Jacobs offense breaks loose vs. McHenry
The Jacobs offense was clicking on all cylinders Friday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles pounded out 15 hits off two McHenry pitchers and rolled to a 16-4 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division softball win at Jacobs' wind-swept field in Algonquin.
Junior leadoff hitter Jenna Teson was 2-for-2, reached base all four times and had a triple and an RBI, Amber Livingston was 3-for-3 and Kelsey Peterson launched a 2-run home run off the top of the center field fence to lead the Golden Eagles (6-3, 3-1).
"We've got a pretty good top of the order and we're starting to develop some players at the 6-7-8 positions," said Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer. "We're starting to come together and see where people are most comfortable and the most productive."
Bauer's club was plenty productive in the bottom of the first inning, scoring 5 runs off McHenry starter Sara Wegner, who walked Teson and Sara Jacobsen to start the inning. Kara Arceneaux (2-for-3) drove in Teson with a single, and from there Jacobs added four more runs in a variety of ways. McHenry (5-5, 1-3) committed 3 errors in the inning and Brooke Fredericksen contributed an RBI single.
McHenry scored in the top of the second when Megan Gier doubled and went to third and home on illegal pitch calls against Jacobs' Marissa Lombardo. But Lombardo adjusted and wasn't called illegal the rest of the day. She finished the five-inning game allowing 7 hits with 9 strikeouts and 4 walks. All 4 runs were earned.
"That gave us a little bit of a comfort zone," said Bauer of the 5-run first. "That allowed Marissa to get comfortable. She got a little too comfortable at times but I think the wind hurt her location some today. Overall, she pitched a good game."
The Eagles added 3 runs in the third. Teson led off with a triple to right field and scored on Jacobsen's groundout to second. Arceneaux then tripled to right and scored on Peterson's bomb off the top of the fence in center.
Jacobs them put the game away in the bottom of the fourth, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring another 5-spot. Fredericksen and Livingston, the 7-8 hitters, opened the inning with hits and Natalie Chapa reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Teson, Megan Harvey and Arceneaux then drew bases-loaded walks, Peterson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and No. 6 hitter Nicky Chady drove in Jacobs' final run with another sacrifice fly.
McHenry tried to catch up enough to avoid the slaughter rule but Lombardo got the Warriors' No. 9 hitter to ground out with the bases loaded to end the game.
Jacobs will host South Elgin in a single game at 10 a.m. today.