Rally at regional

Chandler Jacks entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run lead.

Four pitches later it was gone.

Clinging to a one-run advantage in the seventh, Jacks, a 2016 Jay County High School graduate, walked both Michael Morris and Ty James to start the inning.

James represented the potential game-tying run.

Jamie Spottz, the massive No. 3 hitter for the Chiefs, watched a strike one go by.

He then worked Jacks to a full count.

The college junior reared back and rifled a fastball high and inside to the former Ball State Cardinal who is old enough to be Jacks’ father.

James swung and missed.

Jared Chappman then lined out to short.

And Raheem Hassan grounded out to second.

Jacks rebounded from a shaky start to his night by shutting the door on the Cincinnati Chiefs in helping the Portland Rockets to a 9-8 victory in seven innings on Friday in the opening game of the NABF Regional tournament at Portland Memorial Park’s Runkle-Miller Field.

The tournament continues at 3:30 p.m. today as the Chiefs meet the Berea Blue Sox. Portland, which has one six in a row, then plays the Blue Sox at 6 p.m. Both will be seven-inning contests.

The teams with the two best records advance to a nine-inning championship game at 1 p.m. Sunday.

“I was really just trying to get him out,” Jacks said of his showdown with the 42-year-old James. “My game plan was just keep it out of the wheelhouse.”

It was the third strikeout of the game for James, who also drove in a pair of runs in the Chiefs’ five-run second inning.

Jacks, who threw for a season and a half at Wabash College, had been in pressure situations while at Jay County and last season with the Rockets.

Friday night was by no means unfamiliar territory for the righty.

“I just take it one pitch at a time,” he said. “That’s really about it. Just take a deep breath between each pitch, kind of recuperate and get ready to throw the next one.”

Portland (15-10), which was the visiting team although it played at home, nabbed a 3-1 lead in the second inning thanks to RBIs from Justin Greene, Dustin Lewis and Zach Tanner.

But in the home half of the inning the Chiefs responded with three runs of their own to get their one-run lead back.

Portland’s offense was silent for the next three innings before coming alive again in the sixth.

Cody Krumlauf got hit to start things off. Zeth Tanner hit a single, and Greene ripped another RBI single. Following a strikeout, Chris Gaines got hit to load the bases. Zach Tanner then drew a run-scoring walk

Waters drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, and Gaines hustled around from second to score two runs on the play and give Portland 7-6 advantage.

Tristen Becker singled home Waters from second to make it 8-6.

“Resilient,” said Portland Rockets manager Randy Miller, who contrary to the norm was a man of few words postgame. “A Rocket rally again.”

Chase Ruiz got two outs but had two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth before Jacks came in to pitch. Frank Brown and Kenney Owens both hit RBI singles to tie the game.

Miller visited the mound to calm down Jacks, and during the huddle the Rockets drew up a hidden ball trick. As Jacks toiled around the back of the mound, Zach Tanner tagged out Brown at second for the final out of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Greene reached on a one-out error, moved to second on a walk and scored the eventual game-winning run on a Gaines single through the left side of the field.

“I think they ran out of firepower,” Miller said. “We just kept coming back. We were destined to win.

“The hidden ball trick was huge. They played well, but you know what, they got beat because we had bigger innings.”