Panvino, Jacobs battle back to top Cary-Grove
The Cary-Grove baseball team had multiple opportunities to build on its 3-0 lead but couldn't knock in extra runs, and Jacobs came back to knock the Trojans out.
Jacobs pitcher Nick Panvino (3-1) allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits through 4 innings of the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division opener for both teams in Algonquin on Saturday. However, the senior right hander kept the Trojans from putting the game out of reach by stranding 8 Cary-Grove baserunners, 7 of them in scoring position.
After a stern wake-up call from coach Eric Sanders in the fourth inning, the Golden Eagles rallied for 4 runs in their half of the fifth to take the lead against Army-bound right hander Corey Bruns. Jacobs tacked on another run in the sixth and won 5-3 behind Panvino's complete-game 8-hitter.
"They showed some guts," Sanders said of his Golden Eagles (9-12, 1-0). "We put a lot of pressure on Nick with some errors in the field and actually forced him to throw 26 more pitches than he would have otherwise. I challenged them in terms of just having some guts because they were playing a little tentative. Ultimately, they just took it to them."
Bruns (3-3) held Jacobs scoreless on 2 hits through 4 innings before he walked leadoff man Josh Kranz in the fifth. Patton Hofer then doubled down the left-field line to score Kranz all the way from first base.
Kevin Olson followed with a single and stole second to put Jacobs runners at second and third with no outs. One out later, lefty Mike Rung pulled a two-hopper under the Cary-Grove first baseman's mitt for a 2-run double that knotted the game at 3-3.
"I was just looking for the first strike I could hit," Rung said. "I put my best swing on the ball and got it down the line. We really came together in that inning."
Jacobs No. 3 hitter Johnny Amann, who left the game early with a sprained ankle sustained in a pick-off attempt at second base, re-entered and smacked a 1-0 fastball to left field to score Rung with the go-ahead run.
"No ice, I just taped it up," Amann said of his ankle. "I stayed down in the bullpen for 30-40 minutes just moving on it. I came back in, told coach I felt fine, went back in there and did a job."
Jacobs made it 5-3 in the sixth inning, when Cary-Grove shortstop Chris Waylock and reliever Brian Marquis collided while chasing a shallow pop off Olson's bat. Marquis recovered and threw to second for a force out, but Brett Kale scored from third base on the play.
Panvino and the Jacobs defense subsequently held Cary-Grove (12-6-1, 0-1) in check. Panvino stranded runners at third base in the fourth and fifth innings, and shortstop Olson turned a 6-3 double play in the seventh.
Matt Nelsen doubled with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate for the Trojans, but Panvino struck out No. 5 hitter Nick Hammonds with a changeup to end the game.
"We had a couple of opportunities to get more runs and we really needed them," Cary-Grove coach Don Sutherland said.
"Up 3-0 with five at-bats left for them is not a big enough lead. You have to continue to get runs when you have the opportunity to, and they got some key hits."