A 12-0 start to 2006 had Hinsdale Central's baseball team on top of the mountain.

Well-deserved accolades and rankings followed. But the month of May hasn't been kind to the Red Devils.
Hinsdale Central carried a 3-6 May record -- including losing five of its last six games -- prior to Wednesday's regional semifinal contest against Willowbrook.

The slump prompted head coach Tom Dorrance to have a heart-to-heart talk with his team.

"I addressed a number of things and I think the kids finally bought into it about a week ago," he said. "It was a struggle, but now it seems the kids are focused. Everyone in the program is, and (they are) looking for the best for the team."

The re-focused Red Devils took a month's worth of frustration out on Willowbrook, erupting for eight runs over the first two innings and making that total stick for an 8-4 victory.

Hinsdale Central now advances to Saturday's regional final. It will play the winner of the Lemont/Montini matchup, which was held Thursday.

After sprinting out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, Hinsdale Central held its breath when Willowbrook tied the game with a four-run second inning.

However, the Red Devils took the lead for good by pushing across four more runs in their half of the second.

No. 9 hitter Drew Bailey smacked one off the right-field fence for a double, then came home on Brett Suchy's single up the middle.

Suchy and Andrew Nicholas -- who had reached base on a sacrifice, then stole second base -- came around to score as Brett Morse doubled to right.

Colin Cimala plated Hinsdale Central's final run of the inning on a fielder's choice.

Catcher Mark Noth provided the big blow in Hinsdale Central's four-run first inning -- a three-run homer that hugged the left-field foul pole after he fell behind in the count 0-2.

Noth's blast scored Morse and Tobi Adeyemi (both of whom had singled).

"We had some good at-bats," Dorrance said. "That's the whole thing we've tried to preach all along. Have six- or eight-pitch at-bats, and even if you're out, you won that battle. To me, that's what we had."

Not to be overlooked in the midst of Hinsdale Central's offensive fireworks was the pitching of left-hander Anthony Fountas, who relieved starter Nick Kurash in the third inning.

Fountas shut down Willowbrook from that point, holding the Warriors scoreless and limiting them to four hits. He also didn't surrender a walk.

"Anthony did a heckuva job today," Dorrance said. "He kept hitters off-balance, nobody hit the ball hard on him. A couple of hits (by Willowbrook) and he got a pop-out or a groundout. I love six-pitch innings."

Hinsdale Central's defense helped Fountas along the way. Adeyemi made a diving catch in the fifth, and a Bailey-to-Nicholas-to-Morse 4-6-3 double play got Hinsdale Central out of the sixth.

Bailey, Suchy and Morse had multiple-hit games for the Red Devils, who take a 22-10 record into the Saturday's regional championship.

"I think we're ready to go," Dorrance said. "Montini or Lemont, either one of those teams is very good. So we have our work cut out for us, but I'm confident in our guys."