Baseball: Jacobs nips St. Charles East

It had the makings of another here-we-go-again ending for the slumping Jacobs baseball team.

Instead, the Golden Eagles finished Monday's 4-3 nonconference home win over St. Charles East pumping their fists as if to say "Here we go."

Losers of 3 straight games and 7 of their last 9, Jacobs (14-8) regained the lead in the fifth inning and fended off a challenge in the seventh to halt the Saints' 6-game winning streak.

"I'm proud of our guys," Jacobs coach Jamie Murray said. "It's a new day, a new week."

The score was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Jacobs No. 6 hitter Tim Randl singled with two outs against St. Charles East starting pitcher Steve Podany (3-2). The senior stole second and scored on catcher Danny Salomon's single to center field to put the Golden Eagles ahead by a run.

St. Charles East (15-7) threatened in the seventh. Senior Marty Carbonell drew a leadoff walk from Jacobs starting pitcher Brad Demkovich (4-0), who last week notched a win over defending state champion Providence.

Jacobs coach Jamie Murray turned to his bullpen to preserve the win for the left-handed Demkovich, who was touched for 3 unearned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks with 1 strikeout in 6 innings.

In came junior Dylan Cummings, seeking his first varsity save. The right-hander retired the next St. Charles East hitter on a fouled bunt attempt with 2 strikes, but junior Joey Sciarrino tightened the vise with a basehit to center field. Both runners advanced on a groundout by pinch hitter Nick Klebosits, which brought senior Corbin Marucco to the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.

Marucco hit a roller toward Jacobs shortstop Nate Meland that lost speed in the lush infield grass, but Meland's game-ending throw to first nipped the runner by a fraction, according to the umpire.

"We've been bobbling balls left and right so getting that final out really helps our morale," Cummings said. "We've been on a little bit of a cold streak so, hopefully, this helps us in the future."

St. Charles East managed 5 hits, led by Sciarrino's 2-for-2 performance, which included a walk and a run.

A third-inning Saints error proved costly. The Golden Eagles had already taken a 2-1 lead on No. 9 hitter Kraeton Moll's squeeze bunt. Moll later scored on a throwing error to make it 3-1 after the Saints failed to complete a 5-2-3 double play attempt.

"We missed a little bit on our execution on a few things and it came back and got us, like getting that double play on third to home to first, but I thought our guys did some really nice things out there," St. Charles East coach Len Asquini said. "Stevie pitched very well against a team we know is a really good hitting team."

Podany allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks and struck out a pair in 5 innings. Junior Keegan Kochis pitched a scoreless sixth.

Moll and Nebraska-bound leadoff man Mike Addante joined Salomon with 2 hits apiece for Jacobs, which breathed a sigh of relief after getting back into the win column.

"Coach told us baseball is all about failure," Salomon said. "You've got to get over it. That's exactly what we did."