South Side sweeps

The first inning set the tone for a long day for the Patriots.
The Jay County High School baseball team gave up seven first-inning runs Saturday and went hitless in the opener as it fell 13-0 in five innings and 8-1 to the visiting Fort Wayne South Side Archers.
The Patriots have dropped four in a row and have scored just two runs over their last three games.
“We didn’t hit, obviously,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team has lost eight of its last nine to fall to 9-12-1. “It’s just kind of a mental thing with them right now. That’s three games in a row where we’re not hitting the ball well. They’re frustrated.”
South Side (12-6) wasted no time in taking control as each of its first five batters reached base and scored in the top of the first inning.
Evan VanSumeren and Donovan Clark opened with back-to-back singles to right fight before William Coursen-Carr was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Justin Kiessling and Garrison Bryan followed with back-to-back RBI walks for a 2-0 lead.
After JCHS starter Andy Haffner got a couple of outs, Latrell Ware delivered a two-run single to left field to score Coursen-Carr and Kiessling. John Dukarski then dropped an RBI single into center field to chase Haffner from the game.
“(They had) two dinks, and honestly I think Andy got a little frustrated because he made two good pitches,” Selvey said.
VanSumeren doubled to left field to drive in two more runs before he was thrown out trying to get to third base. South Side tacked on four more runs in the second inning thanks to five hits, including a triple from Coursen-Carr and a two-run double by Jordan Joyner.
“That was great,” said South Side coach Sheldon Van Pelt of his team’s quick start. “I didn’t really expect that. I’ve seen scores, and I know Jay County is better than they (were last year). I was kind of shocked when that happened. It was nice. It’s a good way to start.”
The Archers scored their final two runs in the fifth and let Garrison Bryan do the rest.
Bryan tossed the no-hitter to shut down the JCHS offense, which scored just once in Friday’s loss to Blackford.
Justin Kiessling allowed just four hits in the second game as South Side extended its winning streak to eight.
“(Bryan), I think his breaking ball worked really well,” said Van Pelt. “And then (Kiessling) likes to throw a knuckle ball. The breaking pitches worked real well.”
The Archers supported Kiessling by scoring in six out of the seven innings, including two runs each in the second and fourth.
The lone Jay County run of the day came in its final at bat as sophomore substitute Sean Winget wreaked some havoc on the bases.
Having entered the game on defense, Winget led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single to left field. He stole second base and advance to third on a single by freshman Tanner Reynolds.
Winget then took home on a wild pitch to save the Patriots from the shutout.
The only other hits for Jay County came from Devin Conatser and Jordan McBride.
South Side’s speedy outfield defense was key throughout the game, with Ware making a long run to track down a fly ball off the bat of Keenan James and coming up with a diving catch for the final out of the fifth inning.
“Anything in the air in the outfield was caught,” said Selvey. “They’re a good ball club. They’re a very good ball club. They beat Northrop 1-0 last night.”
Haffner suffered the game-one defeat, giving up seven runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning. Dustin Selvey took the loss in game two as he gave up four runs — three earned — on four hits and a walk in three innings.


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