Junior right-hander Jowell Colon has been itching to get a start on the mound for Jacobs.
While he’s more than happy to help out in the bullpen, Colon also knows that he has more to offer. He got that opportunity Friday at Burlington Central and then took advantage of it.
“I’ve been working out of the pen, so I was eager to get a start,” Colon said. “I just compete every day. I felt really confident.
“My ball naturally cuts and (the umpire) was giving me the outside corner, so I just attacked outside and threw it for strikes. It’s a good recipe.”
That recipe produced 4 2/3 scoreless innings before his brother Aaden came on to get the save in a 6-0 Fox Valley Conference victory over the host Rockets.
Jowell Colon struck out three while giving up six hits and a walk for Jacobs (10-2, 4-1). Aaden Colon retired all seven batters he faced, the first six coming via strikeouts.
Jace Koth also had three hits and two stolen bases to pace the offense for the Golden Eagles. Cooper Gulgren and Ryan Tucker each added two hits and an RBI and scored a run.
Jaxton Bovee and Liam Schultz delivered two hits apiece for Burlington Central (6-6-2, 4-2).
Jowell Colon went about his business Friday the way he normally does. Not a hard thrower, he used his movement to induce weak contact and let his defense do the work behind him.
“I definitely pitch to contact,” Jowell said. “I definitely challenge hitters. I’m really confident in my stuff and it moves a different way. It’s not necessarily the fastest, but it gets the job done.
“I don’t try to change that.”
That’s why Jacobs coach Jamie Murray didn’t hesitate to give him a start.
“He started all of last year for us, so he’s got a ton of experience,” Murray said of Colon. “He did a great job, pitched to contact, trusted the defense. That’s kind of our recipe.”
Another thing that helped Colon settle in was a quick start by Jacobs’ offense.
The Golden Eagles scored twice in the first inning and never looked back. Koth and Brock Vincent got on to start the game. They were driven in by singles from Tucker and Gulgren, respectively.
Jacobs left the bases loaded three times in the first four innings but finally tacked on runs late to pull away.
“I’m always confident when the offense gets going,” Colon said.
Jowell Colon didn’t run into trouble until the fifth, when three singles loaded the bases with one out. He got a fly out and then gave the ball to his brother, who got a strikeout to end the threat.
It’s a whole different look when Aaden enters the game. While Jowell is crafty, Aaden is a lefty power pitcher who likes to rack up strikeouts. That combination kept the Rockets off-balance.
“It’s the dream when you’re kids,” Aaden said. “You think about it. It was a dream come true with that. The off-speed, he has me on that. I just try to come in with a different look.
“I think earlier when we were younger, we tried to keep it the same. That’s his brand of game, and I have a different brand.”
Murray confirmed he likes Aaden Colon in that high-leverage relief role due to his dominant stuff but Jacobs also relies on his bat. Aaden loves the role and wants to keep going with it.
That works just fine for Jowell.
“It’s 100% confidence,” he said. “We don’t have to warm up other guys. We don’t have to worry about getting other guys hot. He’s just really confident.”
Jowell likes his role, too.
“I’m hoping to keep pitching once a week and have some good starts, give my team a chance every game,” he said.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
