Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | D | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)

Cary-Grove knocks off defending state champ PR.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Jerry Fitzpatrick jfitzpatrick@dailyherald.com

It took a powerful lineup to knock off a powerhouse.

The hard-hitting Cary-Grove baseball team entered SaturdayAEs Class 4A regional title game with 27 wins and the top seed, yet the Trojans didnAEt feel like favorites.

Not only was Cary-Grove tasked with beating defending state champion and No. 2 seed Prairie Ridge on its home field, where the Wolves had won 28 straight, the Trojans fell behind in the first inning when Nolan Jacoby ripped Matt NelsenAEs 0-1 fastball for a 2-run home run.

"I looked at (Nelsen) after Jacoby hit that home run, and I knew Matt wasnAEt affected it by it," Cary-Grove shortstop Chris Waylock said. "He knew we had offense and defense protecting him."

Cary-Grove simply shrugged off the early deficit and broke out the bats to win its third regional championship in six seasons.

The Trojans scored a run in the second inning, took a 4-2 lead with 3 runs in the third, immediately answered a Prairie Ridge run in the fourth and broke the game open with a 6-run sixth to win 11-5 in Crystal Lake.

The Trojans battered four pitchers from Prairie Ridge (29-8) for 13 hits, and the Wolves helped out by issuing 6 walks and committing 3 errors. Cary-Grove played spotless defense to win its first regional championship since 2006, when it advanced to a Class AA supersectional.

Cary-Grove (28-8-1) will play Huntley (30-6-1) in a DeKalb sectional semifinal on Thursday...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!