In Saturday’s withering heat, despite the heightened pressure of the extra-inning situation, senior center fielder Mike Polubinski stayed cool and composed for Oswego East.
As 90-degree temperatures turned the baseball field into a sauna, Polubinski walked up to the plate in the top of the ninth inning with sweat in his eyes but a clear mind.
“I had two strikes,” said Polubinski, one of three triplet brothers for the Wolves. “I expanded myself up at the plate, and looked to put something into play. He gave me a slider.
“I just wanted to put a bat on the ball, play it into the outfield and get a tag.”
It worked out as planned for Polubinski, who produced the winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the Wolves’ 2-1 win over Oswego in the Class 4A Romeoville Sectional championship game.
An improbable playoff run continues for fifth-seeded Oswego East (23-11), which will take on defending state champion Edwardsville (29-9) — a 3-2 winner over Minooka — at 6 p.m. Monday in the Illinois Wesleyan Superctional in Bloomington.
Senior right-hander Griffin Sleyko (6-3) came up big for the Wolves, striking out seven and scattering eight hits and one walk in pitching his ninth complete game in 10 starts.
“Normally, I throw a lot of off-speed because it tends to baffle people,” Sleyko said. “I just need to lock in and know what I have to do. Even late in the game, my fastball still had a lot of length on it.
“I was able to come back with that pitch, and their hitters were late on it.”
The Wolves are riding high lately, coming off a 7-2 upset Wednesday of top-seeded Downers Grove North. Third-seeded Oswego (23-12) became the next one to fall.
The Panthers suffered their second straight season-ending defeat in extra innings in the Romeoville Sectional championship game.
Senior catcher Tyler Stack, a Xavier recruit, extended Saturday’s game for Oswego with his clutch RBI double in the bottom of sixth.
“It was quite a ride,” he said. “I am so happy for the experience that I had with 30 other players who are truly like brothers to me. We won back-to-back conference championships and made two sectional championships. This was after a program that so many years could not even win a regional.
“It was a lot like last year. We had our chances and we just came up a little short. I have great respect and pride for what this program has achieved.”
Speaking of brothers, Mike Polubinski shared a special shared moment after his bases-loaded fly out to center.
Mike is the middle born of three triplets. Josh follows him in the order at the No. 3 spot and plays third base. Zach plays first base and bats seventh.
Josh has a team-best .437 batting average with five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 28 RBIs. Mike is hitting .431 with nine doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. Zach has 19 RBIs.
“We have always done everything together,” Mike said. “I don’t really know any other way. We don’t talk a lot when we’re on the field. It’s not really necessary.”
Oswego went 12-3 in finishing second to Plainfield Central in the Southwest Prairie Conference.
The Wolves finished in fourth but won the season series against their crosstown rivals, and now this.
“It was just a battle of wills,” Mike Polubinski said. “We wanted it so badly. We wanted to make history and do whatever was necessary. We were ready to play 20 more innings if that’s what it took.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
