Jay edged in eight (05/08/07)

ANDERSON - It took a lot of heart for the Patriots to come back from a sixth-inning error and rally with two outs in the top of the seventh to forge a tie. But in close games the mistakes are magnified.

The Anderson Indians scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning and took advantage of a leadoff walk and a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth to snatch a 5-4 victory away from the Jay County softball team.

"We've talked about that all year," said JCHS coach Jack Wood, whose squad is now 11-5. "When you play the better teams you can't afford the little mistakes that cost us here and there. We had a couple errors that cost us. We could have been out of an inning and not even played eight innings."

Errors forced the Patriots to play extra innings, and after they went down one-two-three in the top of the eighth Jenny Matthews got Anderson (10-5) started. The No. 9 hitter drew a leadoff walk before Shae Keller, on in relief of Amber Edmundson, struck out Jill Davis for the first out of the inning.

Sami Bell followed with a bunt to the right side of the infield, which no Patriot was able to field in time as she reached base with a single. The runners advanced to second and third respectively on a passed ball and Mallory Ortwein made the Patriots pay.

Ortwein, who hit two home runs against JCHS last season, sent a fly ball to fairly deep center field. Kaelee Keller made the catch for the second out, but Matthews was able to tag up from third base and come in with the winning run.

"That's exactly what we were hoping for there," said Anderson coach Dick Hines, "just that she could get something up in the air."

Bell, the Indians' pitcher, opened the game 0-for-3 at the plate, but helped herself in a big way in the sixth inning after a Jay County error opened the door.

Matthews and Jill Davis reached base by way of an error and a fielder's choice, then advanced to second and third on a passed ball. With two outs and her team trailing 3-2, Bell bounced a two-run single through the left side of the infield.

She and Ortwein led the offense with two hits and two RBIs apiece. Matthews and Davis each scored twice, and Jordan Harrington had two hits.

"With the bat (Bell) really (helped herself). We had hit tons of fly balls," said Hines, whose team committed 16 of its 23 outs on either fly balls or line drives. "(Edmundson) kept us off stride. We were preaching and preaching and Bell finally got on top of one. It just happened to be at a crucial time. ... That was a huge hit there.

"But I have to give Jay credit. They came right back in the seventh and got that run right back.

"No doubt ... This is definitely the best Jay team I've seen for a few years."

Although she allowed the tying run on a two-out Patriot rally in the top of the seventh, Bell went on to the win. She gave up four runs - three earned - on nine hits and three walks. She also struck out eight batters.

After the Patriots gave up the lead in the sixth, Brittany Mann and Kaelee Keller hit consecutive ground balls to Anderson shortstop Johnna Rebenack for the first two outs of the seventh. Down to their last out, Shae Keller drew a walk and Morgan Locke singled to center field.

That brought up freshman Pazia Speed, who delivered in the clutch with a game-tying single to center.

"They're definitely not quitters," said Wood, whose team lost 10-1 to Anderson a year ago. "Whether we've got no outs, one out, two outs, we don't feel like we're out of it until we've got the third out. They showed they have the ability to come back."

But after the hit from Speed, who finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, the next four JCHS hitters went down in order and Anderson took the win in the bottom of the eighth.

Shae Keller suffered the loss as each of the final three Indian runs were unearned.

Following Speed for the Patriots, who were playing without junior catcher Trisha Champ because of a hip injury, were Ashley Bunch with two hits and Brittany Mann with a double and two RBIs.[[In-content Ad]]