Grand-slammin’ Gomez
Junior first baseman hits huge homer as Providence holds off Joliet Catholic to move on in WJOL Tournament
Junior first baseman Gavin Gomez is a returnee for Providence, batting in the middle of the order for the second straight season with some inexperienced hitters around him.
He realized he was guilty of wanting to do too much in the first few games of the season.
“Sometimes, I swing at bad pitches because I’m trying to force it,” he said.
Gomez swung at the right pitch Friday and crushed it, hitting a grand slam in the third inning to lift the Celtics to a 9-8 victory over Joliet Catholic in a first-round game of the WJOL Tournament at Lockport.
“It felt great coming off the bat,” Gomez said. “I was in a little bit of a slump, so it felt good to square one up in a big moment.”
Pierre Danet went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Providence (3-0), while Tyler Young, Jude Allen, Jacob Garcia, Ethan Litynski and Jackson Smith each drove in a run.
The Celtics advanced to take on Lockport — a 15-3 winner over Lincoln-Way West — in a semifinal scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Luka Radicevich had a big game for Joliet Catholic (3-4) with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. Aidan Voss also hit a homer.
Gomez’s big blast came at an opportune time.
The first four batters of the third reached base for Providence via a single, two hit batters and an error, but JCA pitcher T.J. Schlageter was on the verge of getting out of the mess with just one run allowed.
He retired the top two hitters in the Celtics’ lineup with the bases loaded.
However, Gomez came up with two outs and ripped the grand slam down the right field line to make it 9-1.
“We have tons of confidence in him,” Providence coach Mark
Smith said. “Sometimes, Gavin wants to do too much. He’s a returner, but he’s still a junior and it’s a learning process.
“He’s a hard-nosed, tough player and he’s probably put more pressure on himself than he needs to. The day he just lets his ability take over is the day he’ll be every bit of the player he wants to be.”
Providence has a pitching staff full of proven arms, including Notre Dame recruit Ryan Hussey, who allowed one run in three innings Friday.
The offense seemed to be the question mark, but the Celtics have scored 36 runs in their first three games.
“I think a lot of people are sleeping on our hitting,” Gomez said. “We’ve come out firing right
away.”
Down 9-1, Joliet Catholic fought back. Radicevich led the way with a solo homer in the third and a two-run double in the fifth, the latter pulling the Hilltoppers within 9-6.
In the seventh, Voss hit a two-out homer. After an error, Radicevich doubled in a run to make it 9-8 with the tying run at second base.
Providence reliever Tyler Young, though, got a groundout to end the game. Young worked the final two innings, allowing two runs to pick up the save.
“I live for those moments,” Young said.
“Those get me going. I’d rather pitch in those situations than a 10-0 game where you’re really cruising.
“I want to come in when it’s close and I have to do something for my team.”
Both teams left 11 runners on base.
“We’ve battled back in a lot of games this year, but at some point, you have to find a way to win,” Joliet Catholic coach Jared Voss said. “This was a great rivalry game, though. It was fun.
“We’re still making too many mistakes, but I think it’s all very correctable things. Hopefully, if the weather ever cooperates, we can find a way to get more consistent.”