Golden Eagles have Lombardo’s back

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

CRYSTAL LAKE – Jacobs’ softball team was in jeopardy of letting one slip away after Crystal Lake South scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score.

The Golden Eagles made the most of their reprieve. They scored the necessary run for pitcher Marissa Lombardo, who finished the job in the bottom of the eighth for a 5-4 victory in their Fox Valley Conference Valley Division game Monday.

Lombardo was tough through six innings, but South scored three runs with two outs in the seventh to tie it at 4-4. Jamie Beelow, Liz Adams and Shannon McGinnis all had singles in the Gators’ rally.

Jacobs’ Nicky Chapa singled to lead off the top of the eighth and moved to second on Autumn Campbell’s sacrifice bunt attempt. Adams, the Gators’ catcher, tried to get Chapa at second, but was too late. Jackie Hengler then bunted both runners up one base, and Jenna Teson walked. Kara Arceneaux singled up the middle for the game-winning RBI.

“I was really comfortable on the mound today,” said Lombardo, who is 6-3. “I knew I had to buckle down and throw my stuff, and I knew my team would back me up, and they did.”

The win pulls Jacobs (12-9, 8-4 FVC Valley) into second place in the division after Huntley’s loss to Cary-Grove.

“We’re not going to surprise anybody with what we’ve got,” Jacobs coach Jeremy Bauer said. “Everybody knows what we feature with our No. 1 and No. 2 starters and our hitters. We just need to play softball and go back to the fundamentals and do what we need to do.”

Hannah Mahoney (5-7) pitched the final 32⁄3 innings for the Gators (12-8, 5-6) and took the loss. Rachel Leis started and pitched to that point for South.

Excellent defense throughout kept Jacobs in charge. South threatened in the third inning with the bases loaded, but McGinnis flew out to right fielder Amber Livingston, who fired home to nail Tori Stevenson at the plate for the double play.

Teson delivered another fielding gem in the fourth with runners at first and second when she dived for a line drive and wound up right at second base, which she tagged for another double play.

“I didn’t think they started playing softball until the sixth or seventh inning,” South head coach Scott Busam said. “There’s no excuse for it this late in the season, against a team like Jacobs. You have to make routine plays or you lose by one run, like here today.”