Baseball: Guazzo's gem gives Huntley split with Jacobs
Huntley pitcher Adam Guazzo eagerly awaited his opportunity for the better part of 48 hours.
Once it arrived, the Valparaiso-bound right-hander dominated.
Guazzo struck out 12 and allowed four hits as the Red Raiders defeated Jacobs, 10-0 in six innings, in their Fox Valley Conference baseball game Monday.
The Raiders (14-2, 7-1 FVC) had an 11-game winning streak stopped by Jacobs on Saturday in a 5-1 loss against Golden Eagles' ace Nathan Chapman.
The loss did not sit well with Huntley.
"We were (ticked) off after the game," Guazzo said. "We knew what we wanted to do, just come out and play. And we did that.
"Early on, I got first-pitch strikes and kept getting ahead. I got the leadoff hitter (in the first four innings). That gets me rolling."
The Raiders also made good adjustments at the plate after striking out 10 times on Saturday (eight against Chapman and two against closer Gavin Feck).
"We tried to do too much in a big game with all the fans around," said Huntley center fielder Brayden Bakes, who leads off. "We just shortened up when we got two strikes and went opposite field."
Bakes, a lefty hitter, shot a double to left field in the first inning and scored, then ripped a three-run homer to left in the second inning.
"We challenged the kids with their two-strike approach," Raiders coach Andy Jakubowski said. "Chapman's a great arm and the kid they brought in (Feck), they both dealt. We had 10 strikeouts, so they only had to make 11 plays behind them."
Jakubowski thought lefthander C.J. Filipek's two-strike single to left leading off the second was crucial. Harout Meyer reached on an infield single, Lucas Goldstein bunted them each up one base and Bakes ripped his homer for a 4-0 lead.
"I went opposite field because the wind's blowing in from (right field), so I was trying to go to left side," Bakes said. "The wind was helping out a lot, I hit it good on the barrel and that's what happens."
The Raiders scored another run in the second after Bakes' blast, then added two in the third, one in the fourth and pinch hitter Kyle Alther's two-run single in the sixth ended the game by the 10-run rule.
Guazzo threw 81 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and did not allow a runner past second base.
"They're a big rival of ours and they took Game 1 and we had a job to do to come back and get a split," Jakubowski said. " (Guazzo) got ahead in the count all game long and challenged hitters. He's an upper 80s guy and they had a hard time hitting him today."
Jacobs (9-5, 4-3) had a double from Caden Guenther and three singles. Guazzo walked only one batter.
"Credit 100% to Huntley, they came to play. Obviously, we didn't," Jacobs coach Jamie Murray said. "I told the guys before the game it's going to be tough, cold conditions. We have to win it between the ears, but credit to Andy and his guys, they bounced back.
"A lot of credit to Guaz, it just wasn't our day. He got ahead with his strikes, did a good job with his fastball and he has good secondary stuff. He located, he had confidence."