Jay wins third straight

The young Patriots didn’t take long to put together their first winning streak.
After dropping its first two games of the season, the Jay County High School softball team has strung together three wins in a row. It capped off a perfect week Thursday with an 11-6 victory over the visiting Muncie Southside Rebels.
“It’s been a good week for us,” said JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle, whose team had dropped its first two games of the season. “Some things started clicking.
“We faced a good Southern Wells team Tuesday. … We came out and played well that game, and played well (Wednesday) against Bellmont …
“Tonight we got off to a little bit of a slow start. … We got down a little bit early, but we came back … and did some good things.
“I’m real proud of the girls.”
The Patriots trailed 4-1 before taking control for good in the bottom of the third.
Freshman No. 9 hitter Ashley Motter got the rally started with a single to left field to lead off the frame, and her classmate Chelsea Tighe followed with a walk. Motter scored on a wild pitch, and then Katie Aker, another freshman, smacked an RBI double to left field.
Lexie Gierhart drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second, and Nikka Chaney drove in Aker with a single to left field. Gierhart scored on a ground out by Katlin Petro, and Taylor Franklin drove in Chaney with an infield single to complete the five-run inning.
“It was one inning,” said Southside coach Amy Oliver of the turning point. “We’ve only had one game. Right now we’re still trying things out. We just had some communication breakdowns.”
Jay County added another run in the fourth inning and four in the fifth as it pulled away.
“I think we took a step back and realized we needed to get something going,” said Arbuckle of his team’s mindset after the early deficit. “Once we did, everything just fell together. We got some good base running, some hit-and-runs … some bunts. Some good things happened.”
Aker added a double in the fourth inning as she went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. Nikka Chaney also had two hits, two runs and an RBI, and Franklin went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
Motter finished 2-for-3, Lexie Gierhart singled and scored a pair of runs and Rachelle Jackson added a hit, a run and an RBI.
“We’re getting contributions all the way through the lineup. The other night eight different girls had a hit,” said Arbuckle, who had hits from seven different players against Southside (0-2) And that’s what it’s going to take. … We’ve got to have everyone contributing.”
Nikka Chaney went the distance for the victory, striking out four batters. She allowed six runs on eight hits and five walks.
At 3-2, Jay County has already matched its win total from the entire month of April last season. And the Patriots have done it with just one senior on the roster and a lineup that has sometimes included four freshmen.
“(The freshmen) have really stepped up,” said Arbuckle.
“I knew they were very athletic and could step up and handle the situation.
“They’re getting in the groove and feeling good about themselves, and some good things are happening for them.
“We got two wins this week that last year were two losses. I thought athletically we could do it, and I thought the … chemistry would be there. … I think we’re going to build on it from here.”
Morgan Coates, the Southside No. 9 hitter, led the Rebels with two hits, including a two-run double in the second inning, and three RBIs. Keshia Bell went 2-for-2 with two runs and three stolen bases, and Shelby Cumings had a double, a run and an RBI.

Junior varsity
Jay County exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then held on for a 15-10 victory over the Rebels.
Whitni Somers singled and scored four times to lead the Patriots, who had a 7-6 lead before their big sixth inning. Sara Bollenbacher added a double and two runs.
Jenna Ferguson, Takoa Knight, Rachel Ferguson and Courtney Knight each scored twice for JCHS.
Abbey Vance earned the victory, striking out three batters while allowing three unearned runs in three innings. Somers gave up seven runs — one earned — as she tossed the final four innings.[[In-content Ad]]