Funkhouser's clutch single helps Edwardsville edge Brother Rice to win second straight Illinois Class 4A baseball title

JOLIET, Ill. – When Edwardsville's Cole Funkhouser came to the plate with the score tied in the sixth inning of Saturday night's Illinois Class 4A state championship game against Brother Rice, he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I kind of stepped back and took it all in for a second," the senior second baseman said. "Their crowd, their cheering section was cheering really loud. I almost made it like they were cheering for me.

"So I was so locked in, I kind of knew I was going to get a hit there and ended up delivering."

Funkhouser did, rapping a single to score Kayden Jennings to put the Tigers ahead to stay in a 6-4 win at Duly Health & Care Field.

That gave Edwardsville (33-9) back-to-back state championships and three in the past four state tournaments. They won in 2019, and the 2020 state series was canceled because of COVID.

When Funkhouser delivered, his dad Tim, the Tigers' head coach, was watching from the third-base coaches' box.

"Right as I rounded first on that single, I looked back and I saw him smiling and clapping and it just made everything complete," Cole Funkhouser said.

"I had a dad moment," Tim Funkhouser said. "Truthfully, I've been almost numb at times. Evan, my oldest son, had a home run in the postseason. That was the first time I kind of felt that way even though he had a really successful season.

"And then Cole's had a great season this year. And for him to lead off the game and get stuff started, and then have that big hit, it really hit me as a dad."

Cole Funkhouser jump-started a three-run top of the first for Edwardsville with a single up the middle on the game's first pitch. He scored on Andrew Hendrickson's groundout, and then Lucas Huebner delivered a two-out, two-run single.

Brother Rice (26-16), which lost to Edwardsville in the 4A state semifinals last season, scored single runs against Hendrickson in the second and third to pull within 3-2.

Lucas Krebs' RBI single in the top of the fourth pushed the Tigers' lead to 4-2. But the Crusaders tied it 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth. Shawn Sullivan stole third and continued home on a throwing error, and Amir Gray's groundout drove in Bryce Nevils.

That set the stage for Cole Funkhouser's tie-breaking hit in the sixth. Jennings' RBI double in the seventh added an insurance run.

Alex Marchetto (7-1) did the rest, shutting out Rice on one hit over the last three innings to earn the win after the Crusaders had tied the score.

"I came in up two runs, so I was thinking I have to come in and shut these guys down and not let any runs get across," Marchetto said. "And then the two runs get across, but I just keep making my pitches and keep competing. And that helped me get through the game."

When it was over, Cole Funkhouser was thinking back over his career.

"Freshman year we got canceled," he said. "Sophomore year, I dressed varsity but didn't play but I was with my brother. And after they lost in the sectional semi, I kind of saw how bad it hurt and (now) how good it feels to win."

Brother Rice coach Sean McBride appreciated his team's resilience yet again.

"Looked like a lot of our playoff games in the sectional, in the (supersectional)," he said. "Once we realized we can come from behind, we weren't panicked. ... It was a great effort by our guys and we had a tough bunch. ...

"Everyone wants to use the word 'culture.' I think we're at a place we've never been before as a program."

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