EDWARDSVILLE — Trailing by three runs at the time, MMI Prep’s Ben Drobnock had a tall task ahead of him when he got the call to the mound.
With one out and the bases loaded, the Preppers’ season hung in the balance as the sophomore was asked to limit the damage and give his team a chance to start working on a comeback.
Drobnock did his job. Then the MMI bats did theirs — and a third straight district championship was the end result.
The Preppers scored five unanswered runs across their final three trips to the plate, and Drobnock earned the win with 3.2 sparkling innings of relief as MMI Prep defeated Susquehanna 5-4 to win the District 2 Class A championship on May 26 at Wilkes University’s Bruggeworth Field.
Moments after a wild pitch allowed Jared Santana to tie the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, an RBI groundout from Caleb Skuba put MMI Prep ahead for the first time all afternoon.
The Preppers trailed 4-0 heading to the home half of the fourth inning, but a familiarity with the stage and some championship resiliency allowed MMI to scratch its way back and make it a district championship three-peat.
“We felt the pressure of having them score four runs, but we anchored ourselves on the fact that we were deep into the game and we were comfortable,” MMI Prep coach Charlie Karchner said. “This team has come back multiple times throughout the season, and if they’re going to be known for anything, it’s today … never giving up.”
Walks and a few miscues in the field hurt the Preppers early, allowing Susquehanna to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning and position themselves to blow things open in the fourth.
With another run tacked on by the Sabers and the bases loaded, Drobnock got the call to take over for Skuba on the mound.
He got the second out of the inning on a sacrifice fly that nearly turned into a double play with the throw in from right field beating the Susquehanna runner but coming up on a tough hop for MMI catcher Bryce Radzwich.
Drobnock got the next hitter to fly out to center, stranding two more Susquehanna runners in scoring position.
Even though the Sabers ultimately tacked on that additional fourth run, there was a shift in momentum as Drobnock kept things from getting out of hand.
Over the next three innings, Drobnock allowed just one hit and held the Sabers scoreless as MMI began to chip away.
“I knew our team could do it. Going into it, I knew we had it,” Drobnock said. “Adrenaline was a big thing, I was pitching for contact and our fielders were incredible today.”
It was 4-1 after the fourth inning, and 4-3 after five. In the sixth, MMI’s eighth and ninth hitters, Santana and Andrew Pedri, both reached to start the frame and both scored to put the Preppers ahead.
Susquehanna’s Owen Cook got hit by a Drobnock breaking ball to lead off the seventh but was promptly picked off first after a missed bunt attempt and a rocket of a throw from Radzwich behind the plate.
With that settled, Drobnock got the last two outs and secured another district title and another trip to states for MMI Prep.
State Tournament update
MMI Prep has become a staple in the Class A state tournament after winning the District 2 crown for a third straight year.
The Preppers played June 1 at their home field in Freeland and hosting District 3 runner-up Fairfield. Both teams were under .500 in the regular season, a consequence of playing in divisions against predominantly larger schools. Those tough schedules, however, help prepare them for the postseason.
MMI beat Susquehanna 5-4 in its lone playoff game thus far and will be looking to return to the state quarters for the third straight season.
District 2 Class A Championship
MMI Prep 5, Susquehanna 4
Susquehanna`AB`R`H`BI
Thomas 2b`3`0`0`1
Cook c`1`0`1`2
Maby 3b-p`3`1`1`0
Krayeski cf`3`0`0`0
Hennessey ss`3`0`1`0
Stone p-3b`2`1`0`0
Downton rf`3`0`0`0
Albert 1b`1`1`0`0
Fabrizi lf`1`1`0`0
Totals`20`4`3`3
MMI Prep`AB`R`H`BI
D. Radzwich cf`4`1`1`0
Serock 2b`2`0`1`0
Skuba p-1b`3`0`0`1
Garcia 3b-ss`3`0`0`0
Drobnock ss-p`2`1`1`0
Gombeda rf`3`0`0`0
B. Radzwich 1b-c`3`0`1`1
Swircek cr`0`0`0`0
Santana c-3b`2`1`0`0
Pedri lf`2`2`0`0
Totals`28`5`4`2
Susquehanna`002`200`0 — 4
MMI Prep`000`122`x — 5
Susquehanna`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Stone`4`3`1`0`1`2
Maby (L)`2`1`4`3`4`3
MMI Prep`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Skuba`3.1`2`4`3`7`3
Drobock (W)`3.2`1`0`0`0`2
