June 03, 2025
Baseball

Prep baseball: Sycamore jumps out early in win over Rockford Guilford

By TRAVIS ZUELLIG
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Monica Synett - msynett@shawmedia.com Sycamore's Brett Weaver winds up on the pitch in the fourth inning against Rockford Guilford at Sycamore Park on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Sycamore shut out Guilford, 12-0 in five innings. (Monica Synett)

SYCAMORE – At the end of the first inning, the Sycamore baseball team and its starting pitcher, Austin Jacox, seemed to be more relaxed in their opening home game of the season.

The reason for the comfortable state was because of a huge Sycamore offensive outburst in the opening inning.

All nine batters reached base in the inning, including seven straight, and the Spartans put up eight runs on Guilford. Sycamore used that lead to cruise to a 12-0 victory in five innings Thursday.

“I can’t think of the last time we scored eight runs in the first inning, but it was nice,” Spartans coach Jason Cavanaugh said. “We minimized the strikeouts. Strikeouts have been an issue for us and that is something that we really have to work on as a team.”

After Jacox struck out the side in the top half of the first, Jordan Wright doubled to start the rally for the Spartans, who improved to 2-0 on the season. Mickey Mathey followed with a bunt single, Brett Weaver was hit by a pitch and then the next six Spartans singled.

Nate Gross started the streak with a two-run single, which plated Wright and Mathey. Jacox and Reid Kozak each had RBI singles before Cameron Godinsky pushed the score to 7-0 with a two-run single. Godinsky eventually scored on a Guilford error to make the score 8-0.

“It gave me a good cushion to work off of,” Jacox said. “It was a good win. I threw strikes and just tried to get guys out — just trying to get my work in.”

Jacox came out and threw another solid two innings to earn the win. The senior struck out six Vikings, while allowing three hits and no walks in three innings. Weaver pitched a scoreless fourth before Joseph Luiz closed the contest in the fifth.

“I thought they did a good job,” Cavanaugh said. “Keep the walks down and make the other team beat you offensively. I thought all three pitchers did a good job.”

After tacking on a ninth run in the second inning on a Kozak RBI double, Weaver came to the plate with Wright and Mathey on base in the third inning. Weaver crushed a pitch over the left-field wall to complete the Spartans scoring on the day.

Wright finished the game 3 for 3 with a double and two runs scored. Godinsky, Kozak and Mathey each finished with two hits. Mathey, Weaver and Gross scored two runs apiece.

“Today, we did great,” Jacox said. “Our bats looked real good. I am excited for the season.”

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