Woodstock ends Jacobs' season

Brown is normally Jacobs' color but it wasn't on Thursday.

Derrick Brown ended the Golden Eagles' season pitching Woodstock to a 2-1 victory in the semifinals of the Class 4A Huntley baseball regional. Brown out-dueled fellow left-hander Rick Ames, who settled down after giving up a pair of first-inning runs.

The Blue Streaks (15-21) will face Huntley for the regional title at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The only offense the Eagles (15-21) could muster was Mike Run's solo shot to straight away center in the fourth inning.

John Amman and Jake Vojtsek each had 2 hits for Jacobs.

Jacobs twice put runners at second and third with one out, but Brown worked out of the jam each time. Brown relied heavily on his curveball, which he threw consistenly for strikes and wasn't afraid to use at any point in the count.

In the third, Vojtsek and Amman singled and Anthony Virgilio sacrificed them to second and third. Brown then struck out Josh Kranz. The ball squirted past catcher Sean Hovlid but Hovlid's toss to Brown cut down Vojtsek trying to score. Brown then retired Mark Self to end the threat.

In the fifth, Vojtsek and Amman again reached base. Virgillio forced Aman and then stole second. But Brown retired the next two hitters.

"We were just looking for an opportunity in some of the situations we were in," said Jacobs coach Eric Sanders. "In a couple of situations if we would have just put a bat on the ball it would have made a big difference."

Brown's double, sandwiched between two walks, was the big hit in Woodstock's 2-run first inning. Mike Kremske's sacrifice fly scored one run before Tyler Weiss singled in Brown.

Ames and reliever Nick Panvino held the Blue Streaks to four harmless singles the rest of the way.