HRs and big innings

BERNE — The Patriots had three towering home runs and three five-run innings.

Despite the Starfires throwing four different pitchers at them, nothing could slow down their bats.

The hot offense of the Jay County High School softball team powered it past South Adams 18-6 Wednesday night during a make-up of Tuesday’s game that was postponed because of rain.

Even though the Patriots (14-1, 2-0 Allen County Athletic Conference) had not played since April 27, it didn’t take long for their bats to wake up.

“It just shows the character of these girls,” coach Doug Arbuckle said. “They know what’s ahead of them and they’re staying focused.”

Arbuckle worried about where the team’s focus would be after Sunday’s IHSAA sectional tournament drawing, when Jay County was matched up with Centerville, the only team it has lost to this year.

“We had a discussion over the weekend about the sectional draw. I thought we might lose a little bit of focus but we got back on track and I told them, ‘It’s one game at a time. South Adams is next. Then we’ll move on to Bluffton.’ The conference is before us and we hold on to our own destiny. Kudos to those girls to be able to (focus in after two rainouts and the sectional drawing).”

Riah Champ’s two-run home run in the first inning set the tone for the game and put the first two runs on the board.

“I felt like once I hit that home run everyone else was like, ‘I want to do that too,’” Champ said. “So once one person does it everyone else wants to as well.”

The home run wasn’t Champ’s only contribution as she added three more hits, two more RBIs and three additional runs. She scored in all three of Jay County’s five-run innings.

Renna Schwieterman drove in Champ in the third and seventh innings while Taylor Brown’s two-RBI single scored her in the fourth.

“I think it’s good that everyone is hitting the ball,” Champ said “It’s a big thing this year.”

Schwieterman’s day at the plate rivaled Champ’s as she had three runs and five RBIs on three hits, including a two-run home run of her own in the third inning.

The blast wasn’t the only of its kind to come in the third inning. Mallory Winner led off with a solo shot to deep center field.

After the pair of home runs, two batters were hit by a pitch and one was walked to set up Mady Fraley. The junior pulled through with a two-run double to shallow left field. The five-run inning gave the Patriots a 7-0 lead.

The Starfires (6-6, 1-2 ACAC) would take two runs back in the bottom half of the frame. South Adams’ first two hitters singled and executed a double steal that resulted in a run and an out at second base before Peyton Pries hit a solo shot.

The Patriots then followed their first five-run inning with another. Singles from Champ, Schwieterman and Brown as well as a pair of errors helped push the runs across for a 12-2 lead.

Jay County had a chance to end the game early, but back-to-back innings when South Adams scored a run kept the Starfires’ hopes alive.

“I got down in the count and that’s when they got me so I have to improve that,” Winner said.

The Patriots were able to put the game away with a final five-run inning in the seventh powered by extra-base hits from Jaelynn Lykins, Danyelle Bland, Winner and Schwieterman.

Winner earned her 12th win of the season. She went the distance in the circle, striking out eight batters and only gave up four earned runs on nine hits.

Lykins had high praise for the season her battery partner has been having.

“It’s so much fun. I think we work together really well,” Lykins said. “She’s one of my favorite pitchers to catch.

“Mal is going to strike out batters but she’s going to get balls put in play so having a good defense helps.”

Nine different Patriots scored runs in the contest, while the team only left seven runners stranded on base.

“These last few days we’ve spent a lot of time hitting and focusing on small-ball and putting the bat on the ball,” Arbuckle said. “When runners were in scoring position, we came up with some clutch hits and got some runs.”