Sycamore’s 3 homers, Bella Jacobs’ pitching power past Huntley

SYCAMORE – Sycamore batters blasted three home runs, and Spartans junior Bella Jacobs pitched a two-hitter Friday as the squad cruised to a 10-0 nonconference win over Huntley.

Senior Brighton Snodgrass, junior Ellison Hallahan and sophomore Ema Durst all went yard for Sycamore.

Jacob struck out 10 and issued no walks in the five-inning contest for the right-hander’s fifth win of the season against no losses. Extending their winning streak to five games, the Spartans improved to 9-1.

“This was not a traditional Huntley effort that we saw out there today. We didn’t see the ball very well today in the three facets of the game – fielding, hitting and pitching. We were not executing to our fullest today,” Huntley coach Mark Petryniec said.

Sycamore baserunners scored in every inning the team batted.

The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs on a walk, two hit batters, two Huntley errors and a single.

Snodgrass started Sycamore’s side of the second by belting an 0-2 Gretchen Huber pitch over the left-field fence. Four batters later, Faith Heil extended the Spartans lead to 4-0 by doubling in Addison Armstrong.

Hallahan homered to right-center on the first pitch she saw from Huntley reliever Layla Olson leading off the third.

Sycamore put the game away in the bottom of fourth. Running for catcher Kairi Lantz, Delaney Larson scored the team’s sixth run on a Red Raiders miscue. With Riley Schuller and Hallahan on base, Durst crushed a Makayla Rasmussen offering over the left-field fence to increase the margin to 9-0.

“Thankfully, my teammates were telling me a lot of info and telling me she was going inside and low, and I really do like those pitches,” Durst said. “I was looking for that pitch, and fortunately on the third pitch she gave it to me, and I took it where it went.”

Heil’s sacrifice fly to center plated Snodgrass with the 10th run.

Huntley (8-8) did threaten in the first. With one out, Aubrina Adamik reached first on a Sycamore error and moved into scoring position after stealing second during Isabella Boskey’s at-bat. Boskey flew out to center, and Lyla Ginczycki struck out to end the threat.

“It was great to see the bats come alive. We set the tone early by being able to score in that first inning and also keeping Huntley off the board in the first inning. Bella and the defense did their part, and then we manufactured a couple of runs,” Sycamore coach Jill Carpenter said. “That just let everyone relax a little bit, and then the swings improved.”

Boskey broke up Jacobs’ no hitter in the top of the fourth with a one-out single. The senior was forced out on Ginczycki’s fielder’s choice. The Red Raiders had runners at the corners on Sadie Svendsen’s single that moved Ginczycki to third. Jacobs struck out Grace Benson to end the inning.

Jacobs, who struck out the side in both the second and fifth innings, said her riseball worked well.

Sycamore has applied lessons learned from its lone loss, a 12-2 decision to Marengo last Friday.

“We’re doing amazing. We had a loss against a really good Marengo team, and I think that kind of really set the standard for us,” Jacobs said. “We went over what we did wrong in that game, and we’re working on not doing those things, and we are getting better.”

Petryniec agreed the Spartans were focused.

“Sycamore did exactly what they needed to do today,” Petryniec said. “Hats off to them, they are a fundamentally sound team. We knew what they were coming in, and we knew we’re going to see a really good pitcher and some good hitting.”