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When senior center fielder Tommy Atkinson chased down a fly ball and made a running catch to end the sixth inning Tuesday, he not only preserved a big lead for St. Rita.
He also denied an RBI chance for younger brother Sammy, a freshman designated hitter for Providence who hit the ball and stranded two runners on base.
“It felt good to catch it,” Tommy said. “(Monday) night, I was thinking about something like that happening, so it was cool that it happened.
“It felt good to get to play against him. When I found out he was in the starting lineup, I was pretty excited. It’s a little weird seeing him on the other side, but it’s fun.”
Tommy Atkinson earned sibling bragging rights — at least for now.
On top of his strong defense, Atkinson added an RBI single to help visiting St. Rita roll to a 7-1 victory over the Celtics in both teams’ Catholic League Blue opener in New Lenox.
Louie Sisto was terrific on the mound for the Mustangs (13-3, 5-0), allowing one earned run on six hits over six innings for the win. He struck out nine and did not issue a walk.
Ryder Johnson went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs and an RBI for St. Rita, while Illinois State recruit Sir Jamison Jones finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double.
Jackson Smith was 2-for-3 with a run and Wisconsin-Parkside recruit Jude Allen ended up 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI single for Providence (12-2, 4-1).
Tommy Atkinson, a Heartland Community College recruit, was thrilled to see his team come through and give him something to hold over his little brother.
At least until Thursday’s rematch.
“We’ve been talking some smack at home,” Tommy said. “It’s good to get the first one.”
Even though Tommy and his older brother, Bobby, chose to play baseball at St. Rita, Sammy picked a different route.
“There were a lot of reasons that I came to Providence,” Sammy said. “I love (St. Rita coach John Nee), but I felt like Providence was the right place for me. I needed to break off on my own path.”
Nee, meanwhile, is sure glad to have Tommy Atkinson back after he missed most of last season with an injury.
“He’s the heart and soul of our baseball team,” Nee said. “With him, it’s more about the intangible stuff than the physical stuff. He’s our guy.
“He makes the engine go. He’s the straw the stirs the drink. He was that last year, and that’s why we struggled without him.”
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Johnson also is confident with Atkinson in the No. 3 spot in St. Rita’s order.
“It’s a huge difference having Tommy back,” Johnson said. “He’s a stud all around. He can make diving plays in the outfield. Being at the top, I know I have to get on base because 11 times out of 10, he’ll drive me in.”
Providence came into the game red-hot offensively after Saturday’s 28-17 win over Lockport, but Sisto was not intimidated.
“We just planned on pounding the zone, letting my defense do the work behind me,” he said. “It was a team win. I think as long as I can throw strikes and let the defense make plays, we’ve got as good of an offense as anyone in the state.”
Sammy Atkinson, meanwhile, said it was a cool experience squaring off with Tommy. But he wants a different result next time.
“It was fun,” Sammy said. “There was obviously some hype coming up to it and we couldn’t quite get it done in the end. But we’ve still got Thursday to come back at him.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
