Arm and back injuries have limited Kyle Linares’ opportunities, if not his effectiveness.
The Oak Forest junior battled through both Monday and expects to do the same again this weekend.
Linares pitched into the fifth inning before his back tightened up, and he joined record-setting slugger Tim Barry and No. 9-hitter Kyle Sleeman with two RBIs as Oak Forest punched its ticket to Joliet with a 10-2 Class 3A supersectional victory over Jones at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood.
With fellow junior Kyle Funkhouser (11-0) likely to get the call in the 3A state semifinals Friday morning against Nazareth, Linares (5-0) hopes to get the call in the state championship game the following day.
Oak Forest (26-7) has not appeared in the state semifinals since winning the Class AA title in 1985.
“I re-aggravated the (back) injury,” said Linares, who was working on a shutout before giving way to Arthur Johnson with Oak Forest leading 9-0.
“It’s pretty sore. I’ll be OK in a couple days with a lot of Advil. It will be fine. … My arm is killing me. I just can’t seem to get healthy. It was bothering me today. It is something I have to deal with.”
Barry, the state’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs, singled and scored in the two-run third and had a sacrifice fly in the six-run fifth that put Jones (20-12) away.
Player of the game:
Kyle Linares, Oak Forest, 4 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 3 hits, 6 strikeouts; 2-for-4, 2 RBIs.
Key performers:
Oak Forest — Bobby Sheppard, 3-for-3, RBI; Kyle Sleeman, 2-for-4, 2 RBIs. Jones — Floyd Sumrall, 2-run single.
