Huntley hangs on to beat Jacobs
Jacobs couldn’t quite come all the way back.
After trailing the entire game, the Golden Eagles had the tying run in scoring position in the sixth inning, but couldn’t get him home as Huntley held on for a 3-2 win in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division baseball action in Huntley Tuesday.
Huntley left-hander Jake Perkins baffled the Golden Eagles for 5 innings and Jordan Chuipek’s 2-out, 2-run single in the third gave the Red Raiders a 3-0 lead.
Jacobs finally got to Perkins in the sixth. Connor Conzelman belted a home run to deep center field with one out. Greg Sidor followed with a single and scored on Zac Camacho’s pinch-hit double. But that was as close as the Eagles could get. Perkins got the final out and Dan Lowry pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to notch the save.
“We’re about pitching and defense and obviously, offensively, we’re coming,” said Raiders coach Andy Jakubowski. “Jordan came up with the big two-out hit and did a good job of pushing us through. Perkins shut down a good-hitting Jacobs team.”
Sidor had 2 of the Golden Eagles’ 5 hits off Perkins.
“I appreciate the fight at the end,” said Jacobs coach Jamie Murray. “Camacho came up with that big hit, Connor hit a home run. So we were able to put a Band-Aid on it. But give credit to Huntley, they were able to execute better than us.”
Perkins struck out 9 and walked just 1 in his 6 innings, although he hit a couple of batters.
His defense helped him out on occasion, too. Center fielder Colin Lyman made a diving catch near the warning track to rob Max Rider of extra bases in the fifth, and the Red Raiders played errorless ball.
Jacobs starter Evan Blunk nearly matched Perkins, allowing just 4 hits and 2 earned runs in 5 innings.
Perkins hit the first batter of the game, Mark Self, but the Eagles (13-10, 8-4) couldn’t take advantage.
When Blunk hit Lyman leading off the first for Huntley, the Raiders made him pay. Lyman stole second and eventually scored on an error, giving the Raiders a lead they would never relinquish.