By Noah Dalton
Mitchell High School (7-2) picked up another Patoka Lake Athletic Conference win on Monday, cruising past Crawford County 10-3, before hitting the road the next night to take on Scottsburg, who gave the Bluejackets their second loss through the first nine games of the season, beating them 4-1.
No. 3 Bluejackets remain unbeaten in PLAC with 10-3 victory over Crawford County
MITCHELL – Mitchell is now 3-0 in PLAC play after besting the Wolfpack by a final score of 10-3 to start their week.
It was a good night for the Bluejackets’ offense, who racked up some well-timed hits, batting in seven runs with nine hits. They managed to put a run on the board in nearly every inning, consistently getting runners and base and bringing them home.
Despite Mitchell’s success on the night, it was Crawford County who scored first, with Kendon Breeden knocking home a runner with a two-out RBI single.
Their lead didn’t last long, with the Bluejackets scoring three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
The first came via a passed ball, giving way for Simon Gaines to sprint home from third to even up the score. They took the lead with a two-out RBI of their own, a triple from Bryson Zeeks. Gavin Martin was brought in a courtesy runner for him, eventually scoring on a steal of home, putting Mitchell up 3-1.
From there, the Bluejackets just kept tacking runs onto their score.
Two RBIs in the next inning, one from Gaines and the other from AJ Sarver, helped cushion their lead. A couple of errors from the Wolfpack put Ethan Turner on base in the third inning and eventually allowed him to score from third to give Mitchell a five-run lead.
They picked up three more RBIs in the fourth, with Ben Seitzinger (double), Zeeks (double) and Kody Earl (single) each knocking in a run.
After earning just two hits since scoring their early run, Crawford County found some life at the plate in the top of the fifth, with a single from Rease Allen bringing in two runners to lessen Mitchell’s lead, making it a 9-3 game.
The Bluejackets got the last laugh on their way to the win in the bottom of the fifth, with a sacrifice fly from Gibson Glassco scoring their 10th run and the final one of the matchup.
Mitchell head coach Jerry Chaney noted the team’s performance at the plate as a key to their win, as well as the efforts at the mound from Ashton Luman and Earl.
Luman threw for six innings, giving up four hits and striking out seven. Earl took over to close out the final inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout.
“I thought Ashton was really focused and relaxed. He did a much better job out there. He threw strikes and he was in control. And then Kody came in and found the zone, so we had decent pitching tonight, pretty good pitching and we had timely hits again,” he said.
The Bluejackets face one of the toughest stretches of their schedule this week, with matchups on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (White River Valley), and Friday (Perry Central). With this on the horizon, Chaney felt his team took their focus a bit off the Wolfpack, hurting their performance on the night as they looked ahead toward their upcoming slate of games.
“We may not have been as focused as we should have been. I think maybe the kids might be looking a little forward to the week with Scottsburg and WRV on Wednesday, and then the big conference matchup on Friday. And it’s like, ‘Hey, guys, we can’t let this one slip away from us tonight.’ The difference is we’re a good team. And this is a game that a few years ago, five years ago or so we would have lost this game tonight,” said Chaney.
Scottsburg hands No. 3 Bluejackets their first road loss of the season, beating them 4-1
SCOTTSBURG – After winning their first three games on the road this season, Mitchell dropped their first game on the road the following night, losing Scottsburg 4-1 on Tuesday.
The Warriors picked up an early lead, scoring a couple of runs in the bottom of the first.
After two straight outs to start the inning, Tanner Best singled to get on first. He then stole second and third, before a base hit from Carter Gricius allowed him to score for the first run of the night. They added another one a few at-bats later thanks to an RBI single from Peyton Sebastian.
The Warriors threatened again in the next inning, loading the bases to start things off. A line-out and a force from Seitzinger at first gave the Bluejackets a double play, leaving runners at second and third. The next batter, Best, was hit by a pitch, one again loading up the bags, but Mitchell pitcher Connor Teague struck out the next hitter who stepped to the plate, retiring the side.
The Bluejackets picked up their only run of the game in the top of the third, loading the bases up themselves for Seitzinger, who brought home a runner from third with a sacrifice fly.
Two more RBIs for Scottsburg in the bottom of the third, via RBI singles from Cason Owens and Brentley Spaw, scored them their final runs of the night, solidifying their 4-1 triumph with neither team scoring in the remaining four innings.
Mitchell picked up five hits on the night, those coming from Sarver, Zeeks, Turner, Earl and Luman. Seitzinger’s sac fly served as the Bluejackets’ lone RBI for the night.
Teague and Gaines split time at the mound, with Teague throwing for the first two innings, before being relieved by Gaines in the third. Teague struck out two, allowing four hits and four earned runs. Gaines gave up three hits, striking out eight.
“We had our chances, but the baseballs we got were right at them,” Chaney said. “Connor Teague and Simon Gaines both pitched well.”
