Nic Presutti would run through a wall for Grayslake Central. And the senior left fielder nearly did in the fourth inning against Montini.
Presutti crashed into the fence trying to catch a hit by Ryan Nelson, who raced around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam.
Presutti remained on the ground for a minute and eventually had to exit the Class 3A North Central College Supersectional game Monday as Grayslake Central dropped a 10-0 decision in five innings.
The Benedictine commit wasn’t gone long. He returned to action for his next at-bat in the top of the fifth.
“I’m thankful that they let me at least get one last at-bat as a Ram,” Presutti said. “I definitely was not going to let them sit me down and watch the last couple of innings. I was going to get another at-bat as a Ram.”
Presutti displayed grit, and so did all the Rams throughout the season.
Michael Koszewski limited Grayslake Central (28-8), however, to three hits in the shutout.
Rams coach Troy Whalen pointed to pitching, defense and timely hitting as the items that fueled the team’s charge to a sectional championship.
Grayslake Central came up empty on all three accounts Monday.
“We certainly didn’t pitch it well, there were plays out there defensively that needed to be made, and when we got guys on third with less than two outs, we weren’t able to do anything there either,” Whalen said. “It just wasn’t our day. And that’s baseball. Baseball can be pretty cruel that way.
“But I’m obviously proud of the kids. It’s not the outcome anybody wanted, but at the same time you’ve got to tip your cap to Montini. They played great.”
Montini scored four runs without the benefit of a hit in the second inning. The grand slam in the fourth made it 9-0.
Whalen was not surprised to see Presutti ready to go in the fifth.
“It signifies the team and it signifies him as well,” Whalen said. “Nic’s a fighter. He’s been with us for four years. It’s not going to be same not seeing Presutti’s name in the lineup.”
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Presutti popped out, but it was the effort that mattered. And an effort that teammates like Coby Moe has seen several times. Presutti was back in left field for the bottom of the inning.
“Presutti is one of the toughest guys I’ve known,” Moe said.
The fans appreciated the toughness of the entire team. Fans gave the Rams a nice hand when the game wrapped up. One fan yelled, “Wonderful season.”
“The support we got here (Monday), you don’t get that anywhere else but the green and white,” Moe said. “That’s something special.”