle.
“I worked really hard in the offseason to get stronger and improve my speed, too.”
Brother Rice coach Sean McBride is confident Cunningham can do anything the team asks him to.
“He’s a special talent,” McBride said. “What people don’t see is he practices 100 miles per hour. He’s a really hard worker. He’s super intelligent, a student of the game and he wants to be great.
“So, it’s really not surprising. He’s hitting third as a sophomore on a really good team for a reason. He deserves to be there.”
