ALGONQUIN — Fourth-seeded Lake Zurich came to Algonquin on Monday afternoon with the goal of upsetting top-seeded Jacobs in a Class 4A baseball regional final.
Mission accomplished.
Propelled by the hitting of Collin Callahan and the pitching of JD Carpenter, the Bears blanked Jacobs, 4-0.
Lake Zurich (18-8) advances to a sectional semifinal and will host Hononegah at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Jacobs concluded the 2021 season with a 25-8 mark.
“We are a senior-dominated team, and this group are great friends,” Lake Zurich coach Scott DiCaprio said. “Collin’s homer got us going, and it was good to play with the lead early. That set the tone, and we sent a message to them. JD’s location was great, and we played great defense behind him.”
Callahan, who will play at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas next season, launched his 10th homer of the season with Sam Holtz on base to give the Bears a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Holtz had doubled with one out.
“I got a curveball, and it was good to get the lead early,” Callahan said. “We are a solid team, and the seniors have really bonded this year. We are a solid team. We preach to win and always hustle.”
Callahan drove in his third run of the game with an RBI single in the third. Lake Zurich scored a run in the fifth on a triple from Holtz.
That was more than enough for Carpenter. In seven innings of work, the crafty left-hander blanked the Golden Eagles on four singles. He didn’t strike out a hitter, walked two and hit a batter. Carpenter induced 15 Jacobs hitters to pop up.
“I used my changeup two to three times on every Jacobs hitter,” Carpenter said. “I was hitting the outside corner and was able to keep their hitters off balance. I trust my defense. I wanted the ball for this game. This is a great win.”
Jacobs, which left nine runners on base, had its best opportunity to score in the fourth.
Keegan Connors and Tyler Jacobsen led off the inning with singles to put runners on first and second. But Carpenter got tough and wiggled out of the jam unscathed.
“He kept us off balance, and they got the big hit,” said Jacobs coach Jamie Murray. “Give Lake Zurich credit. They were the better team today.”