PRAIRIE HOME - Led by Garrett Wolfe at the plate and Colton DeVore on the mound, Jamestown rolled past Prairie Home 14-2 on Monday. The Eagles have now won seven straight after they suffered their first and only loss on April 6.
"I thought we did well," said Jamestown coach Jordan Hoecker. "We took care of business when we needed to. It was another district opponent so we needed to come out and get a win, and we did that. We had a good approach at the plate, and waited for our pitches, so that was good to see."
Jamestown (8-1, 3-1 CCAA) batted around in the first two innings, scoring three runs in the first and four in the second. While the Eagles held a 7-0 lead through two innings, they left five runners stranded in those innings.
Austin Flippin - the leadoff hitter - started things off with a walk, then stole second and advanced to third on wild pitch. He scored when Alex Gerlach struck out, but the catcher dropped it to allow Gerlach to try for first. When the catcher threw it down to first, Flippin trotted home for the first score of the game. Wolfe scored later in the inning when the bases were loaded and Garrett Jones was hit by a pitch. Wyatt Hunziker walked in another run during the next at-bat to push the lead to 3-0.
"You definitely want to get out early, put the pressure on them," said Hoecker. "It does a lot for us to get our confidence going. It makes sure we stay mentally in the game."
Flippin started off the second inning with a double to left, then Gerlach reached base when the he popped up to the first baseman, but the wind played a factor as the ball dropped in behind him. The next at-bat, Wolfe doubled to right to score Flippin and Gerlach.
Wolfe was 3-for-3 from the plate and a triple shy of the cycle. He had five RBI and a walk.
"He's swinging the bat well," said Hoecker. "He's a great athlete and you know when he's up there, he can do some damage, and he's getting it done."
Wolfe later scored on a wild pitch, and Christian DeVore scored later in the inning off an error by the first baseman. After Evan Knierim grounded out to the pitcher, the first baseman tried to throw out Christian DeVore at third, but the ball sailed into foul territory, which allowed him to score to extend the lead to 7-1.
The Eagles added two more runs in the third, a Colton DeVore single to left that scored Flippin and Wolfe. In the fourth, Wolfe walked in a run to make it 10-2, and Colton DeVore reached on an error to score Flippin. Later in the inning, Jones was hit by a pitch to plate another run.
Jones was hit by a pitch three times in the game.
Wolfe's fourth home run of the season came in the fifth inning - a two-run homer - putting Jamestown up 14-2
The Eagles stayed patient at the plate. They either got their pitches, or made the Panthers' pitchers work. In return, they walked 10 times and had nine team hits.
"That's part of our mental approach," said Hoecker. "We want to make sure we're getting our pitches. We have to take control of the at-bats, and not let the pitchers have all the control."
Colton DeVore pitched the first three innings, allowing two runs - both earned - on three hits. He struck out six and walked two.
"He hasn't thrown too much for us this year, just because the way the schedule has been played out," Hoecker said, "But he did well. It wasn't an easy day to throw, because all of the cold and wind, but he executed well."
Flippin pitched the final two innings, striking out five, allowing no runs on one hit.
"He's had a couple JV innings, but we got him in there for a varsity outing today," said Hoecker. "I thought he did well. He has a live arm for sure. If we can harness that in, he'll be a good weapon for us."
The Eagles travel to Eugene Thursday at 5 p.m. and host Pilot Grove Friday at 5 p.m., a rematch of the Eagles' lone loss from earlier in the season.