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Jackson dominates night one of Legion districts in slugfest
PERRYVILLE — A night of three relentless offenses duking it out resulted in 30 runs over two games as Jackson, Perryville and Sikeston’s American Legion AAA teams did battle on the opening night of district baseball play.
Jackson finished the day on top, as its 15-5 victory over Perryville in the second round secured its bid in the championship series and moved the club one win away from a zone berth.
Jackson began the second-round bout with a five-run bottom of the first, creating a massive hole immediately for Perryville. With a lopsided 27-6 record on the season, the offense repaired any defensive struggles in full. The club’s 15 runs enabled a mercy-rule finish in five innings.
“I thought [Jacob] Saffle was good on the mound. But, you know, I just felt like there were a few plays out there that we wanted to make,” Jackson coach Mark Lewis said. “I felt like we just didn't make them, but that's baseball. Different game, so we'll see what comes tomorrow.”
Perryville scored five runs in five innings including a three-spot in the fifth while facing a mercy ruling. However, the three runs-per-inning that Jackson averaged proved more than problematic as Perryville’s hot bats couldn’t make up for its defensive woes.
“Against a team like Jackson and the way they swing the bat, you've got to get every out that you're able to get. Make every play that you are able to make,” Perryville coach Andrew Koenig said. “When you give a team like Jackson extra runs and extra outs, it's going to be hard to come back to beat them.”
Perryville advanced to the second round after a wild 6-4 win over Sikeston in which all six runs came in the final two innings, shocking the Silver Sox who led for most of the game. A bobbled putout at first with two outs in the sixth inning for Sikeston turned a 2-1 Silver Sox finish to the frame into a 3-2 lead for Perryville, scoring two runs on the error.
“We left way too many guys on base. We had opportunities every inning with runners in scoring position and the lineup just didn't cash in,” Sikeston coach Trent Sidwell said. “Bats kind of went cold today, but that's what happens sometimes.”
With the bases empty in the bottom of the seventh, two outs and facing a 6-2 deficit, Sikeston rallied five straight runners to close the gap to 6-4 before a looking strikeout gave way to the first loss of the tournament, sending the Silver Sox to the lower bracket to await the loser of the Jackson-Perryville matchup later in the night.
Following Jackson’s offensive dominance, Perryville makes its way to the win-or-go-home Game 3 against Sikeston at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Field in Perryville. The winner takes on Jackson immediately after, with a Jackson win ending the tournament. If Jackson loses Game 4, a winner-take-all Game 5 takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“They've got the endurance to do it as long as they take care of their bodies. One of the biggest things is to maintain focus going into the games. It's stressful on the body as well as the mind,” Koenig said. “You really just have to stay focused on the task at hand.”