Starting, relieving and showing off her power, Jacobs’ Skylee Ferrante delivered every way in Monday’s season opener against Marengo.

After being taken out of the game as the starting pitcher in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Golden Eagles sophomore righty re-entered in the sixth with her team in need of just a little more.

Ferrante, batting ninth in the order, belted a loud three-run home run in her team’s half of the sixth - her first career high school homer - and she finished off the Indians with a strikeout for the game’s final out of a 12-10 win in Marengo.

In all, Ferrante allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in six innings of work. She struck out 10 and walked one on 116 pitches (79 for strikes).

Jacobs coach Jessica Turner knows Ferrante won’t back down a challenge.

“Just putting our trust into Skylee, she’s someone we can count on,” Turner said. “She started that game, and yeah she gave up some runs here and there, but we had to go back to her. She took the ball and knew, ‘Hey, my teammates need me.’

“She’s an underclassman, but she carries herself really well.”

Ferrante allowed back-to-back homers to Gabby Christopher and Gianna Iovinelli in the first, but went on to retire 11 of the next 15 batters. The only Indians’ hitters to reach base during that span was on two singles, a walk and an error.

Ferrante’s teammates have come to expect that from her.

“Skylee, she just brings energy and that emotion, especially when she’s pitching,” said junior shortstop Talia Di Silvio, who was 3 for 5 with a home run, double, two runs and two RBIs. “We know that she has our back, and she knows she can trust us in the infield.

“I think that just builds her confidence.”

Ferrante’s three-run homer in the sixth gave Jacobs (1-0) a 10-5 lead. The Eagles added another run to go up 11-5 on an RBI single from Di Silvio after leadoff hitter Olivia Fillipp (2 for 5, double, RBI) smacked a triple to left field.

The first four batters for the Indians (0-1) reached base in the bottom of the sixth against sophomore pitcher Emily Popilek, who got the final three outs of the fifth after relieving Ferrante.

Ferrante, after coming back in, allowed just one unearned run in her final two innings, striking out three, including the final batter with the tying run at the plate.

“I was definitely feeling good about it,” Ferrante said about pitching the final two innings. “I really just want to build my endurance for pitching and for hitting, too.”

Jacobs and Marengo combined for 27 hits, including six homers. Senior shortstop Gabby Christopher, who two years ago set the McHenry County single-season home run record with 20, hit two homers for the Indians and drove in three runs with three runs scored.

For Jacobs, Popilek (2 for 4, two runs, three RBIs) joined Ferrante and Di Silvio with homers, connecting on a three-run shot in the third inning that gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead at the time.

“I was very, very happy with our offense today,” Turner said. “Collectively, one through nine, everyone stepped up in different ways. That was really good to see, especially Game 1.”

Molly Hoch added two hits and an RBI for Jacobs, and Avery St. Leger was 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

Marengo scored three runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to put pressure on Jacobs late. Iovinelli (2 for 5, double) scored three runs and drove in a pair of runs, Mia Miceli was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Abby Balmes collected three hits, including a double.

Ellie White (3 for 5, two runs), who went all seven innings for Marengo with four strikeouts and 13 hits allowed, led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield hit but never got past second base.

“I thought we did pretty good making adjustments, and we just kept on battling,” Marengo coach Dwain Nance said. “Problem is they just kept on hitting, too. We put ourselves in a position, runner on first no outs in the seventh with 2-3-4 up. I’ll take our 2-3-4 hitters (Christopher, Iovinelli, Ari Rodriguez) all day long. We didn’t come through tonight, but I bet you we will the next time we come into that situation.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2026/03/10/jacobs-sophomore-skylee-ferrante-delivers-in-season-opening-win-over-marengo/