Zach Readdy’s big hit sends McHenry past Jacobs to regional title

McHENRY — McHenry third baseman Zach Readdy knew as soon as the ball left his bat, he may have done something special.

Mired in a stagnant 1-1 tie and pitcher’s duel with Jacobs — with two outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Class 4A McHenry Regional title game — Readdy was ready for the moment.

He inside-outed an opposite field line drive to left field, which at first appeared to be a fairly routine, inning-ending out.

But the ball kept carrying. So much so, it caused Jacobs’ left fielder to briefly misjudge it, stumble then fall.

The ball went over the left fielder’s head, to the fence, for what wound up being a game-winning RBI triple, scoring teammate Jeffry Schwab from second base.

The ensuing 2-1 victory by the top-seeded Warriors (32-4-1) marked their second consecutive regional crown.

“I knew when I hit it I got a lot of it,” Readdy said. “I briefly saw it land, but I was hustling out of the box and didn’t want to slow down. When the ball hit the ground, it was just an incredible rush, because I knew what was at stake.”

Conversely, his teammate, Schwab, never saw the ball land.

“I was just going as fast as humanly possible when it left Zach’s bat, and paying attention to our coach at third,” Schwab said. “I just wanted to score. Then I heard and saw all the fans cheering when I rounded the bag at third. In the moment, you almost don’t even believe it’s real.”

But it was very real.

And at that point, McHenry’s job was far from over against the scrappy No. 3 seeded Golden Eagles (16-20), who were responsible for one of the Warriors’ four losses earlier in the season.

McHenry starting pitcher and Louisville recruit Brandon Shannon (6⅔ innings IP, 11 Ks, 4 walks), who had allowed just two singles through six innings, still had to secure the final three outs.

Shannon struck out Jacobs right fielder Cooper Gulgren to lead off the seventh, then walked No. 7 hitter Ryan Tucker.

Tucker stole second base, then Shannon struck out designated hitter Jowell Colon, for the second out.

That’s when McHenry coach Brian Rockweiler made a difficult decision. He pulled Shannon, then turned to Readdy to secure the final out, mere minutes after Readdy had just played hero on offense.

“It wasn’t an easy call,” Rockweiler said. “Brandon still had some pitches left, but getting out of a [second and third, one-out] jam in the sixth inning was a little stressful.

“We have pretty good faith in Zach. He’s kind of been our closer, and spot starter.”

Readdy induced a weak liner to second for the final out, securing the regional title. The Warriors advance to play No. 3 seed Huntley in the sectional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

That game and sectional will also be held at McHenry High School. Huntley advanced with an 8-4 victory over DeKalb on Saturday.

The Warriors beat Huntley both times they faced them during the regular season, 6-1 on April 11, then 9-4 April 14.

“We gotta play our game and just show up prepared and confident against Huntley,” Shannon said. “These are the moments you put in all that work for during the season and offseason.”

The other story was Jacobs senior starting pitcher Spencer Drummond, who was outstanding.

He scattered one run on just three hits during his four innings of work, while walking two and striking out four. Only one runner made it beyond second base while he was in the game.

Drummond will continue his baseball career at Elgin Community College, and was the winning pitcher when Jacobs beat McHenry, 3-1, on May 9.

“Winning that game gave me a ton of confidence coming into this one,” Drummond said. “But it’s tough, because I’m still trying to process what just happened.

“In past seasons, I’ve watched my then-senior teammates’ seasons end. And you always tell yourself you’ve got time still. Now, here I am with my season coming to an end. And the careers of a lot of great athletes, too. It goes by so fast.”

Jacobs coach Jamie Murray also praised senior Kyle Wayda, who fought hard during his two innings out of the bullpen in place of Drummond. Wayda is joining Drummond at Elgin C.C.

“We had [six] baserunners,” Murray said. And we had a chance to tie the game. I couldn’t ask for more from these guys, I’m awful proud of them.

“We started six sophomores today. And they went toe to toe with one of the best pitchers and teams in our entire state. There’s a bright future here.”

Murray had one additional thought.

“There were 21 outs in this game,” Murray said. “21 chances to help win the game. This is a team loss, not just one person.

“Some of the same guys who struggled in this game are the same high character guys you’ll be back here writing about getting a game-winning hit, or having a special performance at in a big game, a year from now. I guarantee it.”