Jay blows away Redskins

Following three straight losses, the Patriots needed a big day to turn their season back in the right direction. They got it on a windy Saturday.
After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning, Jay County blew away the visiting Fort Wayne North Side Redskins 42-3 the rest of the way in a doubleheader sweep.
The Patriots posted wins of 26-5 and 16-2, both in five innings.
“Just to get back in the win column and have some fun, get the confidence back, get the girls swinging the bats again … is a good thing,” said JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle, whose team had lost its last three including a 12-0 defeat Thursday against Norwell. “It was an emotional, mental thing … to have good games and be happy with themselves.”
Jay County (7-5) quickly erased its deficit, starting with Rachelle Jackson’s one-out single to left field in the bottom of the first inning. She advanced to second base on a wild pitch and then stole third.
Catherine Dunn drew a walk, and then the pair of Patriot runners executed a double steal with Jackson scoring on the play. An RBI double by Nikka Chaney brought Dunn to the plate, and Randa Gillespie scored as a courtesy runner for Chaney on Katie Aker’s single to center.
Three straight walks pushed Aker across the plate to tie the score, and then Chelsea Tighe brought Katlin Petro home with an infield single. Jackson delivered her second hit of the inning, a bases-loaded double to left, to drive in three runs and give JCHS an 8-4 advantage.
The Patriots added five runs in the second inning, three in the third and 10 in the fourth in the blowout win. Eleven different players scored a run, and nine batters came up with at least one hit.
“We need that consistency throughout the lineup,” said Arbuckle. “We’re not going to beat anybody with just two or three girls contributing. It’s good to have that balance. When we can score runs all the way through the lineup, that’s a good thing.”
Aker went 2-for-2 with two walks, four runs and three RBIs to pace the Patriots in the opener. Gillespie and Petro each scored four runs, and Jackson, Chaney and Petro each finished with three RBIs.
Jackson, Chaney and Tighe added two hits apiece.
Tighe continued her big day in the second game, in which JCHS scored six times in the second inning, four in the third and six in the fourth. She went 2-for-2 with two triples, two walks, four RBIs and three runs.
“She was hitting around .400 on the year,” said Arbuckle of his leadoff hitter. “It’s just good for her to set the table for us and get us off to that good start. … It’s a big pick-me-up for the team.”
Betsy Huffman went 2-for-2 with a walk, three runs and two RBIs from the No. 9 spot in the order in the second game. Courtney Finnerty scored three times, and Gillespie, Dunn and Petro had two RBIs apiece.
Chaney got the game-one win, holding North Side to one unearned run the rest of the way after struggling in the first inning. She gave up four hits and two walks while striking out five.
Abbey Vance faced the minimum through the first two innings of game two and limited the Redskins to two runs — one earned — on three hits. She struck out three batters and gave up just one walk.
“Abbey has been that way in the three games she’s pitched,” Arbuckle said. “She keeps her walks to a minimum and she lets her defense play behind her. … That’s what we’ve got to have.”
Finnerty, a freshman, was a big part of that defense in the second game. She handled every ball that was hit her way in center field, which included two of the three outs in the first inning.
“She’s very quick,” said Arbuckle of Finnerty. “She covers a lot of ground. …
“I thought Randa (Gillespie), too, came in today and hit the ball well. We got good contributions from everybody. That’s just a good feeling.”



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