JACKETS TAKE SOUTH

Williamsburg’s Cody Perkins rounds the bases after a home run against South Laurel Monday.

The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets held off a South Laurel rally to win in London Monday, 12-8, but the game was not as close as the final score indicates.

“I thought the first five innings was as good as we could possibly play,” said Williamsburg Coach John Mountjoy.

The Yellow Jackets (6-8) looked like a steamroller in the first five innings and had the Cardinals near submission with a 10-1 lead after four innings. Williamsburg scored six runs in the top of the first inning as the Yellow Jackets greeted freshman pitcher, Austin Combs, with the six runs off five hits including a three-run homer by Hunter Williams over the left field fence.

The Jackets sent 10 batters to the plate with Jared Barton, CeJay Jones and Andrew Root banging out consecutive singles. Barton scored the first run of the game on a single past shortstop Alex Sears. After Dylan Abner loaded the bases with a walk, Spencer Brown hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Jones for a 2-0 lead.

Cody Perkins drove Root with a single up the middle and Williams followed with the first of three home runs off Cardinal pitchers.

The Cardinals (6-8) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning when Barton hit Trent Abner with a pitch. Barton walked Jessie Wilks before Austin Moore doubled in Abner with a hit to left field. Barton then settled down to retire the next three batters in order and held Wilks and Moore from scoring.

The Jackets power returned in the top of the third when Brown led off the inning with a single to right field and Perkins followed with a home run to left field for an 8-1 lead.

The fourth inning saw the Jackets add two more runs, but that’s when the momentum in the game changed. Barton led off the inning and reached base on an infield error. He went to second and third on passed balls then scored on a Root base hit up the middle.

Abner followed with a single to left field as Jonathan Teague (running for Root) stopped at second. Brown followed with a run-scoring single that gave the Jackets a 10-1 lead.

With Abner at third and one out, the Jackets had an opportunity to push the lead to 10, but a fly ball to left field by Perkins was caught. Abner tagged to score, but was thrown out at the plate.

The Jackets adverted a big South Laurel rally in the bottom of the fourth when Hicks led off the inning with a double. Combs followed with a pop out to first before Joe Gaines hit a single up the middle and a pitch hit Caleb Blair. Trent Abner hit a roller back to the mound where Barton picked off Hicks going home and Root had time to get Abner going to first for the double play.

Again the Jackets had a chance to put the game away in five innings when Williams was hit by a pitch. Two outs later, Barton singled to right center field and a pitch to load the bases hit Jones. Root followed with a grounder between second and third. It appeared he crossed the base before the out, but the umpire saw it different and rang up Root for the third out of the inning.

Barton had a near perfect fifth inning on the mound and the Jackets led 10-1 at the end of five.

The sixth inning saw plenty of action as Perkins hit his second home run of the day with Brown on board for a 12-1 lead, but the Cardinals scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to keep the game going.

Tyler Vandeventer came on in the seventh to shut down the Jackets. The Cardinals rallied in the bottom of the inning when Chase McWhorter led off with a double and Hicks grounder into an infield error. Barton struck out Daniel Neal for the first out of the inning, but Gaines, an eighth grader, followed with a two-run double to center field.

Mountjoy sent Perkins to the mound and he hit Blair with the first pitch. However, he got Abner to ground out to third and Micah Purdie made the play at second for out number two. Wilks then popped out to first to end the game.

“I was absolutely thrilled with the win, but a little worried in the last couple of innings,” said Mountjoy. “When we made the mistakes, we had a big enough lead to hold them off. That is something we’ve got to fix.”

Because of the flooding at Briar Creek Park, the two teams were scheduled to return to South Laurel Tuesday for a double-header if needed. “We would like to win that first game and not have a double-header,” added Mountjoy.

Williamsburg 12, South Laurel 8

Williamsburg            602  202  0- 12  12  4

South Laurel            100  004  3-   8  10  1

Jared Barton, Cody Perkins (7) and Andrew Root. Austin Combs, Jake Miller, Tyler Vandeventer and Taylor Morris. W-Barton, L-Combs. 2B-Moore (SL), Hicks (SL), Abner (SL), Gaines (SL).  HR-Williams (W), Perkins, 2 (W)