Homer by freshman Healy lifts Jacobs by Huntley

Kerri Healy isn't your ordinary freshman softball player.

The poised first-year player for Jacobs crushed a 2-run homer over the left-center field fence with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Golden Eagles an exciting 5-4 win over Huntley in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action in Algonquin Wednesday.

"I was looking fastball and got it right over the plate," said Healy. "I had a good swing and knew it was gone."

With two outs Emily Borg, who previously smashed a 2-run homer, walked to set up Healy's heroics.

"We had a hunch Huntley might pitch around Emily after her homer," said Jacobs coach Katie O'Brien. "I was certainly fine with Kerri at the plate in that situation. She is a clutch player for a freshman. Kerri will do anything to help us win. This was a good high school softball game."

Jacobs' Teaghan Richman and Huntley's Kateri Conklin hooked up in a pitchers duel for 4 innings as neither team could dent the scoreboard.

The visiting Red Raiders (11-3, 1-2) scored first in the fifth as pinch-hitter Caitlin Brown deposited an RBI double to give Huntley a 1-0 lead.

Jacobs (8-11, 2-2) roughed up Conklin in the bottom of the inning on a 3-run homer from Borg to take a 3-1 advantage.

In the top of the sixth, the Red Raiders' offense went to work scoring 3 runs to take a 4-3 lead. The key hits were an RBI single from Jessica Shields, an RBI double by Megan Larson and an RBI groundout by Megan Baczewski.

The Red Raiders had a golden opportunity to add an insurance run in the seventh.

Conklin and Tiffany Giese led off the inning with singles off Richman to put runners on first and second with nobody out but the Red Raiders were unable to score.

Huntley, which scored 4 runs on 9 hits, left 7 runners on base.

"We just couldn't execute in crucial situations and left too many runners in scoring position," said Huntley coach Mark Petryniec. "Kateri pitched great. Hats off to Jacobs; they came up with the big hits when they needed them."

Huntley wasted a 3-for-3 effort by Larson, who delivered an RBI double and scored a run.

Jacobs, which scored all 5 of its runs on homers, was led by Healy, who had 2 hits with 2 RBI and a run scored.