PLYMOUTH — Mishawaka Marian and John Glenn knew what was at stake.
Both teams walked onto Bill Nixon Field Wednesday, May 27 as the favorites to emerge from their half of the IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 19 baseball bracket. That’s no slight toward the 13-8 Culver Academies Eagles, who had just won 3-1 against the hosting Pilgrims (8-19) in the first game of the evening, but the Knights and Falcons track records spoke for themselves.
They backed those expectations up on the diamond, as Marian’s junior starting pitcher Isaac Gill and Glenn’s sophomore ace Colin Hamel embarked on a pitcher’s duel that ended with 19 combined strikeouts in 13 combined innings between the two. It was the Knights’ Gill who outshined Hamel, however, as he went the distance for a complete game in a 3-1 win.
Marian (14-12) will face Culver Academies in a sectional semifinal at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 30, with New Prairie (21-6) vs. South Bend Saint Joseph (16-9) following them at approx. 1 p.m. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. Monday, June 1, all at Plymouth’s Centennial Park.
How Marian advanced
Gill fanned 11 batters, allowed four hits, three walks and no earned runs.
Gill could have gotten discouraged when his defense committed two uncharacteristic errors in the first inning to allow the Falcons’ lone run to score. He could have gotten down on himself when he put multiple runners on base with one or no outs on two separate occasions.
He never wavered and always seemed to work his way out of a jam by way of the strikeout.
“It’s just confidence,” Gill said. “I’ve had so many reps there, so I trust myself and trust my defense. Compete every play and let them swing the bat.”
The biggest swing of the game belonged to Marian senior Ryne O’Hara, whose one-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Knights a 2-1 lead that grew by one more run thanks to a throwing error later in the frame.
O’Hara, who was named Marian’s team captain this season, said all he was thinking during his decisive at-bat was to hit the ball hard. When he ripped a grounder into left field, there was no doubt sophomore Vinny Gruber was going to score from third base.
“It’s the stuff you dream about as a kid, helping your team win a game that advances us to the ultimate goal of winning a sectional,” O’Hara said. “I believe [in] this team. We’re right in there.”
While Marian’s overall record is just two games above .500, success in the Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) does not come easy. Although the Knights were swept by Penn, they split their season series’ against conference champion New Prairie and Saint Joseph. They also boast non-conference wins against the likes of Mishawaka and Goshen.
Head coach Joe Turnock said he was most proud of the Knights’ resilience against Glenn, as many teams would have been shaken up by a bumpy first inning defensively. Instead, senior Brady Biernacki hit an RBI single just an inning later to tie the game, and Marian’s defense was flawless the rest of the way.
Turnock said he often tells his squad that something is going to go wrong in almost every game. It’s about how they respond that will control the overall outcome. Wednesday, Marian chose the right response.
“You can’t all be running around a burning building screaming; someone has to find a way out,” Turnock said. “The past is history, it’s over with. What are you going to do next? Be present where your feet are.”
Glenn head coach John Nadolny admitted his Falcons didn’t do a good enough job of doing just that, falling short in clutch situations multiple times under the bright lights. Nadolny was still proud of Glenn’s development throughout the season, going from 12-13 last season to 16-9 in this one, but he wants to see even more growth next season having only lost four seniors.
“We try to stay positive,” Marian’s O’Hara said as he pointed toward the dugout. “It’s a tough game, mentally, as is. Every advantage you can give yourself — picking each other up, keeping each other positive — is huge for us.”
Looking ahead to the semifinals
Marian beat the Culver Academies 3-1 in the very first game of the regular season April 9. The Knights last won a sectional title in 2024, while the Eagles haven’t done so since winning four in a row from 1994-97.
New Prairie, on the other hand, has won three in a row, including a state crown in 2024. Saint Joseph hasn’t won a sectional since 2022, but the Huskies did capture a state championship in 2017.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mishawaka Marian baseball delivers in IHSAA 3A sectional opener
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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