MILL CREEK — The Jackson baseball team only had four hits during its game with Cascade.
Fortunately for the Timberwolves, they made the most out of two of them.
Alek Baumgarther hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the third inning, Conner Plaisance knocked him in three batters later with another single and Jackson held on to defeat Cascade 1-0 Tuesday afternoon at Jackson High School.
“That was it,” Jackson head coach Kirk Nicholson said of the Timberwolves’ (3-1 league, 3-2 overall) scoring opportunities. “We made good use of that one inning.”
Baumgarther, a sophomore starting his first varsity game and only playing in his second, got on base to start the inning with a hit off Cascade starter Kyle Dye. He was then sacrificed to second, and advanced to third on a pass ball. After a strikeout and a hit batsmen, Plaisance drove in the eventual game-winning run with two outs.
Jackson pitcher Alec Kisena (2-0) scattered four Cascade hits and struck out eight batters. According to Nicholson, the Bruins didn’t have many scoring opportunities either.
There were eight hits in the game by both teams, all singles.
“Both pitchers were in command the whole time,” Nicholson said. “Both guys had good stuff today. They were tough guys to hit.
“I’m glad we’re on the side that won.”
Cascade’s (1-3, 5-3) best chance to score came in the top of the seventh inning. Von Ferguson — who, at 2-for-3, was the only player in the game with multiple hits — got to second base with one out. But Kisena struck out the last two batters, after striking out the first batter of the inning, to end the threat.
Nicholson thinks low-scoring games are going to be the norm now in Wesco, with new regulations that have high school players using the same baseball bats as college players. The bats have a reduced sweet spot and, as a result, the ball doesn’t travel as far after being hit by it.
“They’re dead. Flyballs are routine outs now,” Nicholson said. “You don’t see balls getting hit out. The home run totals will be down this year. If you can throw strikes and play defense you have a chance to be good.”
At Jackson H.S.
Cascade0000000—041
Jackson001000x—140
Kyle Dye and Ryan Lukas. Alec Kisena and Colby Johansen. WP—Kisena (2-0). LP—Dye. Records—Cascade 1-3 league, 5-3 overall. Jackson 3-1, 3-2.
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