Sports
Pemble Does It All for Romeoville Baseball Team
Romeoville senior Jordan Pemble not only went 3-for-3 at the plate but also pitched a complete game to lead the Spartans over Plainfield Central Tuesday afternoon.
Jordan Pemble was in command on the pitching hill and in control at the plate for the Romeoville baseball team in its 6-1 Southwest Prairie win over visiting Plainfield Central. The six-foot-three senior right-hander went the distance to improve to 5-2 on the season with his fourth complete game of the spring on Tuesday.
Pemble roped three shots — including the lone extra-base hit of the contest — in his three at-bats to lead the Spartans’ eight-hit attack against three different Wildcats pitchers.
“It was a complete game of guys picking each other up,” Romeoville coach Tony Smith said after his squad improved to 9-11 on the year.
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With ideal hitting conditions, Pemble had to let his defense make plays in the field as he only fanned four Plainfield batters on the day.
“During BP (batting practice) the ball was flying out of here,” Smith said of the unseasonably warm weather accompanied by wind blowing straight out. “We have a big park. We have to rely on pitching and our defense to make the plays.”
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“The defense did a good job all around,” Pemble said. “I tried to keep the ball low in the strike zone to make them hit ground balls.”
Plainfield Central had at least one base-runner in six of its seven at-bats.
But Pemble delivered when he needed to by stranding Plainfield runners in scoring position in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings.
At the plate, Pemble had a ground-rule double in the second to set the table for the Spartans’ first run; his second at-bat in the fourth launched a four-run rally that gave the Spartans a 6-0 lead.
Frank Rooks, who pinch-ran for Pemble after all three hits, scored twice for the Spartans.
“I have become more selective with the pitches (when batting),” Pemble said.
With a 6-0 lead after four innings, Pemble battled the Wildcats despite control issues. He overcame two leadoff walks and fell behind in the count to several other batters. But, in a sense, it proved to be somewhat elusive for Plainfield Central to target.
“I think I was effectively wild today,” Pemble said. “They couldn’t sit on anything to hit.”
The Wildcats’ Marc Young denied Pemble the shutout with a two-out single to score Steve Heffernan in the sixth.
“You always want to shut someone out,” Pemble said. “I’ll take a 6-1 win any day.”
