By: Devin Jones
Box Score Joliet Junior College baseball stormed back in dramatic fashion Saturday to defeat Illinois Valley Community College, 6-5.
The Wolves (3-3) trailed by as many as four runs before delivering a five-run ninth inning to secure the walk-off victory.
Illinois Valley opened the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly. JJC battled throughout but entered the bottom of the ninth still trailing.
The rally began when John O'Brien was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Brendan Henderson followed with a clutch single, scoring two runs, and Jacob Miller later drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run as the Wolves completed the comeback.
Henderson led JJC offensively, going 2-of-4 with two RBIs. The Wolves showed patience at the plate, drawing eight walks, with Isaiah Rhodes and Ryan Molitor each collecting two. JJC also played clean defense, committing no errors, and Miller led the team with six defensive plays.
On the mound, Fox earned the win after allowing one run over one inning of relief. Ronek started the game, throwing four innings with two strikeouts. Fernandez added two scoreless innings in relief to keep JJC within striking distance.
After the game, head coach Gregg Braun reflected on the ninth-inning rally.
"It's next guy up," Braun said. "We put pressure on them in that last inning, and good things happen when you do that. Our at-bats were much better, and that helped us win that one."
Braun also spoke on building momentum early in the season.
"It helps to get back-to-back wins," he said. "Early in the year, it's tough with the weather and finding a rhythm, but we're learning every day. We're figuring out which guys fit best in certain situations, and we'll keep building from here."
With the win, the Wolves will look to continue building momentum as they prepare for Harper College on Tuesday at home.
