A bizarre error by St. Rita Mustangs catcher Colin Quinn in the IHSA Class 3A baseball state championship potentially jeopardized a seemingly guaranteed championship victory. Quinn failed to maintain focus until the umpire finalized his decision.
The viral sequence unfolded during the dramatic extra-innings showdown between St. Rita and Triad Knights for the IHSA Class 3A baseball championship on Saturday. St. Rita built a massive 11-4 lead after six innings, but gave up seven runs in the top of the seventh inning.
The score was 11-8 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning when Quinn appeared to catch a routine pop-up in foul territory, triggering a dogpile celebration. However, the umpire ruled that the ball slipped out of his mitt.
Triad took immediate advantage of their second chance after the dropped ball. Carter Gaskill launched a three-run homer to lock the game at 11-11, forcing extra innings. Ironically, another defensive blunder, this time from Triad, facilitated St. Rita’s win in the bottom of the eight inning.
With bases loaded, St. Rita’s Vinny Stubitsch hit a flyball deep into foul territory. The Triad outfielder caught the ball instead of letting it drop, allowing the runner on third base to tag up and score the winning run to claim a 12-11 victory.
St. Rita Players React to the Thrilling Victory
Southwest Regional Publishing Home‘s Mike Clark documented the post-game explanations and reactions of players on Saturday. St. Rita catcher Colin Quinn admitted he temporarily lost track of the baseball as it dislodged from his glove.
“I have seen the video,” Colin recalled the heart-stopping moment. “I caught it, then I took my eye off it and then it came down, obviously in the video. So I mean, it is what it is. Kind of like (my) heart started to jump a little bit, especially after the (Triad) home run.”
St. Rita hero Vinny Stubitsch reflected on how he overcame his recent batting slumps to deliver under pressure. Stubitsch scored the winning run in the extra-innings.
“As a matter of fact, I’ve been struggling at the plate for the past week or two,”Stubitsch said. “Just a couple extra swings before the game today with my hitting coach gave me an extra edge today. And (it was) just not letting the atmosphere and all the nerves get to me. Just focus on one pitch, one play at a time.”
St. Rita had entered the final after 2-1 semifinal victory over East Peroia. Meanwhile, Triad defeated Crystal Lake South, 2-0, in their semifinal. East Pretoria defeated Crystal Lake South, 7-6, to secure a third place in the tournament.
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