Toppers Top Titans 11-1 in Super-Sectional Championship
Drew Martin and friends have a "Date at State" on Thursday

[June 15, 2021]  The Mount Pulaski Hilltoppers punched their ticket to the IHSA Class 1A Boys Baseball State Tournament by defeating Kewanee (Wethersfield/Annawan) 11-1 on Monday afternoon at Duffy Bass Field in Normal for the Super-Sectional Championship.

Senior Drew Martin took the mound for the Hilltoppers on Monday versus the Titans. He allowed the leadoff hitter, Coltin Quagliano, a single to left field to start the game. Martin then retired the next three batters on a ground out and two strikeouts.

The Hilltoppers did not score in the bottom half of the first inning, despite singles from Martin and Jackson Fricke.

Martin struck out the side in the top of the second inning on 13 pitches.

Mount Pulaski plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Gavin Smith singled with one out. Garrett Fitzpatrick was hit by a pitch. Lucas Kuhlman reached first base on an error by the shortstop. The shortstop’s error on the throw towards second allowed Smith to score and Fitzpatrick to land on third. Mount Pulaski took a 2-0 lead after A.J. Bailey’s ground out scored Fitzpatrick.

The Titans scored their lone run of the game on an RBI single by Eli Merrick in the top of the third inning.

Mount Pulaski was quick to get the run back in the bottom of the third inning. Back-to-back walks to Martin and Fricke started the inning. Martin stole third base and then Clay Aylesworth entered the game to pinch run for Martin. Aylesworth scored when the Titans committed an error on a ground ball hit by Grant Davis. The Titans starting pitcher, Quagliano, escaped further damage when he struck out Gavin Smith and Fitzpatrick to end the inning.

Photo by Teena Lowery

The Hilltoppers busted the game open in the fourth inning, scoring four times with two outs. One line drive after another just about gave the Titans pitcher whiplash. Evan Cooper was the first batter to single to right to start the rally. Martin followed with a hard hit ball to third. Fricke smacked a liner to left and Cooper came racing home. Landon Smith tagged a line drive to left to score the courtesy runner, Aylesworth. Grant Davis wasn’t about to miss the hit parade and he cracked a line drive to right field, scoring another courtesy runner, Luke Farris, from third. By this time Landon Smith was hanging out on third chatting with the coach when his cousin, Gavin Smith, hit a grounder to shortstop, Landon came scurrying home with yet another run. Not quite time to take a shoe and sock off to continuing adding the runs, but it’s getting close. The Hilltoppers were up 7-1 as the fourth inning came to a close.

The Titans had a little fight left in them in the top of the fifth inning. A couple singles and a walk loaded the bases. But a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a ground out dotted in between the hits kept the Titans from crossing home plate. They left the bases loaded as Martin strolled off the mound to the Hilltoppers dugout.

The bottom of the fifth inning was awfully ugly for the Titans. Three straight walks put a gold uniform at every base. Some pretty familiar names around Mount Pulaski for decades running were at each base. A Bailey, a Cooper and a Martin were the ducks on the pond for Mount Pulaski. Martin was substituted on the base paths for another familiar Mount Pulaski name, an Aylesworth. With Fricke up to bat, and that’s another name everyone knows sooner or later around the entire county, the Hilltoppers were in a really good position. Fricke singled to left field to score Bailey. Landon Smith, of the Elkhart Smith’s, stepped in the batter’s box and drew a walk to force in Cooper. Then it was Grant Davis, with ties to both Elkhart and MP, drawing a walk to allow Aylesworth to score a run and give the Hilltoppers a 10-1 lead.

Time to remove a shoe and a sock and keep counting.

With the Titans already coming undone at the seams, they made a pitching change. Will Rumbold came in to relieve Quagliano and he threw just one pitch. That pitch went behind the back of Gavin Smith and obviously got away from the catcher. It was Farris crossing home plate on what was scored a wild pitch and putting this 2021 Hilltoppers team in the history books.

An 11-1 win in five innings sends the Hilltoppers to the state tournament.

A Super-Sectional win by the 10-run rule isn’t likely an ordinary thing to happen and leave it to this Hilltoppers team to continue doing the extraordinary.

This will be the first time in Mount Pulaski High School history that a baseball team has gone to the state tournament.

Drew Martin earned the win for Mount Pulaski. The right hander threw 106 pitches over five innings of work. Martin allowed one run on five hits. He struck out 10 batters and walked two.

Offensively, for Mount Pulaski it was a balanced attack against the Titans. Jackson Fricke led the way by going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Drew Martin was 2-for-2 with two walks. Evan Cooper was 1-for-3 with two runs scored. Landon Smith was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Grant Davis was 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Gavin Smith was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. A.J. Bailey had an RBI. Clay Aylesworth scored three runs. Luke Farris scored two runs and Garrett Fitzpatrick scored one run.

