July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Jay Co. out-hits Panthers (05/30/06)
JCHS baseball
Jay Co. out-hits Panthers (05/30/06)
By By RAY COONEY-
HARTFORD CITY — The Patriots have made a habit of giving up a ton of runs in sectional games. They did it again Monday, but they scored more.
The Jay County baseball team took a 4-0 lead in the second inning and never trailed in a 10-8 victory over the Elwood Panthers. The Patriots’ win in the opening round of the Class 3A sectional tournament at Blackford sends them to play Mississinewa in Friday’s semifinal round at 5 p.m.
Mississinewa advanced with an 11-9 victory over Tipton in the second game at Blackford Monday.
“We beat a good ball club,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team had lost its sectional opener in each of the last three seasons. “I knew we had to come out and score some runs.
“We’ve got some kids that are just hitting the ball well right now. If somebody gets close, they really don’t panic, they just figure they can get some more.”
Big run totals have been the norm in Jay County’s recent sectional experience with losses of 10-9 to Mississinewa in 2005, 12-2 to Blackford in 2004 and 9-2 to Norwell in 2003. Its last sectional win came by a 10-1 score over Maconaquah in 2002.
Although the runs came in bunches later, the game may well have been decided in the first two innings.
Elwood (18-10) put its first two hitters on base in the bottom of the first inning, but Josh Shatto struck out the next two batters. Troy Worsley followed with a walk to load the bases only to have Ryan Landrum pop out to first baseman Andy Hughes to end the threat.
Jay County pounded the ball to right-center field in the top of the second inning, with Michael Jobe smacking a lead-off, ground-rule double. Tony McCowan added a double, and Thomas McCowan singled to right-center after Hughes was hit by a pitch. The Patriots posted four runs in all, and Shatto turned in a one-two-three bottom of the second.
The Panthers got to within a pair of runs on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t find the one extra hit they needed. They left the bases loaded without scoring a run in the fifth inning, and missed another chance when Ethan Arehart hit into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.
“We fought, but you can’t leave the bases loaded twice,” said Elwood coach Adrian Heim. “The first inning I thought was the biggest of the game.”
After jumping ahead in the second inning, Jay County got a solo home run from Josh Ludy in the third. John Retter added a three-run blast in a four-run fourth, and Cory Locke drove in the final run with a ground out in the fifth.
Jobe finished 2-for-3 with his double, two runs and two stolen bases.
Ludy reached safely in all of his plate appearances with two hits and two walks. He also scored two runs.
Tony McCowan had two hits and two RBIs, Thomas McCowan finished 3-for-4 with two runs and Josh Selvey totaled two hits and two RBIs.
Lea Selvey said it was important that Elwood was never able to pull even.
“They were still two runs away,” he said. “There were a couple of times when they were a swing away from tying it, but those times we came back and answered.”
Josh Atkinson got the win, giving up one run in three innings in relief of Josh Shatto. He walked two and struck out one.
Elwood had trouble garnering hits, but made up for it by taking advantage of walks. Shatto walked seven batters and hit one with a pitch in the opening four innings, and Atkinson walked two more.
The Panthers got their first seven runs with just two hits. The first three scored on a Troy Worsley three-run homer, No. 4 came in when Andrew Stout was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and the final three scored on the bases-loaded double from Josh Rider.
“We’ve been doing this all year,” said Heim. “We haven’t hit the ball. You can’t win a ball game with five hits against 14. They just tattooed our pitching from top to bottom. Give them credit.”
Damon Hughes, one of four pitchers to throw for Elwood, took the loss. He gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in 12/3 innings.
Jay Co. 9, Northeastern 3
The Patriots closed the regular seasons Saturday, jumping on the Northeastern Knights for four runs in the opening inning on the way to a 9-3 win.
Sophomores Michael Jobe and Josh Ludy powered the offense, each finishing with three hits. Jobe had three RBIs and two runs, and Ludy scored three times in drove in two runs.
Cory Locke also had three hits, and Tony McCowan added two RBIs.
