Jacobs’ second comeback bests Crystal Lake South
One comeback wasn’t enough, so the suddenly hot Jacobs baseball team pulled off two in an emotion-packed 5-4 victory over visiting Crystal Lake South Thursday.
The Golden Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings only to see the Gators retake the lead on Max Meitzler’s 2-run double in the top of the sixth.
Jacobs responded a second time with 2 runs in its half of the sixth. Senior Dillon O’Toole singled up the middle to score Zac Camacho with one out. After O’Toole stole second one out later, sophomore Kenny Finn singled him home to put Jacobs ahead for good.
Jacobs reliever Brett Kale (3-2), who allowed the 2-run double by Meitzler, made the 1-run lead stand up this time by retiring CL South’s Nos. 2-3-4 hitters in order in the seventh. He induced a line drive to right field off the bat of Chris Hauser, a one-hopper back to the mound from Nick Martin and he struck out Robbie Lemke on a high fastball to end the game.
Immediately after the 2-game sweep was complete, Kale pumped his fist and let out a triumphant scream, unleashing the pent-up emotion of a tense Fox Valley Conference game.
It was the same emotion shown twice earlier by O’Toole, who demonstrated how much the game meant to him in the fourth inning when he yelled “C’mon” to encourage his teammates as he jogged to first base after being beaned by a pitch.
“He’s definitely the loudest kid on the team,” Finn said of O’Toole. “He definitely wants to win. I think he’s one of the greatest competitors on the team, always looking to get that second base. This whole team is emotional and everything comes out as soon as we start winning ballgames.”
The Golden Eagles have reason to be excited. The win evened Jacobs’ record in FVC contests at 7-7 after a 2-7 start. They’ve won 6 of their last 8 to raise their overall record to 9-12.
“Best 9-12 team in the state,” O’Toole said confidently. “Guys are starting to play together. I like the way this team is going. I guess it took a little bit of the beating we took earlier in the season to get to this point, but I’m glad we’re here. I think from now on we’re going to be a surprise.”
Nick Martin (4-2) took the loss for the Gators (14-7, 10-6), who dropped their third straight game. He pitched 6 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits. His teammates failed to stake Martin to a larger lead in the third inning when they loaded the bases with one out but did not score. The Gators also had a runner at second base with one out in the fourth inning but failed to cash in.
“If you want to win the game, you have to get a basehit in that situation,” CL South coach Brian Bogda said. “You can’t leave three runners on base with one out. We didn’t do it today. We had some clutch hitting, but their pitcher, (Joe) Ross, kept us off-balance and did a nice job. That’s why they won.”
Ross started and took a no-decision for Jacobs. The lefty allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, struck out seven and walked two.