Jay splits with Jets

MONROE — In the tournament, runs are at a premium. Games are decided by inches.
The Patriots got some good preparation with a pair of tight games Saturday.
Jay County won an eight-inning battle 2-0 over 2012 Class 2A state runner-up Adams Central in the opener Saturday before dropping the second game 4-3 to the Flying Jets.
The Patriots scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take the opener. They rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the top of the seventh in game two only to fall on a two-out, walk-off single by Madi Schwartz in the bottom.
“We really haven’t had too much of that,” said JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle of the games that came down to the wire. “When you come to tournament time and you’re facing good pitching, that’s the type of game you’re going to have to play — to grind it out and keep your heads up.”
Game one went to extra innings after Larissa Boles struck out Jenna Byer on a change-up to end the seventh.
Senior Rachelle Jackson delivered a one-out single to left field for the Patriots (10-8). Sydnee Peterson induced a ground out before Courtney Finnerty reached base on an infield single.
Boles then helped her own cause, ripping a single to right-center field to bring Jackson to the plate with the first run of the game.
Finnerty scored on a wild pitch for the 2-0 lead, and Adams Central was not able to get on the board in the bottom of the inning.
“She’s hit the ball hard these last few games and she hasn’t had much to show for it,” said Arbuckle of Jackson, who was batting in the No. 9 spot. “To come up with a big hit there … has got to boost her confidence.
“She’s an excellent base runner. When she got down to second, I told her there wasn’t going to be a stop sign. On a base hit, we were scoring.”
The Jackson run gave Boles all the support she needed as she won a pitchers’ duel against Peterson.
Boles struck out 12 batters and limited Adams Central to only three hits. She walked just one batter.
Peterson struck out nine of the first 12 batters she faced, and finished the game with 10 strikeouts.
“That’s how it was last year in the tournament,” said Adams Central coach Cary Blake. “You’ve got to play these close games and make the plays.
“It really does prepare us. It was two good ball games, for both teams I think. Those are the kind of games you want to be playing this time of year.”
Adams Central scored once in the first inning of the second game on a double by pitcher Abby Busse and added two runs in the second. But Boles shut the Flying Jets down the rest of the way and JCHS mounted a comeback.
Abbey Vance reached base on an error in the fifth inning, and Tighe smacked a double down the left field line. Boles came through with a two-out single to left to score two runs.
Boles was up again with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the seventh inning and delivered a game-tying single to left.
However, Adams Central No. 9 hitter Mary Fox led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left field and advance to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. She scored the game-winning run when Schwartz connected on a single to left-center.
“That first game was a heck of a game, a pitchers’ duel all the way til the end and Jay County got the best of us,” said Blake. “It was nice to see the girls fight back and get a few runs off Boles in the second game and hang on for a nice victory for us.”
Boles struck out 20 batters on the day. After opening 0-for-3 at the plate, she recorded hits in each of her final four at bats and drove in four of the five Jay County runs.
Tighe had two hits and two runs in the second game, and Finnerty totaled two hits, including a double, and a run in the opener.[[In-content Ad]]