Evergreen Park’s Crispin Soto felt the pull in the very first game of the season.
The senior infielder had three years experience playing with a close-knit group.
“We just felt connected and we played together as a team,” Soto said of the Mustangs. “Our first game against Crete-Monee, I knew we had it.
“The funny part is that I was bad the first couple of games of the season. I got better at hitting and pitching, and now I am part of history.”
Soto secured his place in program history Tuesday night, driving in two runs for the host Mustangs in a 4-2 South Suburban Red victory over Shepard.
He also earned his fifth save by coaxing a double play and a comebacker to the mound as Evergreen Park (21-9, 14-5) captured its first outright conference title since 1986.
Senior infielder Mike Meneghini had two hits for the Astros (10-20, 7-11), who led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. One of his hits was an RBI single.
Soto’s two-run double, however, ignited the championship-clinching rally for the Mustangs. The left-handed hitter blasted the ball into the right-center alley.
“I wasn’t really thinking or anything,” he said. “It was just crazy. I was just trying to put the ball in the field.
“The pitch was an inside fastball, and I just went with it. I am a contact hitter. I can hit the ball anywhere.”
One hit, one huge momentum swing, according to senior outfielder Sean Higgins.
“That hit really breathed life into us,” Higgins said.
A suicide-squeeze bunt by Higgins in the bottom of the fifth gave the Mustangs a 3-2 lead. Senior shortstop Alejandro Munoz added an RBI single.
“Crispin’s hit just gave us life again,” Munoz said. “We were trying to get something going, and now we are part of history.”
Evergreen Park coach Mark Smyth said Soto has demonstrated a clutch aspect.
“He has had big hits all year,” he said. “We were down to our last strike against Argo, and he came through with a big double.
“When we get him to calm down and just be himself, he is very good.”
The Mustangs learned in the bottom of the third inning that Oak Lawn had lost. A victory meant sole possession of the conference championship.
For seniors like Soto, Munoz and Higgins, the moment was years in the making.
“We have been working with each other for two or three years,” Higgins said. “From the winter and fall, being together for so long and becoming so close knit during that time.”
The seeds of the championship played out in the shadows.
“Over the summer, we got into the weight room,” Munoz said. “We had the feeling that something special was going to happen.
“From the fall through the winter, we worked for this moment.”
The conference championship is just the fourth in program history, joining the 1956, 1975 and 1986 teams. Smyth was 15 years old the last time the Mustangs won conference.
“It is very hard to compare this because we have never done this before,” Smyth said. “I really like this group.”
“We were 18-18 last year, and I knew we had a good nucleus coming back. The left side of our infield was very good. Grady Elwood came in and became an excellent starter at pitcher.”
Senior starter Leo Lesauskis struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday.
Soto, meanwhile, showed off his versatility by coming on in the bottom of the seventh with a runner at first and no outs.
Fielding the final out, he held the ball and moved toward first base for the closing moment.
“We played like a team,” he said. “And we had a lot of fun.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