Mount Pulaski head coach Joel Washko gathered his team on a grassy hill just beyond the baseball field following the win over the Titans. As he clutched the Super-Sectional Championship plaque, he was smiling and congratulating his players, reminding them of this history-making moment. After the boys broke from the huddle, Washko stepped aside to talk about the win.

Photo by Heather Fricke

“It was kind of an anti-climatic ending but when you get to this point, it doesn’t matter,” said Washko, with a smile still on his face. “These kids came out ready to go. They faced a good arm in Quagliano. He is a very tough pitcher. He shut out Putnam County last week and they are always really good. Our guys had a game plan to come out and attack and in the first few innings we had a little success. We finally ran him (Quagliano) out of the game. He was almost at his pitch count. We really made him work and we swung the bat. That was huge for us. Drew Martin came out and threw just over 100 pitches. He pitched out of a couple jams. It was a small strike zone so he had to work for it. But he did a great job. It was his last pitching outing for us ever because he can’t throw Thursday. So it was a heckuva way for him to go out on the mound. He did just a great job. I am really proud of all these guys. This is for everybody who has ever worn the uniform because we’ve never made it to State and we’re in the history books.”

Martin, who will be putting on the baseball uniform next season for the Heartland Hawks, has been a key member of the Hilltoppers baseball team since his freshman year. It was really tough for a guy like this to have to miss the 2020 season but this memorable postseason run has put a big smile on the tall right-hander.

“We definitely could have made a deep run last year,” began Martin. “I think we could’ve been at State last year as well, but this year definitely makes up for it a little bit, especially because of how far we’ve gone. Today was just such a surreal feeling for me. This is what our dream has always been and we’re finally here. This is what my dream has been since I’ve been little, along with a bunch of other kids and we’re finally making it to State. We are representing the town and making the town proud. It’s just an awesome, surreal feeling. Today was just a whole boat load of emotions for everyone. Surprisingly, I wasn’t as nervous today as I was in the Regional Championship. I had a couple people call me earlier today and it really calmed me down and gave me a bunch of confidence to go out and take the mound. I knew my teammates would back me up. We’ve had great defense all year long and we had great defense again today.”

Photo by Teena Lowery

This Mount Pulaski team has also had great chemistry all season long. They constantly pick each other up and their ability to stay loose and have fun is infectious throughout the dugout.

“This is the most solid lineup that we have ever had by far,” said Martin. “There’s not a for-sure out in the order. Everyone puts the ball in play and everyone can get hits, timely hits too especially.”

With a solid infield backing Martin up on Monday, the Hilltoppers made some great plays and they did not go unnoticed by the man on the mound. When asked about his first baseman and second baseman, Martin was ready to give credit where credit is due.

“Garrett, (Fitzpatrick) I have so much to say about Garrett,” said Martin of the Hilltoppers second baseman. “He has improved so much over his four years. He could have fell off when the rest of our class quit but he stayed and stuck with it and he is just one of the biggest, most underrated key players that Mount Pulaski has, I would have to say for sure. And Grant (Davis), he’s always been there. He’s always bailing me out at first base with my bad throws from shortstop or even today, when he saved a run by making a diving catch. That was an insane play that really hyped me up. He made a diving catch with a runner on second that would’ve made the score 3-2, if it wasn’t for that catch. His catch really made the momentum swing to our side even more and then we put those four runs on them in the bottom of the fourth.”

So for the little boy who started playing T-ball at age three, eventually taking on travel ball at the age of nine, baseball still puts a smile on his face.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had on any baseball team by far in my life,” stated Martin. “Especially because, you know, you’re out there representing the town and you know the whole town has your back. It’s just an awesome feeling to have. I can’t even describe how good it feels. It’s insane.”

Martin is also excited to play for Heartland next season. “I know of four incoming freshmen who will be my teammates at Heartland and they are playing in Super-Sectionals today. So we are going to be boat loaded with talent as incoming freshmen and looking to kick some butt.”

Martin reached his pitch limit for the week in the Super-Sectional game, so he will not pitch on Thursday. “We got our two guys who pitched in the Sectional games to come in and pitch,” said Martin, referencing Evan Cooper and Landon Smith. “I have a boat load of confidence in them. They are gonna go out and throw strikes and our offense is gonna put the ball in play and when we put the ball in play, good things are gonna happen.”

A boat load of good things.

Mount Pulaski improves to 21-1 on the season.

The Hilltoppers return to Duffy Bass Field in Normal on Thursday to take on Farina (South Central) at 1:00 p.m.

Farina (South Central) had a walk-off walk in the ninth inning to defeat Camp Point 15-14 on Monday.

In the game before Mount Pulaski on Thursday, Newark will take on Glen Carbon (Father McGivney). That game begins at 10:00 a.m.

There will be a third place game at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The championship game will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Go Toppers!

[Teena Lowery]