April 17, 2015 at 5:28 p.m.
Thompson, Raiders blast Jay
Kentucky commit hits three-run homer in ninth
Thompson, Raiders blast Jay
In the top of the seventh inning in a 4-4 ballgame Thursday, Wapahani’s Zach Thompson crushed a 1-2 pitch from Levi Long over the fence in right field.
Fortunately for Long, it was a foul, and the Jay County High School sophomore fooled Thompson with a changeup for the strikeout to get out of the jam.
Two innings later with the defending Class 2A state champions and top-ranked Raiders ahead by one, Thompson wasn’t going to get duped again.
With two outs and runners at the corners, Thompson, who has verbally committed to University of Kentucky, launched the first pitch of his at bat over the fence in right field — this time in fair territory — helping the Raiders to a 9-4 victory against the host Patriots.
“When you’ve got a kid like Thompson in there … he can hit one 5 miles,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team knocked off Ohio’s defending Division III state champion Coldwater 3-2 on Monday and had Wapahani on the ropes early Thursday. “The kid is outstanding. He is the real deal.”
Raider coach Brian Dudley said Thompson was just being his normal self.
“He was Zack as far as he didn’t try to do too much on that swing,” said Dudley, whose team moves to 4-3 on the season with a pair of losses to Homestead and one to Blue River Valley. “He struck out the time before with guys on base, and if he gets a hit there we probably take the lead.
“That one there he stayed within himself, got a good swing on it and it traveled.”
Selvey said despite the fact Long — who had thrown 150 pitches before facing Thompson in the ninth — was running on fumes, the sophomore still wanted to pitch.
“He’s a competitor and I thought he could get the job done,” said Selvey, who had senior Jake Carpenter warmed up and ready to pitch in relief. “(With Carpenter) you never know if it would have been the same result.”
Thompson’s blast plated the only two earned runs for the Raiders. Jay County (3-3) committed six errors on the evening, leading to seven unearned runs for the visitors.
Unlike the ninth inning, the first six went back and forth.
Jay County struck in the bottom of the first when Long drilled an RBI single to left field to score Jacob Geesaman from second.
Fortunately for Long, it was a foul, and the Jay County High School sophomore fooled Thompson with a changeup for the strikeout to get out of the jam.
Two innings later with the defending Class 2A state champions and top-ranked Raiders ahead by one, Thompson wasn’t going to get duped again.
With two outs and runners at the corners, Thompson, who has verbally committed to University of Kentucky, launched the first pitch of his at bat over the fence in right field — this time in fair territory — helping the Raiders to a 9-4 victory against the host Patriots.
“When you’ve got a kid like Thompson in there … he can hit one 5 miles,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team knocked off Ohio’s defending Division III state champion Coldwater 3-2 on Monday and had Wapahani on the ropes early Thursday. “The kid is outstanding. He is the real deal.”
Raider coach Brian Dudley said Thompson was just being his normal self.
“He was Zack as far as he didn’t try to do too much on that swing,” said Dudley, whose team moves to 4-3 on the season with a pair of losses to Homestead and one to Blue River Valley. “He struck out the time before with guys on base, and if he gets a hit there we probably take the lead.
“That one there he stayed within himself, got a good swing on it and it traveled.”
Selvey said despite the fact Long — who had thrown 150 pitches before facing Thompson in the ninth — was running on fumes, the sophomore still wanted to pitch.
“He’s a competitor and I thought he could get the job done,” said Selvey, who had senior Jake Carpenter warmed up and ready to pitch in relief. “(With Carpenter) you never know if it would have been the same result.”
Thompson’s blast plated the only two earned runs for the Raiders. Jay County (3-3) committed six errors on the evening, leading to seven unearned runs for the visitors.
Unlike the ninth inning, the first six went back and forth.
Jay County struck in the bottom of the first when Long drilled an RBI single to left field to score Jacob Geesaman from second.
Wapahani tied the game in the third on a groundout by Grant Thompson, but the Patriots nabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame on Geesaman’s RBI double over the head of Hunter Stanley in left field.
The advantage didn’t last, as Raider starting pitcher Jared Coats hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth to drive in Austin Martin.
In the bottom of the fifth, JCHS senior Tanner Reynolds hit a ground ball down the left foul line, and a charging Taylor Shroyer at third opted to let it go through his legs hoping it would roll foul. The ball stayed fair, scoring Ethan Myers and Geesaman for a 4-2 Jay County lead.
Like it had twice before, Wapahani answered, tying the game in the sixth on a wild pitch and another Coats sac fly.
Jay County left a runner stranded in the sixth, and Thompson came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh and mowed down the heart of the Patriots’ order, striking out the side.
Coats led off the top of the ninth with a walk, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. A fielder’s choice by Hayden Castor put Coats at third and he scored the winning run on an error.
Wapahani freshman Cody Smith earned the win, striking out four and walking three without giving up a hit in two innings of relief. Long took the loss for the Patriots, scattering six hits over 8 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
“Bottom line tonight, if we make plays, we win,” Selvey said. “I don’t think we played bad. We just had those errors.”
“I’m proud of them. They are upset, but they have to realize where we’re at and where we’re getting. If you would have told me earlier in the week that I would go nine innings with a state championship team and beat another one — in between we lose a heartbreaker (an 11-10 loss to Eastbrook) — it’s making us better.”
The advantage didn’t last, as Raider starting pitcher Jared Coats hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth to drive in Austin Martin.
In the bottom of the fifth, JCHS senior Tanner Reynolds hit a ground ball down the left foul line, and a charging Taylor Shroyer at third opted to let it go through his legs hoping it would roll foul. The ball stayed fair, scoring Ethan Myers and Geesaman for a 4-2 Jay County lead.
Like it had twice before, Wapahani answered, tying the game in the sixth on a wild pitch and another Coats sac fly.
Jay County left a runner stranded in the sixth, and Thompson came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh and mowed down the heart of the Patriots’ order, striking out the side.
Coats led off the top of the ninth with a walk, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. A fielder’s choice by Hayden Castor put Coats at third and he scored the winning run on an error.
Wapahani freshman Cody Smith earned the win, striking out four and walking three without giving up a hit in two innings of relief. Long took the loss for the Patriots, scattering six hits over 8 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.
“Bottom line tonight, if we make plays, we win,” Selvey said. “I don’t think we played bad. We just had those errors.”
“I’m proud of them. They are upset, but they have to realize where we’re at and where we’re getting. If you would have told me earlier in the week that I would go nine innings with a state championship team and beat another one — in between we lose a heartbreaker (an 11-10 loss to Eastbrook) — it’s making us better.”
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