Jay County blasts Rebels (05/05/08)

The week in between was rough. But for the second straight Saturday, the Patriots were an offensive juggernaut.

Jay County High School's softball team racked up double-digit runs in both games of a double-header for the second straight weekend, smacking around the Muncie Southside Rebels 11-1 and 18-8 Saturday. Both games ended in five innings.

"It's kind of what we talked about (Friday) night," said JCHS coach Jack Wood, whose team lost 19-0 Friday to Anderson Highland. "If you hit the ball, put the ball in play, good things happen. We definitely did today. We came out and hit the ball real well."

The Patriots (11-7) also crushed Winchester a week earlier with wins of 22-0 and 1-6 in five innings. But then they struggled at the plate in a 3-0 loss Wednesday to Bluffton and Friday's defeat against Highland.

Those issues were long gone in the wins over the Rebels as Jay County hammered 11 extra-base hits, including five home runs.

Four first-inning runs, three of which were unearned, got the Patriots started, and then the home run parade began in the second inning. Trisha Champ crushed a two run shot to dead center field, marking the first of her career but not her last of the day.

Brittany Watson hit a home run to lead off the third inning, and then Champ went deep against with a solo shot with two outs.

Lindsey Wellman gave Jay County a fourth home run to lead off the fourth inning.

"She's came close several times," said Wood of Champ, a four-year starter who had the Patriots' only hit in Friday night's defeat. "But those were her first two home runs - two in one game."

Champ finished 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Wellman also went 3-for-4 with a couple of runs, three RBIs and a steal. Tiffany Davis had three hits, Watson drove in three runs and Amber Edmundson scored twice.

Edmundson also took the win, giving up the single run on seven hits and a walk. She struck out four.

Brittany Mann returned from injury for her first start of the year in game two, in which the Patriots racked up five runs in the first inning and scored at least twice in every frame. She went 2-for-3, including a two-run double as part of the five-run first inning, three runs and three RBIs.

"Brittany Mann came in today and had a few hits in that second game," said Wood. "Shelby Gierhart drove one to left field. ... I think pretty much everybody contributed something today."

Champ had another big game with a single, a double, stolen base, an RBI and a trio of runs. Davis had two hits, two RBIs and a double, and Lauren Edmundson drove in two runs.

Jay County was up 14-3 after their at bat in the top of the fourth inning - the home team played as the visitors in the second game of the OAC twin bill - before Southside scored four thanks to a pair of doubles in the fourth.

But in fifth inning Jess Piercey came off the bench to hit her first career home run, a two-run blast to left field as part of a three-run frame. Southside had a runner on third for a chance to push the game to the sixth inning, but Davis struck out Brittany Fisher to end the contest.

After coming up with just four hits in its previous two games, Jay County racked up 27 in the double-header against the Rebels.

"From the start today they were talking, they were communicating, they were up," said Wood. "They had a little more fire in them. Compared to (Friday), and actually the last couple games, where we have just not been ready to play. We came out ready to play today and hit the ball.

"We just had a totally different focus than what we had (Friday) night."

Davis took the game-two victory, giving up 8 runs - six earned - on 13 hits and two walks. She struck out three batters.

"We had a couple pretty good pitching performances from Amber and Tiffany," said Wood. "Muncie South, they put the ball in play, they're pretty aggressive."

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