Newman Comets Fall Short in Thrilling 3A Regional Final Against Boylan

In a hard-fought battle that showcased their resilience, the Newman Comets fell to the Rockford Boylan Titans 9-7 in the Class 3A Belvidere Regional final. Although Newman struggled for much of the game, they rallied impressively in the final inning, bringing the tying run to the plate before the contest concluded with a groundout.

Entering the bottom of the seventh trailing 9-3, the Comets mounted a last-ditch effort to pull off a comeback. Despite loading the bases multiple times throughout the game, they could only capitalize once, reflecting a frustrating afternoon where they committed four errors. Boylan, who scored four runs in the first inning, maintained their lead throughout the game and improved to 23-14 with this victory.

“You’re not always going to get it to go the way you want it to go,” said Newman starting pitcher Evan Bushman. “That’s baseball. Little mistakes add up here and there. We didn’t play our best game today, but I’m still so proud of us.” Boylan's offense took advantage of Newman’s errors, scoring three unearned runs and building a commanding 6-0 lead by the third inning.

Despite the score, Newman did not back down. As the seventh inning unfolded, Tyson Williams and Drake Cole reached base, and RBIs from Garret Matznick and Ashton Miner narrowed the gap to 9-5. A sacrifice fly from Garet Wolfe brought the score to 9-6, and Michael Morse’s two-out RBI triple left the tying run at the plate before the game ended.

“We never gave up, and I think that’s my favorite part of this team,” Bushman noted. “You never really thought you were out of the game until it was over. We always gave it our best until the end.” This match marked Boylan's first regional title since 2019, as they now advance to face Wheaton Academy in the upcoming 3A Sycamore Sectional semifinal.

Newman coach Kenny Koerner reflected on the game, saying, “It was not a good day to have a bad day today.” He praised Boylan for their performance while acknowledging the challenges his team faced. Despite the loss, Newman finished their season with an impressive 27-3 record, just shy of a program high in wins.