Growing up, Jacobs’ Andrew Deegan and his friends would re-enact game-winning hits in the batting cage.
While his hitting is a big part of the reason why the senior shortstop has committed to Belmont, Deegan has always been more focused on the less glamorous part of his job — defense.
“My favorite part of the game,” he said. “I’ve just always grown up taking a lot of ground balls.”
That fits right in with a Golden Eagles staff that pitches to contact and lets the defense work.
Deegan, who also went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, delivered Wednesday with nine of the 24 outs Jacobs recorded in a 12-6 Fox Valley Conference win in eight innings at Dundee-Crown.
Ryan Tucker added two hits and three RBIs for the Golden Eagles (16-6, 8-4). Jace Koth and Brock Vincent each scored twice.
Ryan Pierce produced a two-run double in the sixth as Dundee-Crown (9-15, 1-12) overcame a five-run deficit in forcing extra innings.
Before that drama began, however, five of the first six outs of the game were grounders to Deegan, which caught the eye of Dundee-Crown coach Andrew Zimmer.
“The first few innings I was like, ‘This kid is a vacuum,’” Zimmer said. “Our balls were hit pretty hard too, but we were hitting them right at them.
“You want to beat him, but you have to respect the kid for how well he plays shortstop. It was pretty awesome to watch.”
For his part, Deegan loves when he’s the center of attention on defense.
“I feel confident in my defense the most, so I do like when I get a lot of ground balls,” he said.
It never gets old for Jacobs coach Jamie Murray, either. He enjoys watching Deegan at short.
“He’s a ‘we over me’ guy — that’s what I love about him,” Murray said. “The defensive piece, that’s our strength. We pitch to contact. He’s never too high, never too low. He works really hard.”
The second time through the order, Jacobs finally got something going offensively.
Consecutive one-out walks to Koth and Vincent led to RBI singles by Deegan and Cooper Gulgren. They both ended up scoring in a four-run inning as well.
The combination of the speedy Koth and Deegan has worked well all season long.
“It’s very nice because Jace gets on base all the time,” Deegan said. “He’s a beast. I pretty much know that he’s going to get on for me and I’ll have a chance to get him in because he’s quick.”
His next time up in the top of the fourth, Deegan singled in Koth again to stretch the lead to 6-1. That hit was a special one for Deegan. It was the 100th of his career.
“It is a nice milestone,” Deegan said. “It feels good. It’s been fun. I’m just happy to play my senior year and have a good time with my boys.”
George Donze, who is the Golden Eagles’ ace, started on the mound Wednesday. That type of lead felt like it would be enough. He only allowed two unearned runs through five innings.
Some defensive miscues and Pierce’s clutch two-run double in the sixth, though, tied it at 6-6.
“He’s fantastic,” Zimmer said of Donze. “I’m proud of our hitters and the way they attacked them.”
Despite the hiccup, Deegan confirmed that the experienced Golden Eagles weren’t worried. Deegan was hit by a pitch and later scored as part of a six-run eighth to put things away.
“We’re just confident in ourselves,” Deegan said. “No matter what, we always believe in ourselves. We knew we were going to come back.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
