Schaumburg squeezes past Libertyville for title

Schaumburg won the Illinois High School Baseball CoachesAssociation summer baseball state championship with a 3-1 victoryover Libertyville on Saturday at North Central College in Naperville.

The game featured only one extra-base hit, a 375-foot solo homerun from Schaumburg designated hitter and tournament MVP Rob Zavila.

Zavila's home run made it 1-1 in the fifth inning.

Schaumburg (22-5) took the lead for good on a controversialsuicide squeeze play in the sixth inning.

With runners on first and second and no outs, Anthony Serio'ssacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third. The nextbatter, Brad Jackowski, squared around to bunt on the first pitch butpulled his bat back when he saw it was a pitchout. Eric Mahler, whowas streaking toward home plate, stopped and was caught in a rundown.Third baseman Dan Petric made a diving attempt to tag Mahler as heran toward home plate.

Mahler crossed the plate, but no call was made by the third-baseor home-plate umpires. After almost 30 seconds of deliberation,Mahler was called safe by the home-plate umpire.

Mahler admitted he might have been tagged.

Something could have hit my foot, but I'm not sure," Mahler said.

I knew [the suicide squeeze] was coming," Libertyville coach JimSchurr said. You can't do anything but put yourself in a position towin, and we did that. We have to make that play either way."

Zavila then singled in Al Cesario from third base, and the Saxonsled 3-1.

That two-out hit turned out to be huge," Schaumburg coach PaulGroot said. It took a lot of pressure off."

Serio, Schaumburg's starting pitcher, allowed one run on threehits in four innings, and Jackowski pitched three scoreless inningsto pick up the win.