Baseball: Huntley knocks off Jacobs again
Noah Konie was looking for a fastball. He got what he wanted, and game over.
Konie's RBI single in the ninth inning scored Ryan McGran to lift Huntley to a 6-5 win over Jacobs in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division baseball action in Huntley Saturday.
"I was looking for a fastball," said Konie. "I knew I hit it well. It is amazing to beat Jacobs two games in a row. This is an amazing team that has great heart."
The Red Raiders did all their damage off losing pitcher Casey Dennison with 2 outs in the ninth.
McGran doubled to set up Konie's game-winning heroics.
'I knew I had to get a good lead and make sure I scored if Noah got a hit," said McGran. "(Jacobs outfielder Mike) Addante has a gun so I knew I had to run as fast I possibly could."
Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski praised Konie, McGran and his entire team after the exciting win.
"Noah had a good approach at the plate all day and Ryan did a great job of running the bases," said Jakubowski. "I am very pleased with the way we have played the last two days. We brought the intensity both days and today we turned around some early mistakes and came up with a great win."
Jacobs coach Jamie Murray took the loss in stride.
"This is life in the Fox Valley Conference, which is one of the most competitive conferences in the state," said Murray. "Huntley is a well-coached team that played very well over the last two days. The season is a process. I want to make sure when we play our first regional game we are ready to go. We have a veteran team that is competitive. I am sure they will handle this adversity."
Jacobs (12-5, 5-2) seemed to be in control of the game with 2 runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Addante and a run-scoring single by Stevie Krueger to take a 5-2 advantage.
The Red Raiders (12-7, 5-3) started the rally with a run in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Charlie Nugent and tied the game at 5 in the fifth on a 2-RBI single by Trevor Ranallo.
Cameron Reed, in relief, picked up the win for the Red Raiders.