Semoball

Jackson baseball rallies, edges rival Cape Central 9-8 in SEMO Conference clash

Jackson's Carson Barnes slides under a tag by Cape Girardeau Central's Drake Mills in the fourth inning of a game Monday at Jackson Indian Stadium. The hosts rallied from a four-run deficit to edge the Tigers 9-8.
BEN MATTHEWS

The game had been turned on its head, with a three-run lead turning into a four-run deficit, but the Jackson baseball team didn't panic.

The Indians just kept scoring, taking the lead for good in the fifth inning and holding on for a 9-8 win over rival Cape Girardeau Central on Monday at Jackson Indian Stadium, improving to 4-0 in the SEMO Conference.

By scoring in five of the six innings they came up to bat, the Indians were able to overcome a horrendous third inning in which they gave up seven runs and dug a 7-3 hole.

"We had to bring them in and say, 'Hey, there's nothing we can do about the seven-spot put up on us,'" Jackson coach Bryan Austin said. "'We have to find a way to battle back here. That has already happened. It's time to move forward.'"

Jackson did just that, moving to 10-4 overall with its sixth consecutive win.

Seth Essner led the way at the plate, going 3-for-3 and driving in the go-ahead run with a one-out double in the fifth. Tyler Harris added two singles as Jackson finished with 10 hits.

Cape Central's Chase Crosnoe tries to outrun a throw during the first inning of a game Monday at Jackson Indian Stadium.

"I think a lot of times what we've been doing is we've been getting under the baseball and hitting moon shots to the center fielder," Austin said. "We switched our approach this week and really tried to drive home with our kids on staying back, trying to hit the ball the other way and focus on the top half (of the baseball)."

Cole Welker got on base twice, scoring both times and pitched two scoreless innings to get the save.

After scoring seven runs in that third inning, Central (5-4 overall, 0-1 SEMO Conference) scored one run in the final four frames.

"I feel like we're both about the exact same team," Tigers coach Tatum Kitchen said. "We both have really competitive kids and we both really get after it, and they scored one more run than we did today. Now, they were much more efficient. They scored five out of six (innings), and we scored in two innings."

Jackson jumped on top with a run in the first as Welker drew a leadoff walk and came around to score without the Indians tallying a hit. The hosts added to that advantage in the second thanks a two-RBI single by Boone Gartman, who finished 2-of-3.

Then Central exploded for seven runs, taking advantage of three Jackson errors. Cole Emmenderfer started the rally with a leadoff single. Two batters later, he scampered home on a grounder to first base, beating the throw to the plate.

The second run came on an error and consecutive hit batters pushed in another run while loading the bases for Nathan Patterson. He delivered a three-RBI triple, and suddenly Central had the lead. He then scored on a passed ball to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.

Patterson was the sole Tiger with multiple hits, finishing 2-of-4 with four runs driven in.

"We completely self-imploded that inning, gave them a lot of stuff, and they're a really good baseball team," Austin said. "We're making mistakes and they take advantage of it, which is how it should be. You can tell that they're coached really well because they score a lot of runs when we mess up, and that's what should happen."

With Austin imploring his team to focus on the future, the Indians didn't fold. They scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to draw within two runs. Central added a run in the fourth, but Jackson again responded. Gartman produced a run-scoring double, one of three runs the hosts scored to tie the game at 8-all.

The Indians took the lead for good an inning later with Harris and Essner playing central roles. Harris singled to begin the frame. He was lifted for a courtesy runner, Coley Leimbach, who advanced to third and then scored on Essner's double down the right-field line.

Welker took over on the mound in the sixth and allowed just one hit and faced one batter over the minimum. When Central was threating, with a runner on second in the sixth, Harris threw out the runner trying to steal third to end the inning.

"He was fantastic," Austin said of Welker. "He's been dying to get on the mound, and it was a great situation. He came in throwing the ball really well, and I was happy with our defense behind him."

Tyler Martin got the start and the win for Jackson, giving up eight runs (seven earned), six hits and one walk while striking out seven in five innings. He's been the winning pitcher in three of the team's four conference victories.

Drake Mills took the loss for the Tigers, who host SEMO Conference foe Notre Dame on Thursday.

Jackson returns to the field today, traveling to Kennett for another conference contest.

Cape Central0071000--861
Jackson122310X--9103

WP -- Tyler Martin. LP -- Drake Mills. 2B -- Boone Gartman (J), Seth Essner (J). 3B -- Nathan Patterson (CC). Multiple hits -- Cape Central: Patterson 2-4. Jackson: Tyler Harris 2-3, Essner 3-3, Boone Gartman 2-3.

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