Opportunistic Jacobs gains win over D-C

The 27 District 300 faculty members honored by the Jacobs baseball team before Monday's second-annual Faculty Appreciation game had to admire the effort their pupils put forth in a 3-1 Division victory against visiting Dundee-Crown.

The Golden Eagles (11-17, 3-5) made the Chargers (4-18, 1-7) pay for errors to open the first and third innings by plating each runner without benefit of a hit, and Ricky Ames (7 IP, 5 hits, 1 walk) out-dueled Brendon Schumacher (6IP, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts) to snap Jacobs' three-game losing streak in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference.

"It was good to get a win in front of the teachers," said Jacobs senior catcher Patton Hofer. "It meant a lot to them and it meant a lot to us, especially since it was D-C, too. They owned us in basketball, so it was just good to get a win."

Hofer epitomized the fine glovework by the Golden Eagles. He threw behind a D-C baserunner at first base for a pick off in the second inning, and he made a juggling catch of a foul pop at the fence in the seventh. Jacobs also benefited from a diving catch by right fielder Josh Kranz to end the second and played errorless ball until the seventh, when D-C mounted its best threat of the afternoon.

One out from victory, Ames issued his only walk of the game to D-C junior Nick Torres. Pinch hitter Ethan Finn then reached on an error at third base and Zach Vodicka ripped a single off the third baseman's glove to load the bases.

"I was like OK, we just have to buckle down, closest base, let's just get them out," said Ames (3-4). "Especially since this was at home and it was teacher appreciation day. We had to show the fans what we're made of."

The senior left-hander then induced a popup to shortstop off the fists of D-C's No. 9 hitter to seal the win.

The Chargers' defensive lapses proved to be the difference. Besides the 2 errors that resulted in runs, they failed to throw out a runner at home in the third inning on a tailor-made grounder to third base, and Jacobs junior Anthony Virgilio caught the Chargers napping on an infield single off the bat of Kevin Olson in the sixth. Virgilio scored all the way from second on the play to make it 3-1.

"It turned out probably to be the difference in the game," D-C coach Jon Sawyer said of the errors and mental mistakes. "The failure to communicate and failure to make some simple plays can cost you in a 3-1 game."

Dundee-Crown's only run came in the fourth inning, courtesy of a solo home run to left center by senior Chris Leifel.