Hinsdale Central Brett Morse is used to the pressure.

The Red Devils' senior and Iowa football recruit proved it Wednesday against Hinsdale South in a semifinal game of the Downers Grove South baseball sectional.

Moments after Brett Suchy (2-for-5, two RBIs) tied the game at 4-all with a double that scored pinch runner Kris Leksas from second, Morse (1-for-4) brought a definitive end to the game with a walk-off grand slam that gave Hinsdale Central an 8-4 win.

And it came with the Red Devils (24-10) down to their final out of the inning.

"Once there were two outs I told Jack (DiNardo), 'I've got a feeling,'" Morse said. "I had a feeling about the inning. It was the first time all year I had that feeling.

"It was a fastball outside. I had my hands back looking for a pitch like that. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was relaxed."

"Brett Morse is a gamer," said Hinsdale Central assistant coach Mark Wittkamper, who offered postgame comments after head coach Tom Dorrance had to leave to attend a graduation ceremony.

"He likes the challenge of a pressure situation. When the game is on the line he wants the ball."

Suchy's double followed Tobi Adeyemi's infield single, which bounced off the leg of South relief pitcher Jerome Thomas, and put Adeyemi at third.

Hinsdale South head coach Kraig Conyer intentionally walked clean-up hitter Mark Noth to load the bases while setting up a force play at any base. That brought Morse to the plate, who was hitless in three earlier plate appearances.

"If we had to do it again we'd do it the same way," Conyer said.

The entire game was a pressure cooker for both teams.

The contest was scoreless through three innings, but not for lack of effort.

Hinsdale South (19-19) starter Dom Tardi worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and a first-and-third, one-out situation in the third. The Hornets made solid contact through their first three turns at-bat, but Central made the defensive plays to keep them scoreless.

In the top of the fourth, South's Joe Buonavolanto reached on a fielder's choice, was balked to second by Central starter Nick Kurash and hustled home on Rich Jablonski's bloop single to left field, giving the Hornets a 1-0 lead.

Carl Fiebig's solo home run in the fifth gave the Hornets a 2-0 edge, but the Red Devils evened the score in their half of the fifth.

Andrew Nicholas (3-for-5) led off with a single and moved to third when Adeyemi's pop-up to short right field fell between second baseman Fiebig and right fielder Brad Payne, which put Adeyemi at second.
Suchy's groundout scored Nicholas and moved Adeyemi to third, and he came across on Noth's single up the middle to tie the game at 2-all.

That's how the proceedings stood until the seventh when Tardi belted a solo home run to put the Hornets ahead 3-2. But like a classic heavyweight fighter, the Red Devils slugged back in the bottom of the inning.
Noth drew a one-out walk but was forced out at second as Morse reached safely on a fielder's choice. Thomas' wild pitch moved Morse to second, and Colin Cimala's two-out bloop single to center field against a deep outfield defense brought him home, tying the game at 3-all.

Then it was the Hornets' turn to punch back in the top of the eighth.

Leadoff hitter Ryan Hopp went to second when Central's third baseman threw wildly to first base on a dribbler down the line. Buonavolanto followed with a double that scored Hopp, putting the Hornets ahead 4-3. Buonavolanto moved to third when second baseman Drew Bailey couldn't handle the throw to second base.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, Buonavolanto was left stranded at third, watching three outs being recorded when he was 90 feet away from home.

That set the stage for the Red Devils' second two-out rally in as many innings and Morse's game-ending heroics.

"I'm proud of our kids," Conyer said. "I told them to keep their heads up, especially the seniors. We didn't want to go out that way, but the kids stepped up and battled the whole season. It may not mean much now, but in a couple weeks it will be different."

"This was the best high school game I've ever been a part of, and I've been part of a lot of them," Buonavolanto said. "We battled hard. It feels bad to go out this way, but I'm proud of our team. We have nothing to hang our heads about."