Patriots walk off, twice

Ryan Schlechty was hitless in his previous three at bats.
Facing a full count with the potential game-winning run on second base in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Patriot was looking for a pitch right down the pipe.
Fort Wayne South Side pitcher Josh Smith granted Schlechty’s wish, and the freshman pelted the ball over the head of Xzavier Rogers in right field to drive in Mitchel Frasher as the Jay County High School baseball team swept the Archers in a doubleheader Saturday with both wins coming in walk-off fashion.
“It was a good win for us, a good comeback,” said JCHS coach Lea Selvey, whose team fell behind 2-1 after the third inning and had trouble getting baserunners until the seventh. “We found a way to win.”
Jay County (10-7) got a leadoff walk from Chandler Jacks in the bottom of the seventh, and pinch runner Jake Myers reached third base on an error and a stolen base. With a chance to tie the game, Max Moser popped out to the second baseman. Michael Schlechty, Ryan’s twin brother, bounced out to the shortstop to score Myers and tie the game.
Then in the eighth, Josh Vaughn drew a leadoff walk and Frasher replaced him on the base paths. Ryan Schlecthy — he has moved into the leadoff role and starting shortstop in the absence of injured sophomore Cole Stigleman — had grounded out to the first baseman and the pitcher, and struck out his previous three times at the plate.
Frasher swiped second base to get in scoring position, and Schlechty worked Smith to a full count.
“I was looking for a fastball across the plate, see if I could put it in play to move the runner (and) maybe score him,” he said.
When the left-handed hitter ripped the ball to right field and ran to first, he didn’t think he was going to be the hero.
“I was kind of doubtful at first,” he said. “Then I saw it go over his head and I was relieved.”
It was the second of two hits on the day for the freshman, joining Moser and Jacks as the only players to record hits in both games.
Schlechty’s RBI double gave classmate Wyatt Geesaman the win on the bump. He pitched three innings in relief of Jacks, not allowing a hit and striking out two.
“He kind of battled himself through it,” Selvey said of Geesaman. “It was a good outing for him to get back because his last outing wasn’t very good.”
Jacks, who had an RBI single in the first inning to tie the score at 1-1, allowed two runs — one earned — on one hit while walking two and striking out five.
“They battled back a lot of times this year,” Selvey said of the resiliency of the Patriots. “We get down and they battle back to stay in there. We’re using all seven innings a lot of times.”
After Schlecthy’s game-winning hit, the celebration was subdued, although the Patriots had just earned back-to-back walk-off wins. Jay County and South Side (2-17) were scoreless through six innings in the first game before an error plated the only run.
Senior Andy Kohler hit a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Ryan Schlechty followed with a walk. Wyatt Geesaman hit a grounder to South Side shortstop Cole Hapner, who flipped to Eddie Lallow at second base for the first out. Lallow’s throw to first for a try at a double play got by first baseman Colin Taylor, and Kohler trotted home easily for the game winner.
Myers got back in the win column in the first game a week after losing 7-6 to Hagerstown. The junior tossed seven shutout innings, scattering six hits while walking two. He also struck out seven.
“Jake was good,” Selvey said. “They got a couple hits but they didn’t hit him hard.”
Jay County had runners in scoring position during the first, fourth and sixth innings but had trouble getting the hit to score a run. With the pair of one-run victories, Selvey is still pleased with the direction the Patriots are heading.
“Sometimes they don’t act like they believe in themselves but I think they do believe in themselves,” he said. “They are just good enough that we’re on the verge of breaking through and being a pretty good team.”