Welcome to the club, dude.
That’s what Waubonsie Valley’s Hiroshy Wong, approached Thursday by a reporter for a postgame interview, seemed to be thinking as he flashed a knowing smile when the first question focused on the performance of Indiana State-bound pitcher Owen Roberts.
Of course it was.
Wong, a senior third baseman and the team’s leading hitter Thursday, was once again up close to to witness another standout performance by the senior ace and hard-throwing right-hander.
“He’s very confident in the first place,” said Wong, who was brought up to the varsity for the final four games of his freshman season and has started since his sophomore year. “He knows what he has to do and he also knows, as a defense, we’re going to make plays for him to make it easy.
“Owen is always very good. He’s always throwing strikes and trying to get the quick innings.”
That held true again Thursday night as 10th seeded Waubonsie Valley cruised to a 4-1 upset of the second-seeded hosts Porters in a Class 4A Lockport Sectional semifinal at Ed Flink Field.
The pitching and hitting of Roberts led the way for the Warriors (22-12), who advanced to play at 11 a.m. Saturday against Downers Grove North (30-7) in a rematch of last year’s sectional final, won 3-2 by the Trojans on a walk-off home run in the seventh.
Roberts, meanwhile, carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and handcuffed the Porters (24-14) on two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. He hit one batter.
“We give him the ball at the beginning and tell him we’ll get it back at the end of the game,” Waubonsie coach Bryan Acevedo said. “That’s what he’s done for two years now.
“He’s been really special for us. Any time he’s on the mound, we’ve got an opportunity to win.”
Roberts (8-2), who went 10-0 last season, also is the team’s No. 2 hitter. He drew a walk and singled and scored twice as the Warriors took a 3-0 lead after three innings.
Wong, who bats third and leads the team with a .390 average, was in the thick of those rallies, advancing Roberts with two of his three singles.
In the seventh, Roberts gave himself some insurance with his second home run of the season, clearing the left field fence and doinking the ball off the scoreboard beyond it.
“That felt good to get it over the fence,” Roberts said. “We came out a little slow this season, but we’re starting to find our identity. Our pitching has been great all year.
“We’re scrapping a few runs together and the defense has been amazing.”
That was evident from the start, when junior left fielder Aidan Kornak ranged far to his right and made a sliding catch on the first Lockport hitter.
Wong went far to his left, charging a slow grounder past the mound in the sixth and throwing the batter out, ending up on the right side of the infield.
“I have pretty good range,” Wong said. “I’ve actually been moving around. I play second and third base and also play in the outfield, too. Anything to help my team.
“I’m mainly a utility guy. I play everything.”
He also upped his career hit total to 125, five short of the program record of 130 held by former major leaguer Michael Bowden.
Lockport coach Scott Malinowski said Roberts, who needed only 90 pitches, was as good as his team has seen.
“He throws hard, but what separates him from most hard throwers at this level is he fills up the strike zone,” Mallinowski said. “There were a lot of short at-bats and short innings. It’s why he was easily able to go a complete game.”
On top of that, Acevedo pointed out that the Warriors have come around, going 9-1 in their last 10 games after being 13-11 when seeding took place.
“All the pressure has been on the other teams since we’re the 10th seed,” Wong said. “We were looking forward to getting a rematch with Downers Grove. We’re playing good baseball now.
“We just started doing all the little things right and aren’t making those little mistakes.”
