Jamestown drills Prairie Home 10-0

Jamestown’s Cole Theissen delivers a pitch in a 10-0 win over Prairie Home on Monday, April 25, 2016.
Jamestown’s Cole Theissen delivers a pitch in a 10-0 win over Prairie Home on Monday, April 25, 2016.

JAMESTOWN, Mo. — Jamestown has found itself on the wrong end of several close games this year, and after three innings against Prairie Home, it looked as though the Eagles might have another tight contest on their hands.

However, an eight-run fourth inning that saw Jamestown send 13 hitters to the plate put to rest any notion of a close game, as the Eagles soared to a 10-0 run-rule-shortened win on Monday night.

“We’ve been getting better and better every day,” Eagles coach Jordan Hoecker said. “I think today we worked the count well, we had good contact throughout and I don’t think we had many strikeouts, which is always a good thing. We’ve been working toward a goal and I think we’re finally getting in a groove where we can get to where we want to be.”

After stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Jamestown got on the board in the following inning when Cole Thiessen drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. After helping his own cause at the plate, Thiessen continued to deal on the mound for Jamestown. The sophomore went four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four to earn the win.

Nick Perez finished off the pitching duties for the Eagles by throwing a perfect fifth inning. Prairie Home’s Wyatt Borghardt got the lone hit of the ballgame for the Panthers.

Offensively, Jamestown was led by Wyatt Hunziker. After homering to make it 2-0 in the third, Hunziker got in on the fourth inning rally with a two-run triple. Not only did he led all players with three RBI, but his two knocks were the game’s only two extra base hits.

“We were all hitting the ball (today), so everybody was a little confident,” said Jamestown catcher Austin Flippin. “We’ve been struggling, but we’re all getting better. We’re all hitting the ball a lot better than we were at the beginning, and that’s the best thing for us.”

With one out to play in the fourth and a runner on first, Flippin’s single ended up being the first of many baserunners for Jamestown. Six straight Eagles reached safely to follow, and that turned a two-run lead into a 10-run lead in little more than the blink of an eye.

With district seeding right around the corner, the Eagles will now begin the process of building toward what they hope is a second straight district crown. Jamestown will be joined in Class 1 Distrcit 9 by Bunceton, Otterville, Prairie Home, St. Elizabeth and Tuscumbia.

“I think the guys are in a confident spot knowing that they have the skill set to repeat,” Hoecker said. “We haven’t been playing our best so far, but I guess we’re choosing the right time to peak.”

But before districts even begin, the Eagles (5-9) will have a very busy upcoming week with a lot at stake. On Thursday, they visit Calvary Lutheran for a chance to clinch the CCAA conference title. On Friday and Saturday, Jamestown will look to repeat as Russellville Round Robin champions after sweeping the field a season ago.