They teach about miracles at Walther Lutheran. On Monday, the Broncos’ baseball team experienced one.
Down 4-3 with two out in the top of the seventh, Walther scratched out four straight hits en route to a 5-4 victory over Herscher in the Benedictine University supersectional.
Nate Haras hit a bloop single to right and went to third on Anthony Collaro’s grounder through the middle. Cleanup hitter Fred Rose hit a nubber that died in the grass on the third-base side, and he beat the throw for a 4-4 tie.
Junior Michael Babchak knocked in the lead run after his grounder hit Herscher starter Rob Winnicki and rolled between third and short.
“I did pray [in the dugout],” Babchak said. “I thought to myself, this game is going to come down to where I’m going to come up to the plate and I’m going to have to get a hit. It was just great.”
After yielding four earned runs in the first two innings, Collaro (10-0) found his groove for the Broncos (27-7). He gave up one hit the rest of the way.
“We have heart and we have all the talent in the world,” the senior said. “I trust my guys. They’re all my best friends. We came out and did it. Two outs, it doesn’t matter.”
Herscher players (28-9) sat stunned in their dugout.
“We didn’t play our best,” Winnicki (4-4) said. “I didn’t have my best stuff all day. We still had a chance to get it done. We just didn’t.”
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dsurico@tribune.com
