Huntley takes win from Cary-Grove

The Huntley baseball team’s 3-1 victory Tuesday over visiting Cary-Grove was just the tonic the up-and-down Red Raiders were seeking and exactly the last thing the Trojans needed.

Cary-Grove began the day tied in the loss column atop the Fox Valley Conference’s Valley Division with Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge, but its inability to solve Huntley right-hander Bryan Doherty coupled with a crucial fielding mistake in Huntley’s 3-run third inning left the Trojans looking up in the standings at the Gators and Wolves at day’s end.

“We didn’t play very good defense, we didn’t run the bases well and we didn’t bat very well,” Cary-Grove coach Don Sutherland said. “You don’t win too many games if you’re bad in those categories.”

The loss dropped Cary-Grove (17-9, 11-3) to third place in the tightly grouped Valley Division standings. Crystal Lake South (22-7, 13-2) defeated Dundee-Crown 17-7 Tuesday to remain a full game ahead of Prairie Ridge (19-9, 11-2), which rallied to beat Jacobs 2-1.

Doherty (5-2) gave up a first-inning run when Cary-Grove’s Matt Byrne walked and later scored on a double steal with two outs and a 1-2 count. He then foreshadowed innings to come by stranding the other baserunner in scoring position via a strikeout to maintain the 1-0 deficit.

The right-hander went on to strand 5 more baserunners in scoring position over the next three innings. With a pair of runners on base in both the second and third innings, Doherty struck out the next two Trojans each time to escape jams. He walked the first two batters he faced in the fourth inning before calmly notching 2 more strikeouts and inducing a flyball to center field to end the threat.

“I didn’t have my A-plus stuff, but I pitched through it,” said Doherty, who walked 4 but struck out 10 in 6 innings. “I pitched to contact and let my defense do the rest for me. It was a big win for us. If we keep it rolling, we should be pretty good by the time the playoffs start.”

Huntley (16-13, 8-7) took the lead for good in the third inning. Cary-Grove starting pitcher Matt Dunlap (3-3) allowed only 2 hits, but he issued a leadoff walk to No. 9 hitter Tyler Mindak that proved costly.

Louisville-bound junior Colin Lyman followed with a bunt. Not only did the speedster beat the play for a hit, Dunlap’s high throw to first base sailed high and down the right-field line for an error, allowing courtesy runner Jake Wagner to score all the way from first base to tie the game 1-1.

Lyman, who has been clocked from home to first base as fast as 3.65 seconds, wound up at third.

“We were just looking to move the runner over, but I was looking to (bunt for) a hit on the first pitch,” Lyman said. “They made a mistake and threw it away, so we got lucky and scored some runs.”

“If we’d gotten that bunt it definitely would have ended up differently, I think,” said Dunlap, who allowed just 2 hits in 6 innings with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. “It just slipped out of my hand, and that’s all it takes to blow a lead.”

Nick Corpolongo followed with a single through the right side of the Cary-Grove infield to drive in Lyman and make it a 2-1 game. Corpolongo staked Huntley to a 3-1 lead by scampering home on a passed ball with two outs.

Meanwhile, Doherty retired 9 straight Trojans until he walked pinch hitter Dean Lee to start the top of the seventh. Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski summoned closer Jake Perkins, who sealed his fourth save by striking out Matt Byrne and inducing flyballs from Jeremy Vasquez and Zach Marszal.

“Coach preaches first-pitch strikes, so I try to throw as many as possible and help my team out,” Perkins said. “Doherty pitched a great game, and our offense picked us up. Anytime you can get a win it’s awesome.”