JC tops Tigers

Ben Vance made his senior night a memorable one.

The center fielder showed off all aspects of his game, picking up two hits, recording two outfield assists and tracking down fly balls in the gaps.

Vance led the impressive effort by the Jay County High School baseball team, and fellow senior Eric Homan hit a home run and got the win as the Patriots defeated the visiting Bluffton Tigers 6-1.

"Homan and Vance both took a year off and came back, and I'm glad they came back," said JCHS coach Lea Selvey. "They've been great additions for us. They're fun to watch. I'm glad they're here."

Vance made his first spectacular play in the second inning, gunning down Ryan McCarthy at home plate as he tried to score on a two-out single.

And then in the fifth, he showed off his blazing speed as he tracked down a fly ball off the bat of Cameron Gerber that seemed destined to land in the left-center field gap and skip all the way to the fence. Vance, however, made a leaping catch on the run and fired the ball back to the infield for what became an 8-6-3 double play.

"That was a heck of a play. The center fielder, he had a great defensive game," said Bluffton coach Todd Morgan of Vance, who was responsible for every out in the fifth inning and caught two more fly balls in the sixth. "The guy thrown out at home, he had to make a perfect throw, and he did. With two outs, I'm going to take that chance.

"And with the one (in left-center field), I didn't think there was any chance he was getting to it. I took the blame just as much as my runner on that one. A couple more inches and that's in the gap and we're tied up and it's a whole different ball game."

Homan's homer led off the second inning following Vance's first defensive gem to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead.

Jay County (9-11) broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning thanks in part to a trio of walks. Nathaniel Brown also had a two-run single.

Homan finished with a pair of runs, Brown had two hits, two RBIs and a run, and Daniels went 2-for-3 with a run.

Homan earned the win, allowing one run on five hits and three walks in five-plus innings, and Masters tossed two scoreless innings of relief. The Patriots (9-11) also turned double plays in the third and seventh innings to help halt Tiger threats.

"We took a hard loss to Muncie South (Wednesday)," said Selvey. "And these kids came back today. And that shows me they have a lot of character. ... I'm very proud of them."[[In-content Ad]]