Jami Roach overcame several key errors behind him to keep his poise and keep Adams Central in the game, leading the Jets to a key 5-4 win over rival South Adams.
The victory left the two teams tied for fifth in the ACAC at 2-4. A win by Heritage over Woodlan on Monday would allow the Jets and Starfires to finish in a tie for fourth in the conference, which was won by Jay County with the Patriots’ unbeaten 6-0 record.
“Some of these young guys on our team are playing like they have something to prove,” noted Adams Central coach Josh Foster, who was happy with his team’s victory on the road. “They are working hard.”
South Adams put tremendous pressure on Roach, who pitched a complete game for coach Foster’s team, in the bottom of the seventh. Roach got a ground ball from the first batter with the team leading 5-3 and needing just three more outs, but an infield error, the fifth of the game for Adams Central, allowed Duke Buckingham to reach with the top of the Starfire lineup due up.
Derek McKean represented the tying run and he reached base on his first hit of the night. Always a threat to bunt because of his speed, Sty Pyle worked a walk after the bunt was off to put the winning run on base.
Then came the biggest play of the game.
With the count 2-2 and nobody out, Derek Weaver smashed a ball back up the middle, but Roach took his experience as a defensive back and picked the ball, throwing home to get the force out.
South Adams did get one run back, but it was an out for a run trade when Jax Wanner drove in McKean with a sacrifice fly. The throw held the other two runners at first and second.
Roach got the final out of the game one pitch later on a tremendous defensive play by Jacob Miller.
Adams Central jumped out to the lead on a sacrifice fly by Roach in the second inning. Max Byerly then drove in two more with a base hit.
The Starfires got on the board when Weaver drove in Pyle, who had stolen second earlier in the at-bat.
The home team then tied the game at 3-3 on a pair of Adams Central errors.
Reece Hammond was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth to regain the lead, then Hayden Bluhm hit a sacrifice fly for a 5-3 lead.
The Jets ended the night with twelve hits.
South Adams did not commit an error.
Penn Shifferly had two hits at the bottom of the lineup for the Jets, acting as a table-setter for the top of the lineup, where Max Byerly and Jacob Miller also had two hits.
Colston Pruitt walked and tripled for the Jets.
Jami Roach allowed eight hits and only one of the four runs was earned. He struck out four and walked three.
The Starfires got two hits from Kaleb Minger in the No. 8 spot in the lineup.
Jax Wanner got the start and went four innings. He walked three and gave up three runs, striking out four.
Kade Sprunger took the loss, allowing the two runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Derek McKean got the final five outs for the Starfires.
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