500 weekend

DECATUR — Three straight strikes went past Cody Hoffman of Heritage.

It was the 13th and final strikeout for Wyatt Geesaman. It was also the final out of the game. It booked a return trip to the sectional final for the returning champions, too.

But it was much more than that.

On Indy 500 weekend, it was win No. 500 for Lea Selvey.

Geesaman shook off a shaky second inning to shine over the final five frames and scored the eventual game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning, carrying the Jay County High School baseball team back to the sectional championship game with a 2-1 victory over the Heritage Patriots in the Class 3A Sectional 23 semifinal Friday at Bellmont.

“It just means I've been here a long time,” Selvey, whose team presented him with a banner, a signed baseball and posters reading “Selvey 500” after the win, said of his thoughts on the milestone victory. “That's always been the goal … I'm happy we won because I want 501 and we can go from there.”

Selvey's chance at 501 comes at 1 p.m. Monday against the Marion Giants, who knocked off the host Braves 5-2 earlier Friday night.

Heritage (12-13), which lost to Jay County 16-0 when they met May 9, grabbed a 1-0 advantage with a stroke of luck in the top of the second inning.

Chase Luginbill reached on an error, and Geesaman walked both Chris Baker and Preston Deakins to load the bases. A wild pitch with two outs scored Baker, and the second of Geesaman's strikeouts on the day prevented further damage.

An inning later Geesaman was in a jam with two on and two out, but Gabe Faulkner corralled a pitch in the dirt that got away from him and threw to freshman brother Quinn Faulkner to cut down Jarrett Kiess attempting to swipe the bag. The Faulkner-to-Faulkner putout ended Heritage’s chance, and they never had a runner get past second the rest of the game.

Geesaman struck out the side in the fourth and fanned the first two to start the fifth. Kiess singled to begin the sixth and was later stranded at second.

Geesman allowed one earned run on four hits and walked only the two in the second inning as he got the complete-game win.

“It's just something I've been working on pretty much all four years of me being in high school,” Geesaman said of how he was able to get past that rough patch. “I really just drew on all the past experiences of being in situations like that and just learning from those and applying that to today and big moments like today.

“Just came out and tried to be myself and it paid off.”

Selvey had high praise for the future Cincinnati Bearcat.

“Wyatt was outstanding,” he said. “He battled, he kept us in it.

“We had to battle to get our two runs. That was a nail biter. Just happy we were able to hang in there.”

Jay County (17-5) tied the game on a Gabe Faulkner double in the home half of the second inning, and grabbed the lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Geesaman, who also singled in the first inning, fell behind Heritage starter Dalton Wasson 0-2, but drew a six-pitch walk. He advanced to third on a single through the right side by Michael Schlechty, and scored on an errant pitch to Isaac Moeller.

Despite the much closer game than two weeks ago Jay County still proved why it is defending champions, and it'll defend its title Memorial Day against the Giants.

“Postseason brings out a different animal in every team and just wakes them up,” Geesaman said. “We didn't hit the ball near as well as we (do) but postseason is a different animal.

“You've got to come ready every game.”