Jay blasts Falcons (04/03/08)

WINCHESTER - It didn't take long.

The Patriots set a host of school records during the 2007 season, including the team record for home runs. Led by their two returning all-state players, they got a good jump Wednesday on taking down the mark again this year.

Jay County High School's baseball team smashed five home runs, including first at-bat shots by Michael Jobe and Josh Ludy, in a 15-0 season-opening victory in five innings over the Winchester Golden Falcons.

"I'm not surprised," said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team set a school record with 27 home runs last year. "I see it enough in practice. We're capable of having everybody in our lineup hit one out.

"Basically we just kind of knocked them back on their heels the first inning and it was over from there."

Winchester (0-1), playing without several starters who did not have enough practices in to be eligible because they were playing for the Golden Falcon basketball team in its run to the state championship game, had little chance against the Patriots.

After Luke Goetz led off the game with a double to left field, Michael Jobe crushed the first offering from Spencer Cook over the fence in left-center field. Josh Ludy followed with a solo home run to left.

Tom McCowan singled and came around to score on a stolen base and two wild pitches, and Billy Wellman walked and scored as well for a 5-0 lead after the first inning.

Jobe and Ludy, each of whom earned all-state honorable mention from the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2007, continued the onslaught in the second inning. Jobe led off with a home run to left field, and Ludy smacked a double to right-center.

That set the table for fellow senior Thomas McCowan, who hit a two-run shot to join the home run party.

Phil Powell doubled and scored later in the second to push the Patriot lead to 9-0.

"We kind of rattled the bats a little bit the first couple innings," said Selvey, whose squad added three runs in the third inning, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. "And our defense was pretty good ... For not being able to get outside (we played well)."

Powell followed up his second-inning double with a two-run single in the third inning, and then blasted a two-run homer - it was the fifth for Jay County in the game and the first of his career - in the fifth.

He finished 3-for-4 with three runs and a team-high four RBIs, and also struck out four batters in two perfect innings of relief.

"I was real pleased to see Phil come in and put the ball in play for us," said Selvey. "I hope (the pitching) is a confidence builder, because we're going to need that young man down the road to beat some teams for us. I don't know if he's our No. 2, No. 3 or whatever, but he's going to get a lot of innings."

Jobe smacked his pair of home runs, drove in three runs and scored three times. He also picked up the victory, giving up just one hit while striking out six batters in three innings of work.

Ludy, who blasted a school record 12 home runs in 2007, was 3-for-4 with three runs. McCowan, who set the single-season record for doubles last year, went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs.

With outdoor practices having been limited by wet and cold weather, the wide margin also gave Selvey a chance to get everyone on the field.

Michael Daniels, Nathan Brown, Willie Mayfield, Jon Pettus, Dalton McGill and Eric Homan also saw action off the bench.

"This really is the first thing we've really got to do a lot of outside," said Selvey.

Austin Davis had Winchester's lone hit, a two-out double in the third inning.

Cook took the loss as he gave up nine runs, six earned, on eight hits and three walks in two innings.[[In-content Ad]]