[Preview of this week’s story in Inside—Booster.]
By Jack Lydon
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS—The Lane Tech Champions fell to the Kenwood Broncos 10-9 in the Chicago Public League’s city baseball championship on Thursday evening. The Champions dug themselves quite a whole giving up six runs in the top of the first but fought all the way back tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. The miracle comeback was to be. Kenwood’s junior righthander Josiah Patterson slammed the door in the bottom of the seventh. The Broncos are City champs for 2025.
The Broncos came out swinging in the first inning. A single, a hit batsman, another single, still another single, and another and another. Five hits to open the game before the first out was recorded. Champions’ sophomore pitcher Charlie Lust struggled giving up six earned runs on six hits and only recording one out before leaving the game. Junior pitcher Alex Delaney entered the game and walked his first batter. The next batter reached on an error before a merciful double play but an end to the carnage. Champions were down 6-0 before taking a swing.
Strangely, for those who had seen the Champions play this year and for the Champions themselves, everyone knew the game was not over. They can score but would they score enough?
“I expected us to be a little shaky to start, but I hoped we settle into the game a little quicker and we didn't do that,” said Lane Tech manager Sean Freeman.
“But I am super proud of our kids, a lot of kids and teams would have folded under those circumstances and we absolutely did not. We fought our way all the way back and had a chance to wait at the end. So I'm super proud of their effort. While it sucks to lose, it only make us better going forward.”
Fought back they did. One in the bottom of the first, second and third and then two more in the top of the fourth. Except they gave up two runs to Kenwood in the top of the second and another in the top of the fourth.
It was 9-5 with time running out as the Champions came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth. Teo Greco singled, Henry Murray singled. Jacob DeVinney walked. Conor Sullivan singled scoring Greco and Murray. 9-7. After a strike out, sophomore Miles Mazanowski, who struggled at the plate earlier in the game, battled from behind in the count, and laced a single to left scoring two runs to tie the game.
“Miles is a sophomore. It's his first time on varsity. He showed a lot of maturity. He was down 0-2 or 1-2, and he came up with a huge swing. So that says a lot about him in his future. Although he's huge, he's only fifteen, he doesn't turn sixteen till next like October,” Freeman said of Mazanowski.
One must credit the Kenwood Broncos for hanging touch and staying in the game after the long comeback of Lane. The Broncos quickly rallied. The first batter in the top of the seventh, Jimmy Downs crushed a double to deep center field over the head of Nathan Wong. Downs later scored on a clutch two out by senior Brandon Stinson to give the Broncos a 10-9 leading going into the final inning.
“It was very nerve racking,” Kenwood junior right hander Josiah Patterson said of coming back out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh.
Showing a maturity and focus well beyond his years, Patterson held the Champions. “It was just the energy for my team. They picked me up. My mindset just changed. I just hit the spots,” Patterson said.
