Improving JC downs Giants (04/26/04)

The Jay County softball team is doing exactly what it wanted to this year. It’s getting better.

With a pair of wins Saturday over the Marion Giants — 9-4 and 16-6 — the Patriots tied the 2002 mark for wins and moved within one of tying the 2003 total. And they’re just halfway through the 2004 campaign.

Jay County (5-8) jumped in front in the first game behind starting pitcher Brittany Logue. It scored three runs in the first inning, two in the second and three in the third for an 8-0 lead.

Logue improved to 2-3 on the year, earning the win as she held Marion hitless through the first four innings. She allowed four runs on five hits while walking six and striking out three.

Stephanie Imel led the offense in the pair of wins as she continues to hit over .500 for the season. She was the lone player with a pair of hits in the first game as she finished with a double and a triple.

The senior third baseman also scored a run.

Amber Champ had a hit and crossed the plate three times, and Erica Murray singled and scored twice.

First-year coach Jack Wood said he felt like his team showed more patience at the plate in the second game, and it paid off in seven more runs. The Patriots posted six runs in the first inning, only to see the Giants tie the game at 6-6 with a run in the top of the fourth.

But, Jay County pushed ahead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. It added four more runs in the fifth and three in the sixth for the final margin.

Imel was one of three players to rip three hits in the second game, finishing 3-for-4. She also scored twice. Ashleigh Myers and Chelsea DeBoy each had three hits and one run.

Saffron Redwine notched a pair of hits and scored three runs. Champ singled and scored three times, and Danielle Jackson also scored three runs.

Myers took the game-two win, pushing her mark to 3-5 on the season. She allowed six runs — five earned — on 10 hits.

She struck out two and walked two.

The 21-hit double-header against Marion came a day after a hitless effort by the Patriots. They lost 6-0 to the Norwell Knights Friday.

The Knights (7-3) posted four runs in the third inning thanks in part to three Patriot errors and a walk.

Myers took the defeat, allowing six runs — four earned — on 11 hits. She walked two and did not record a strikeout.

Jay County struck out 11 times in the defeat. Katie Alberson walked twice and stole a pair of bases.

The Patriots will play again today as they host Muncie Southside at 4:30 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]