Jobe picked up the win, allowing three runs — one earned — on three hits. He walked six and struck out nine.[[In-content Ad]]
The Jay County baseball team took a 4-0 lead in the second inning and never trailed in a 10-8 victory over the Elwood Panthers. The Patriots’ win in the opening round of the Class 3A sectional tournament at Blackford sends them to play Mississinewa in Friday’s semifinal round at 5 p.m.
Mississinewa advanced with an 11-9 victory over Tipton in the second game at Blackford Monday.
“We beat a good ball club,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team had lost its sectional opener in each of the last three seasons. “I knew we had to come out and score some runs.
“We’ve got some kids that are just hitting the ball well right now. If somebody gets close, they really don’t panic, they just figure they can get some more.”
Big run totals have been the norm in Jay County’s recent sectional experience with losses of 10-9 to Mississinewa in 2005, 12-2 to Blackford in 2004 and 9-2 to Norwell in 2003. Its last sectional win came by a 10-1 score over Maconaquah in 2002.
Although the runs came in bunches later, the game may well have been decided in the first two innings.
Elwood (18-10) put its first two hitters on base in the bottom of the first inning, but Josh Shatto struck out the next two batters. Troy Worsley followed with a walk to load the bases only to have Ryan Landrum pop out to first baseman Andy Hughes to end the threat.
Jay County pounded the ball to right-center field in the top of the second inning, with Michael Jobe smacking a lead-off, ground-rule double. Tony McCowan added a double, and Thomas McCowan singled to right-center after Hughes was hit by a pitch. The Patriots posted four runs in all, and Shatto turned in a one-two-three bottom of the second.
The Panthers got to within a pair of runs on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t find the one extra hit they needed. They left the bases loaded without scoring a run in the fifth inning, and missed another chance when Ethan Arehart hit into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.
“We fought, but you can’t leave the bases loaded twice,” said Elwood coach Adrian Heim. “The first inning I thought was the biggest of the game.”
After jumping ahead in the second inning, Jay County got a solo home run from Josh Ludy in the third. John Retter added a three-run blast in a four-run fourth, and Cory Locke drove in the final run with a ground out in the fifth.
Jobe finished 2-for-3 with his double, two runs and two stolen bases.
Ludy reached safely in all of his plate appearances with two hits and two walks. He also scored two runs.
Tony McCowan had two hits and two RBIs, Thomas McCowan finished 3-for-4 with two runs and Josh Selvey totaled two hits and two RBIs.
Lea Selvey said it was important that Elwood was never able to pull even.
“They were still two runs away,” he said. “There were a couple of times when they were a swing away from tying it, but those times we came back and answered.”
Josh Atkinson got the win, giving up one run in three innings in relief of Josh Shatto. He walked two and struck out one.
Elwood had trouble garnering hits, but made up for it by taking advantage of walks. Shatto walked seven batters and hit one with a pitch in the opening four innings, and Atkinson walked two more.
The Panthers got their first seven runs with just two hits. The first three scored on a Troy Worsley three-run homer, No. 4 came in when Andrew Stout was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and the final three scored on the bases-loaded double from Josh Rider.
“We’ve been doing this all year,” said Heim. “We haven’t hit the ball. You can’t win a ball game with five hits against 14. They just tattooed our pitching from top to bottom. Give them credit.”
Damon Hughes, one of four pitchers to throw for Elwood, took the loss. He gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in 12/3 innings.
Jay Co. 9, Northeastern 3
The Patriots closed the regular seasons Saturday, jumping on the Northeastern Knights for four runs in the opening inning on the way to a 9-3 win.
Sophomores Michael Jobe and Josh Ludy powered the offense, each finishing with three hits. Jobe had three RBIs and two runs, and Ludy scored three times in drove in two runs.
Cory Locke also had three hits, and Tony McCowan added two RBIs.
Jobe picked up the win, allowing three runs — one earned — on three hits. He walked six and struck out nine.[[In-content Ad]]
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