Maroons rally late for regional title
May 25—LINCOLN — John Timmons was thrust into a bigger role this season than Champaign Central baseball coach John Staab expected.
Injuries to some of the Maroons' more veteran players opened the door for Timmons, and the freshman has continued to deliver.
Like in Saturday's Class 3A regional championship game against Lincoln. Timmons lanced a one-out triple in the top of the seventh inning and scored the go-ahead run on Luke McClure's RBI single up the middle.
That was also the winning run for Central in a 2-1 victory against the host Railsplitters that secured the program's fourth consecutive regional championship and seventh in Staab's 22 seasons as coach.
Staab had full faith in his freshman No. 9 hitter in the pivotal seventh inning against Lincoln. Mostly because he had seen Timmons come through in similar situations coaching him at Edison Middle School.
"The moment is never too big for him," Staab said. "When I coached him at Edison, I saw that in him and really trusted and believed in him. The future is bright for him for sure. He's no longer playing like a freshman. He's like a sophomore now."
McClure's RBI single in the seventh helped his own cause. The Maroons turned to the junior left-hander in the sixth inning with the heart of Lincoln's order at the plate, including a pair of lefties, and McClure finished off his two-inning relief stint, allowing just one hit and one walk to get the win.
"Chase Bartlett pitched really well, but it was the third time through (the lineup)," Staab said. Central's starter gave up one run on four hits and two walks and struck out three in five innings.
"He battled," Staab continued about Bartlett. "He's not going to wow you with the radar gun, but he kept us in it. He pitched the first four innings scoreless and then in the fifth they got us for a run. Definitely a quality start for him.
"(McClure) pitched really well last weekend in the Charlie Due tournament against Normal West. We felt good about him coming in in that spot, especially with their left-handed hitters."
Central will try and keep its postseason run going this week in sectional play in Rochester. The Maroons (24-13) are scheduled to face Jacksonville (21-13) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the second semifinal game.
"Four (regional titles) in a row speaks a lot to our senior class," Staab said. "Just proud of that group and what they've been able to accomplish. ... We've got to keep grinding and keep trying to improve and keep getting healthier."
