Charlie Taczy’s gem leads Cary-Grove past Prairie Ridge

GRAYSLAKE – Cary-Grove senior Charlie Taczy didn’t fare too well the first time he faced Fox Valley Conference rival Prairie Ridge this season.

During the late April contest, the University of Illinois-Chicago commit allowed five runs, six hits and four walks in four innings of a no-decision.

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon’s Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional semifinal, where Taczy once again faced the daunting task of finding a way to stifle the No. 1-seeded Wolves’ potent lineup, which was averaging 6.6 runs a game.

This time, he was magnificent.

Taczy notched a complete-game, 4-1 victory, allowing just one run on five hits, sending the No. 4-seeded Trojans (20-12) to Saturday’s 11 a.m. sectional title game against either Crystal Lake South or St. Viator.

The lone run Taczy yielded came in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI groundout off the bat off Prairie Ridge left fielder Connor Innis. He struck out five hitters while walking two and faced four or fewer batters in every inning except the fourth, when he faced five.

Although he did make things interesting by allowing the Wolves (26-10-1) to bring the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh, when he walked the Wolves’ Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, before ending the self-induced drama with a groundout.

“I was a little bit nervous there at the end, which I’m sure you saw when I walked those guys,” Taczy said. “That last out is always the hardest one to get it seems like. But I’ll take it. Survive and advance, that’s all we’re thinking about right now.

“That’s one heck of a lineup over there. I play summer ball with a bunch of those guys, and they’re just ballplayers. They’re grinders. There are no easy outs in that lineup.”

Those adjustments are something coach Kyle Williams applauded him for.

“I think that the type of player he is, being someone who learns and grows from difficult situations. ... It’s almost as if it was a good thing he had that experience against them earlier this spring,” Williams said. “It kind of showed him what level he needed to elevate his game to to beat a team like that. And to his absolute credit, this time he did, when it mattered most. He’s our No. 1 guy.”

The Trojans breaking a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs didn’t hurt, either.

Brock Iverson drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to second when cleanup hitter Ricky Barnes laid down one of his two successful sacrifice bunts on the day. An Oskar Freund infield single and a line drive RBI double from Francis Panko kicked off the scoring. One batter later, Evan Frangiamore’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Cary-Grove.

It was all the offense Taczy would need.

After the Wolves responded with their lone run in their half of the fourth, the Trojans tacked on two more insurance runs.

Taczy helped his own cause and reached on a bunt single to open the top of the fifth. Then leadoff hitter Jacob Duvall walked. An RBI infield single later in the inning made it 3-1 Trojans, followed by a bases-loaded, RBI hit-by-pitch from Freund, which finished the scoring.

Three of Cary-Grove’s seven hits didn’t leave the infield.

Prairie Ridge starter Owen Satterlee took the loss, tossing four strong innings while allowing two runs, three hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

The other major storyline was Wolves coach Glen Pecoraro, who appears to have coached his final high school game for Prairie Ridge, as he previously announced he would retire at the end of this season.

But he also didn’t leave that door fully closed. He has been a baseball coach for the Wolves for 25 seasons.

“You know, in a few years, you just never know,” Pecoraro said. “I could see myself returning or popping up somewhere eventually. But for right now, I just wanted to go out the right way here at Prairie Ridge. I wanted to finish my career here with a great group of kids who played the game the right way, and a group that always gave themselves a chance to win.”

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Cary-Grove’s Charlie Taczy throws a pitch during the IHSA Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional semifinal baseball game against Prairie Ridge on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at Grayslake Central High School. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver )

Wednesday’s loss was only the second time since April 1 Pecoraro’s team lost a game by more than two runs. The Wolves will lose 12 seniors to graduation.

“I am going to miss this particular group of seniors. They were special,” Pecoraro said. “They spent so much time getting better this past offseason. Hitting the weight room endlessly. Hustling in practice. Lifting their teammates up. I couldn’t have asked for a better group for my final season.”

The respect in the opposing dugout was enormous, as well.

“I just want it to be abundantly clear how much respect I have for Glen and for those kids,” Williams said. “That team was a state title contender, and we just happened to be at our best today when we needed it most. ... It’s been a blessing getting to coach against that team and against Glen, who I grew up watching.”