Lane rally shocks Kenwood in epic seventh inning of city baseball championship game at Wrigley Field

By Dominic Scianna

Baseball can be a funny game and can turn on a dime in an instant if a team gains momentum at the right time. That was the circumstances that played out for Lane Tech in stunning fashion against Kenwood Academy in a 5-3 victory at Wrigley Field on May 20 for its second Chicago Public League (CPL) Baseball City Championship in the past three years.

Kenwood was cruising behind the stellar pitching performance of Kevari Thunderbird as the senior struck out 10 batters while giving up four walks and only three hits in 5 ⅓ innings as the Broncos raced to a 3-0 lead. But in the sixth, Thunderbird had eclipsed 100 pitches and relief pitcher Khamaree Thomas was called upon to close out the last 1 ⅔ innings.

That’s when Lane’s bats caught fire and things began to unravel for Kenwood in the pivotal 7th inning.

“I knew if we could just keep fighting until the end that we’d have a chance,” said Lane coach Sean Freeman. “Kevari is a heck of a pitcher and probably was the best player on the field (in the title game). I tip my cap to him, but our kids battled and when he came out (of the game) I knew we’d have a better chance to get good swings and we capitalized when it mattered the most to win.”

Lane’s top of the seventh inning began with a pop out to second base but a walk to leadoff hitter Teo Greco and a double by Sebastian Wilson got the momentum going and the crowd at iconic Wrigley Field came to life. Ethan Borggren (1-for-4) followed with an RBI single and junior Tyler Trapp (1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI) delivered a double to deep right-center field to tie the game at 3-3.

A walk and a flyout set the stage for the winning rally and with two outs Elias Padilla hit a chopper to third base but the throw was low to first base and Lane scored the final two runs on the error for the 5-3 lead.

The Champions got strong relief pitching help from Oliver Evans, who relieved starter Jack Davis, and held the potent Kenwood offense scoreless the last three innings for the win on the mound.

“I’m just proud of the way my team played. Wrigley Field is a magical place and it’s surreal to win a championship (their last in 2022 at the Friendly Confines) on this field,” said Evans. “We showed that we are the champions of Chicago today.”

Kenwood marched out to a 3-0 lead early behind the bats of Thomas (1-for-3, 2 runs scored), Damaurion Butler (1-for-3, one run scored), and an RBI each from Phillip Thigpen, Jimmy Downs, and Destin Edwards.

It was a tough loss to for the Broncos who dominated for most of the contest, but it did not take away from Kenwood’s stellar regular season that anointed them the overall #1 seed in the city playoffs.

“Lane just put it together and they saw a little light when Kevari came out,” said Kenwood head coach David Reed. “We didn’t finish the job, but it’s just one game and it’s tough but we’ll get past this and it will make us better going into the state playoffs.”

The Champions also had big contributions in the win from Wilson who finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Ryan Dooley went 2-for-3 – but Trapp’s double opened the door for victory as Lane took advantage of a bases-loaded last inning to earn the 2024 CPL baseball crown.

“He (Thomas) threw me a change-up and it was in a perfect spot for me to hit it and I cranked it hard (into the gap),” said Trapp. “I’ve worked hard enough for this and wasn’t going to change anything at the plate. I stuck to what I know and it all worked out for us.”

Coach Freeman was pleased with his team’s grit in the end and how their baseball fortunes changed in the span of a ½ inning that will go down as one of the most memorable in Lane Tech history.

“This group has done it all year, and he (Trapp) has been one of those fighters for us. He had a couple of defensive miscues today so I’m just so happy that he was the guy who tied it up. It shows a lot about him and his character,” noted Freeman.

In the end, it was a magnificent CPL Championship Final played by both schools and it was all made possible by the Chicago Cubs organization, Cubs Charities, and the Cubs Community Service teams who put on a stellar show for the more than 3,000+ fans, parents, and administrators on hand at Wrigley Field.

Lane (26-9) and Kenwood (20-9) both move on to the Illinois High School State Baseball Playoffs this week. For more information on the IHSA brackets, game times, scores, and information visit us at www.cpsathletics.com and on X (formerly Twitter) @CPLAthletics.