Liberty Middle School baseball finishes second at state tournament

Chatham Glenwood had an answer for Liberty Middle School in IESA Class 3A baseball state championship game.

Chatham Glenwood forged back from a two multiple-run deficits to outpoint Liberty by a 8-5 count in a game played on the Oct. 5 at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria.

Liberty was going for the third state championship in four attempts. It clinched successive championships in 2018 and 2019.

The Panthers thus close their season with a 24/3 win/loss record. Chatham Glenwood was responsible for two of the three losses.

The win was Chatham Glenwood’s second state championship in a row and their fourth in total, this was the team’s 19th straight state tournament.

Chatham Glenwood ended the season with standngs of 23-2.

Score was 3-0 for Liberty after the first top, before Chatham tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the first. Liberty came back with a two run top of the fourth and had one run in both the fourth and fifth so with the two run bottom of the fifth, Chatham Glenwood took the lead 8-5. It held on from there.

Chayse Sandler scored two runs and had Liberty’s RBI, going 2 for 3. Matthew Fries had an RBI and went 1 for 3. Andrew McCutchen had two hits and Brody Neuhaus had one.

Luke Maxim came on as the reliever and threw 2.2 innings of shutout ball. He gave two hits, had four strike outs and one walk.

The team was in the decisive semifinals earlier on the day and won 11-1 off six innings against Frankfort Summit Hill.

The Panthers got two runs in the first, five runs in the third and four more in the sixth innings.

Sandler, Fries were three for three, Fries scored three times and three RBIs, Declan Starkey and Mason Voss had two RBIs each and Sandler one RBI. Maxim and Braden Vehlow also provided a hit on the game as well Nelson had two.

Sandler started and pitched a full game and gave up only one run with four hits with three strike-outs and two base on balls.

The Panthers played one other quarterfinal match on Oct. 4 where they triumphed St. Jacob Triad earlier with a 6-0 score.

Liberty scored four times in the first inning and added its final two in the seventh.

Sandler also went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Fries 1-for-3 with an RBI also Neuhas had a hit. Sandler and McCutchen each crossed the plate twice and Brendan Peach and Neuhaus each crossed the plate once.

Fries pitched for six innings s to get the win. The youngster gave three hit but five strike outs and three walks.

Maxim was perfect in the seventh and struck out two to clinch the victory.