Back-to-back jacks end Jay's year (05/25/05)

HARTFORD CITY — Home runs are rare enough in high school softball. Two of them — even if the second one needed a little help — proved too much for Jay County to overcome Tuesday.

Kyleigh Jones and Bethany Stover of the Elwood Panthers broke open a close game with back-to-back homers to start a five-run seventh inning in a 7-1 victory over the Patriots in sectional semifinal softball action at Blackford.

“I just felt like somebody pulled the rug out from under us,” said Jay County coach Jack Wood, whose team had broken a three-year sectional drought with its win over Mississinewa Monday. “Jones is a player and she hit the home run. Then we just fell apart. ... We just had a bad inning.”

Jones, who also starred for Elwood as its girls basketball team eliminated the Patriots in this year’s sectional tournament, came to the plate with one out in the top of the seventh and her team leading 2-1.

On a 1-1 count Jones smacked a pitch from Brittany Logue down the left field line and over the fence, but it went just foul. She didn’t have the same problem on the next pitch, crushing Logue’s 1-2 offering well over the fence in straight away left.

Stover followed with a blast to left center field, which left fielder Erica Clark tracked down. However, the ball hit Clark’s glove and bounced out and over the fence for another home run.

“I would have been satisfied with one,” said Elwood coach Mitch Kirkwood. “It’s demoralizing. The second one was a bonus.

“We were going to start hitting her sooner or later. It just took us a while.”

Christina Hannah followed with a single to center field and then the flood gates opened. Patriot infielders Morgan Locke, Amber Champ and Chelsea DeBoy committed three consecutive errors and Ashley Mort added an RBI single as the Panthers scored three more runs to put the game away.

Jay County loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Christina Myers struck out the side, including two on called third strikes, to send Elwood to the sectional championship game.

“We continued for six innings and then we found some old habits,” said Wood. “It’s a shame, because we played 13 innings of great softball. The kids really stepped up.”

“It’s a shame that we had the seventh inning.”

The game was tight before the seventh with the Panthers opening the scoring with a run in the first inning. Jay County tied the game when Locke tripled to open the third inning and scored on a bunt by Clark.

Elwood stepped back in front with an unearned run in the sixth before blowing the game wide open in the seventh.

Jones, who also homered in the Panthers’ 5-0 upset of eighth-ranked Blackford Monday, drove in the first-inning run and finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs. Mort went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Becky Short and Casey Miller each added two hits and a run.

Myers turned in her second straight stellar performance on the mound, striking out 12 Patriot batters. She gave up just one run on four hits.

“This is the best game that Christina (Myers) has pitched,” said Kirkwood. “She threw some good games last year, but she saved the best for last. Maybe it will carry us through the tournament — we hope.”

Elwood will play Delta for the sectional title Friday at Blackford at 7 p.m. Delta won its sectional semifinal game 7-0 over Tipton Tuesday night.

Logue took the loss, allowing seven runs — three earned — on 14 hits. She struck out two and walked three.

Locke had two of the Patriots’ four hits as she added a single in the seventh to go along with her triple. Saffron Redwine and Chelsea DeBoy each had one hit.

“The 13 innings they played from (Monday night through the first six) tonight is what we’ve seen them being capable of doing,” said Wood, whose team’s final record was a carbon copy of last season at 9-17. “Unfortunately we haven’t played like that all year. That’s why it was so gratifying (Monday night) because that’s what they’re capable of doing.”[[In-content Ad]]