Prep baseball: Jackson Kees’ gem leads DeKalb past Sycamore

DeKALB – DeKalb’s Jackson Kees wanted the ball for Saturday’s annual grudge match against Sycamore.

The junior right-hander did not disappoint. His 10-0 5-inning shutout at Northern Illinois University’s Ralph McKinzie Field ended Sycamore’s six-year dominance of the rivalry.

“Earlier in the season, we went through some different scenarios with conference and non-conference games with the team, and this is a game Jackson said he wanted, especially after last year (a 12-1 Sycamore victory),” DeKalb coach Joshua Latimer said. “He just dealt out a phenomenal performance.”

The Barbs handed the Spartans, who finished third in last year’s Class 3A state tournament, their second loss of the season.

“I think DeKalb played really well today. Their pitcher was solid and kept us off balance during the whole game,” said Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh. “We hit a few balls hard but right at people, so we weren’t able to get anything going.”.

Kees scattered five hits, struck out three and walked two.

“The curveball was working, I was getting ahead, and I was throwing strikes,” said the right hander.

Kees put his team up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The junior’s first of three singles scored Brodie Farrell, who earlier reached base on a double to left.

Using a combination of small ball and timely hitting, DeKalb (15-8) batters provided Kees with an additional six-run cushion in the second inning.

The Barbs’ half of the frame opened with a hit batter and bunt single. Ben Nunez’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position, and they both crossed the plate on Jack Ager’s single to left. Four batters later, Kees’ second single pushed across two more runs. A perfectly executed double steal during Maddux Clarence’s at-bat platted the fifth run. Sycamore misplayed Clarence’s fly to center to allow the final run of the frame to score.

“We manufactured runs and then we came up with some big hits.,” Latimer said about the decisive second inning.

Sycamore (16-2) threatened in the top of the fifth.

After Teague Hallahan grounded out to open the inning, Nathan Lojko blasted a double to left and advanced to third on passed ball during Collin Severson’s at-bat. Severson drew a walk putting runners on the corners.

Matt Rosado, the next batter, hit a hard grounder to short. Barb shortstop Issac Black went to his right, backed-handed the ball and started a sixth-four-three double play to end the threat and the inning.

Black predicted what would happen when Rosado came to bat.

“I told my second baseman Nik (Nelson), I know this ball coming right to me,” the shortstop said. “I’m going to pick this ball up and then it’s coming right to you.”

“That was a big league play by Isaac Black,” Latimer said. “As soon as he got his glove on that ball, we knew it was going to be a double play,”

DeKalb pushed across three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to seal the win.

The victory was a boost to DeKalb’s morale.

“This win was a huge thing for us. The boys really came out,” Latimer said. “It’s been a while since we’ve beat them. I know this the first time in my 3-year stint as the head coach here that we’ve got them.”