Prep Report: Jacobs hammers Island Coast 13-3
The team from Algonquin, Ill., in suburban Chicago made the most of their final game in Southwest Florida Friday night.
The H.D. Jacobs Golden Eagles hammered the ball from start to finish and concluded their five-game trip with an impressive 13-3 victory over the Island Coast Gators.
Their 17-hit attack started quickly when Johnny Amann blasted a solo home run in the first inning and they finished with six extra-base hits. The Gators used three different pitchers, but were unable to slow down the Golden Eagles.
“I’m not sure what happened the rest of the week, but their bats were alive tonight,” Gators coach Clint Montgomery said. “They were stinging the baseball.”
Jacobs, which finished as a regional finalist last season in Illinois, is just beginning its season.
They had mixed results, defeating Island Coast and Cape Coral (14-5) while losing to Gulf Coast (9-8), Mariner (3-0) and North Fort Myers (18-8). Playing games was the Eagles’ primary goal.
“Last year we had our first three weeks of the season postponed due to weather,” Jacobs coach Eric Sanders said. “It was just what we were looking for. The exposure and experience is helpful and we played some competitive games.”
Their strong start Friday put the Gators in a 4-0 hole. The Gators rallied, though, in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the lead to one.
Sophomore Taylor Renegar walked to start the inning and sophomore Jordan Moody followed with a sharp single to left field. The ball went under the glove of the left fielder, allowing Renegar to score from first. Moody came home on a wild pitch, and the Gators picked up another run when freshman Pablo Matos delivered a two-out single, scoring Nelson Candelario.
The Gators had one extra-base hit, a double by sophomore Kyle Harding in the second, and sophomore Josh Guffey added a sharp single in the fourth.
They also made some sparkling defensive plays. In the third, Candelario fielded a grounder and threw to first for one out and Harding fired to the catcher Randy Petito, completing an inning-ending double play.
Guffey, the second baseman, made a leaping catch off a line drive to end the fourth inning.
The Gators’ biggest problem continued to be the Eagles’ hot bats. After the Gators trimmed the deficit, the Eagles regained command thanks to a four-run fifth. Josh Kranz keyed that inning with a two-run triple.
The Gators (8-8) host North Port Wednesday.
H.D. Jacobs 121 041 4 – 13 17 0
Island Coast 000 300 0 – 3 4 1
W – Mertins. L – Jordan Moody.
2B – Leasure (HD), Vogtsek (HD), Amann (HD), Schmidt (HD), Kyle Harding (IC). 3B – Kranz (HD). HR – Amann (HD).
Mariner 11, Gulf Coast 3: A tight extra-inning battle turned into a convincing win for the visiting Tritons thanks to an eight-run eighth-inning rally.
The Tritons (12-1, 6-1) moved into a tie for first-place in District 5A-15, but own the potential tiebreakers over Gulf Coast (8-6, 5-1) and Barron Collier (9-6, 6-1).
The Tritons host Lehigh Tuesday.
Mariner 003 000 08 – 11 7 2
Gulf Coast 102 000 00 – 3 5 1
W – Ryan Patton (4-1). L – Lindheim
2B – Anthony Santo (M), Angel Laborde (M), Dahn (GC), McCormick (GC). 3B – Dahn (GC). HR – Daniel Alimonti (M).
Cardinal Mooney 5, Bishop Verot 4: Bobby Borchering launched a pair of solo homers, but the Vikings fell a run short against Cardinal Mooney.
The Vikings (5-10) visit Dunbar Tuesday.
C.Mooney 102 010 1 – 5 7 2
B. Verot 000 102 1 – 4 5 2
W – Heller. L – Santospirito.
3B – Conforti (CM). HR – Borchering 2 (BV).
Softball
Mariner 6, South Fort Myers 0: Sophomore Carrie Grigiski pitched a five-hit shutout and the Tritons opened with a victory in the Tarpon Classic.
The Tritons (8-5) play two games Saturday, against Charlotte and Port Charlotte, respectively.
South FM 000 000 0 – 0 5 2
Mariner 022 020 x – 6 11 3
W – Carrie Grigiski. L – E. Detzel.
2B – H. Detzel (S)
Bishop Verot 12, Golden Gate 2: Talia Baracco and Lauren Blasingim had doubles, highlighting the Vikings’ five-inning win over Golden Gate.
The Vikings (14-4) host Dunbar Tuesday.