Cary-Grove hangs on to drop Grant
Cary-Grove baseball coach Don Sutherland knows anything can happen in a 4 run game.
Sutherland didn't relax when Cary-Grove took a 4-1 lead against Grant in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Prairie Ridge regional. He was even more on edge when the Bulldogs scored 2 runs in the fifth inning to make it a 4-3 ballgame.
"Anything can happen in a four-run game and more things can happen in a one-run game," Sutherland said.
What happened was a brilliant double play kicked off by Cary-Grove shortstop Chris Waylock, and 2 hitless innings from pitcher Corey Bruns as the Trojans held on for a 4-3 victory over Grant (16-15-1). Cary-Grove awaits the winner of today's matchup against host Prairie Ridge and McHenry in Saturday's 3:30 p.m. regional championship. A regional title would be the first for the Trojans since 2006.
The Trojans are hoping for some of their late game efforts - in particular Waylock's double play - to carry over on Saturday.
"It stopped the bleeding," said Bruns, who improved to 8-3 on the season after allowing just 1 earned run on 4 hits. "Every time they hit a groundball, I felt pretty confident."
Grant marked its comeback after A.J. Spohr doubled to advance Nick Guenther to third. The Trojans' lone error allowed both Spohr and Guenther to score, cutting Cary-Grove's lead to 4-3 with no outs in the fifth. Peter Tragos, who advanced to second on the error, made it to third before leadoff batter Jimmy Cokefair hit the ball to Waylock. The junior got a force out on Kyle Hunter, who walked, and threw Cokefair out at first.
"It wasn't even that we got an out, it was that he made a double play out of it," Grant coach Mike Mizwicki said. "Talk about a rally killer."
Cary-Grove (27-8-1) built its 4-run cushion by the third inning. The Trojans used home runs from Eric Chandler and Matt Nelson to propel the offense.
Chandler gave Cary-Grove a 1-0 lead when he opened the bottom of the first with a home run. Nelson (2-for-3, 2 RBI) added a 2-run shot to center field in the third, scoring Waylock, who singled to reach base. Nelson's shot gave the Trojans a 4-1 advantage, with Grant's lone run coming the second.
"Chandler has been hitting the ball great all season," Bruns said. "It takes a lot of pressure off. Nelson's home run came at a great time too."
Nick Hammonds scored in the second when No. 9 hitter Mark Thomson singled him in. Thomas Gier scored for the Bulldogs in the second on an RBI ground out from Guenther.