Sycamore Sycos win Storm Dayz title for 2nd year in a row

SYCAMORE – Almost a year after the Sycamore Sycos 16U team won the travel program’s first Storm Dayz title, the Sycos 15U team brought home another – playing up an age group and winning the 16U bracket Sunday at the Sycamore Park District Fields.

Powered by stout defense and stingy pitching, the Sycos went 5-1 over the weekend, culminating in a 6-0 shutout against Select Fastpitch in six innings to claim the title.

“I feel as though our whole team worked this weekend, and I’m just really proud of us and how we did,” pitcher Makayla Jonutz said. “I couldn’t ask for any better than how we did.”

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Kishwaukee Valley Storm players cheer on their teammates Friday, June 27, 2025, during their 16u game against Northern Ice in the Storm Days tournament at the Sycamore Community Sports Complex. (Mark Busch)

This year’s tournament, hosted annually by the Kishwaukee Valley Storm travel program, marked the event’s 25th year.

The Sycos opened the weekend with a 6-3 loss to the Aurora-based Fastpitch before winning their next three games Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, the Sycos faced Fastpitch in both games and trailed 4-0 in the first game after four innings. But soon after, the Sycos scored six unanswered runs – five in the fifth inning alone – to secure the come-from-behind victory.

Gianna Lovegren and Kennedy Latimer each drove in runs before pitcher Jasmine Rodriguez blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence, tying the game at 4.

“It was a team win that game, and the home run, it just felt really good to help the team get the lead,” Rodriguez said. “Coach David [Harbecke] told me, ‘I want you to tie this game up right now,’ so I did.”

The Sycos climbed in front two at-bats later with a Jonutz line drive into left field to bring home the go-ahead run. Adelyn Harbecke later tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh with an RBI single.

After Fastpitch defeated the Kishwaukee Valley Storm 7-5 in the consolation final, the Sycos and Fastpitch returned to the diamond for the 16U championship, where the Sycos took quick advantage of their opponents’ fatigue.

“Since we won our first bracket against them, we were a little more rested, and they were running out of gas,” head coach David Harbecke said. “I think we just wanted it more. The first time we saw them, we saw their best pitcher – she didn’t throw this game – and they just jumped on it early. It’s all history after that.”

The Sycos quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead after scoring four runs with no outs in the top of the first inning. Rodriguez first hit a two-RBI single before Jonutz and Adelyn Harbecke each brought home a run. The sister duo of Adelyn and Leah Harbecke later added two insurance runs in the sixth inning – the former scoring off a wild pitch.

Jonutz recorded a 53-pitch shutout, striking out three while allowing six hits. She also didn’t give up any walks.

While the championship marks another milestone for the Sycos program as a whole, David Harbecke said it’s also a significant win for a team that struggled to find them not long ago.

“They came here in 10U and didn’t win many games, and they’ve come a long way since then,” Harbecke said. “There’s a lot of team win all the way around. They did great.”