OAC champions (05/07/08)

Clinging to a one-run lead in the seventh inning, Michael Jobe walked the bases loaded.

But there's a reason he owns the school record for wins and was second in the state in that category headed into Tuesday's action. He doesn't fold.

With the tying and lead runs in scoring position, Jobe induced a pop up on the infield and shortstop Thomas McCowan made the catch to finish off a 3-2 victory for the Jay County High School baseball team over the visiting Connersville Spartans.

The win was the seventh in a row for the Class 4A No. 5 Patriots and clinched them the Olympic Athletic Conference championship.

"It feels good, I'm not going to lie about that," said Jay County coach Lea Selvey, whose team has taken the OAC crown three of the last four seasons. "These kids work hard. I'm very pleased, very proud of the kids."

Jobe gave up just four hits, but had his struggles with control. In three different innings he walked at least two batters, but got out of trouble each time.

He put two in a row on base in the third before striking out No. 1 and 2 hitters Tucker Brown and Chandler Gable to end the inning. In the fifth he walked a pair, but struck out Gable again to halt the threat.

And in the seventh Jobe allowed a pair of one out walks. He got Evan McCombs to pop out to catcher Josh Ludy, but then walked Clay Woodall to load the bases. (The Patriots thought they had the final out on Woodall, but the field umpire called him safe as he checked his swing on a 2-2 pitch.)

Then Jobe got the pop out to McCowan to complete the victory.

"He buckled down and got the job done for us," said Selvey of the senior, who is now 9-0. "He got a couple pop ups and that was that.

"He had the composure to battle back."

Jobe struck out five batters while walking eight, giving him 78 strikeouts in 54 innings this year. He has a 1.17 ERA.

"Jobe's a good pitcher," said Connersville coach Scott Sargent. "He's shut a lot of team's down this year. I like the way the kids battled. He's probably one of the better pitchers in the state, and we hung in there."

Jay County (14-1, 5-1 OAC) opened the scoring on a first-inning Jobe home run to left field - it was his 11th of the year, one short of the school record Ludy set last season - and the Spartans tied it with a McCombs homer that hooked around the left field foul pole in the fourth.

The difference in the game came in the bottom of that fourth inning, even after Connersville recorded its first of two double plays.

Phil Powell drew a two-out walk, then stole second base, and Nick Pryor made the steal count by driving in Powell with a single to left field. Pryor then left in favor of pinch runner Ben Vance, who also stole second.

Michael Daniels hit a little looper that got just over 6-foot-3 inch Spartan starter Zack Hufferd and landed in front of third baseman Zane Faw. Trying to make a big play, Faw scooped the ball and fired to first only to have it get past Brown. The error allowed Vance to score what would be the game-winning run and Daniels to advance all the way to third base.

"That happens. That's baseball," said Sargent, whose team dropped to 10-8 and finished 4-2 in the OAC. "You can't fault a kid for trying to make a play. ... It's a play I'm sure he'd like to have back ...

"We still had our chance until the last out."

Jobe finished 2-for-3 with the home run, Ludy was 2-for-3 with a double and Trey Dunn also had two hits.

Connersville cut the Patriot lead to one in the sixth inning when Woodall, who finished 2-for-3, singled, advanced to third on a ground-rule double by Hufferd and scored on a David Goins ground out to second base.

Hufferd, a sophomore, took the loss, giving up three runs - two earned - on 10 hits and two walks. He struck out six batters.

"I think we had a pitcher that was equal to (Jobe) today on our side," said Sargent. "Hufferd threw a very good game. He's just a sophomore and we put him out there in a pressure situation. He kept us close and kept us in the game."[[In-content Ad]]