Francis Panko, Cary-Grove outlast Jacobs in extra innings

ALGONQUIN – Cary-Grove baseball player Francis Panko doesn’t just slide.

He glides, a la Javy Baez, on the base paths.

The trail of infield dirt left in his wake looks like it had just been raked.

Panko scored the tiebreaking run in C-G’s six-run eighth inning Wednesday, using a sweet slide to barely beat the throw on an infield grounder, as the Trojans beat Jacobs 10-4 in Fox Valley Conference action.

“Not only do I notice,” C-G coach Kyle Williams said of his senior catcher’s slides, “but I told [the team] very early – because he’s also very fast – ‘Guys, when Francis is catching, don’t ask who the courtesy runner is, because there is not going to be one.’ He is a smooth slider, he is a smooth player, and he is one who I thought especially did a great job behind the plate today as well.”

Panko says, other than his coach, no one has ever pointed out his sliding skills.

“I just feel like I slide normal like everybody else,” Panko said. “But, I mean, I guess if it looks good, it looks good.”

Not every win looks good. C-G (11-6, 6-2) prevailed in extra innings despite three pitchers combining for 12 walks and two hit batsmen by playing errorless ball.

“We have pitched and played defense incredibly well, and today we battled through,” Williams said. “Our pitchers weren’t the best they’ve been, but I complimented all of the eight other guys on the field. The only way that we hold [Jacobs] to that few runs with control issues is excellent defense and executing all around defensively.”

Evan Frangiamore’s RBI groundout pulled the Trojans even at 4-4 in the fifth, and the score remained that way until the visitors erupted in the eighth.

Panko led off by drawing a walk from hard-throwing reliever Kyle Wayda and stole second base, sliding in smoothly. Panko raced to third base on Charlie Taczy’s fly out to right field, using another long, effortless slide to beat the tag.

Then, on Ricky Barnes’ groundball to first baseman Aaden Colon, who was playing in, Panko slid across home plate safely, barely beating the tag by catcher Luke Flaskamp.

“I saw [the catcher] was up high [to grab the throw], so I kind of came in from the side and got my leg in there,” Panko said. “It was a little close, but I definitely got in.”

C-G continued to tack on. Jacob Duvall (1 for 2, three walks) doubled in Barnes, Keenan Krysh (2 for 4) singled home Duvall, and Jacobs (6-9, 1-6) couldn’t stop the rally. Peyton Seaburg (3 for 5, two stolen bases) added a double, and the Golden Eagles committed two errors in the inning.

“We were uncharacteristic in that eighth inning,” said Jacobs coach Jamie Murray, who started three sophomores and played all five on his roster. “We allowed some situations to get the better of us.”

It was the Trojans’ fifth win in a row.

“I think our pitching has been dominant, for sure,” Panko said. “They’re always hitting their spots, but sometimes we get a little overanxious and try to do too much.”

Brock Iverson was 3 for 5 with two doubles, and Barnes also doubled. Aiden Stumpf (RBI double) and sophomore catcher Flaskamp (RBI) each had two hits for Jacobs.

“Give credit to them,” Murray said of the Trojans. “They did what they needed to do in the eighth inning. It’s a veteran group. I felt good about our guys all game competing. It’s a young group as far as experience. It doesn’t matter what grade. In this conference, experience matters. [Cary-Grove] has a lot of it.”