Senior catcher Quinn Schambow went 2-for-4 and scored the decisive run in the top of the eighth inning to back junior right-hander Chase Lockwood’s gem as Libertyville pulled out a 2-1 win against Normal Community in the Class 4A state semifinals in Joliet on Friday.
Schambow, an Oklahoma State baseball recruit who threw 52 touchdown passes during the 2024 football season, crossed the plate on junior designated hitter Carson Holmes‘ single, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead after the teams played seven scoreless innings.
Lockwood allowed only an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth. He scattered five hits, walked three and struck out seven for Libertyville (35-4), which will play either McHenry or Brother Rice in the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Wildcats will make their third appearance in a state final with a chance to win their first title.
“That was the goal coming into the year,” Schambow said. “That’s the goal in any sports.”
This story will be updated.