As usual, Danny Sheehan gave Brother Rice a chance.
The senior left-hander has established himself as a reliable bullpen arm for the Crusaders, and he got the call in the first inning of the Class 4A semifinal game against McHenry on Friday at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet.
Sheehan got out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the Crusaders’ deficit to a run, and worked into the sixth inning to keep Rice close. But the Crusaders couldn’t muster enough offense and lost 4-1.
The Crusaders (37-4) will play Normal (36-5), a 2-1 loser to Libertyville in the first semifinal, for third place at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Rice coach Sean McBride knew he could count on Sheehan, who came into the game with a 1.75 ERA across 44 innings and 14 appearances.
“Danny’s had one of the better careers here, pitched in some of the biggest games and done very well,” McBride said. “So we went with the early move (to the bullpen) because we knew we had another guy that could keep us in the game.
“And Braydon (McKendrick, who started and fell to 11-1) obviously didn’t have his stuff. We feel for him. He’s a team guy that’s hurting right now. He’s been our horse all year, and it just didn’t happen today for him. But Danny’s No. 1 on a lot of staffs and we’re comfortable going to him.”
Sheehan embraced the role. His mindset as a reliever?
“Getting moved to the bullpen and not taking it personally, just knowing my role, being ready for what I’m called upon (to do),” he said. “And when your back’s up against the wall like that, you know it could be your last time going out. I just had to give it everything I had.”
Sheehan put up zeros into the sixth. He left with two on and one out, and the Warriors’ Kaden Wasniewski hit a two-out, two-run single off Jackson Natanek to put McHenry up 4-1.
Sheehan’s final line was 4 2/3 innings, three hits, two runs (both earned), two walks and three strikeouts.
“My job has always been to just throw strikes, get guys to put the ball in play,” he said. “I’ve always had good defenses behind me the past three years, and (it’s) just kind of letting them do their thing.”
Rice scored its only run in the top of the first when Aidan Nohava singled home Natanek. After that, McHenry right-hander Brandon Shannon (12-0) settled down and allowed only two more runners past first base. He left with none out in the seventh after throwing 111 pitches, and Zachary Readdy got the last three outs for the save.
“I knew we wanted to get to (Shannon) early,” McBride said. “We did get the big hit in the first, had another decent line drive there by Conner (Stack) that if it’s five feet right or left, maybe that inning’s different. But baseball’s a game of inches.”