Adams Central dropped their fourth game in five days Monday with a 9-6 loss to Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne. Falling behind early 7-0, the Jets attempted a rally, scoring five times in the fifth and once more in the seventh, but Luers scored an insurance run in both the fifth and sixth to hold off the visitors in non-conference play.
Poor defense was once again at fault for coach Josh Foster’s team as starter Dakota Perry allowed five unearned runs due to a myriad of errors by the infield. After the final pitch, the scorebook showed nine total errors for Adams Central.
Perry did help his own cause at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a couple of doubles and a stolen base. He scored twice and drove in two.
The Jets put two runners on in the first and again in the second inning, but were unable to push them across and jump out ahead of Luers in the early going.
Four Adams Central errors and a successful Luers sacrifice bunt led to six runs before the first out was recorded in the bottom of the second. Charlie Stanski kept the Jets at bay with a couple more strikeouts in the third.
The Jets’ defense remained porous in the third inning, with two more errors and several passed balls and wild pitches leading to another run, but the Jets caught a break with Milo Diehm being picked off at first to end the inning.
Perry’s outing ended with three innings pitched and just four hits allowed. He allowed seven runs, but only two were earned.
In the fourth inning, the Jets put two more runners on but again Stanski got out of the jam with a fly out to right field.
Ryan Tester took the mound for the Jets and worked a scoreless fourth, then started the Jets’ rally with a leadoff single on the first pitch of the fifth inning. AC loaded the bases with a walk to Trevor Currie and a HBP by Jack Hamilton. After Luers walked in a run, Perry drove in two with an infield single. Cade Van De Weg and Logan Uhlman each drove in an additional run with singles as the away team got back into the game, trailing 7-5.
Luers added runs in the fifth and in the sixth, leaving the Jets with a four-run deficit with three outs to go. Mason West came on to make the save for Luers and got the first out, but Perry doubled and later scored on a single by Logan Uhlman. West got the final out of the game by inducing a foul pop fly off the bat of Ryan Tester.
“The story hasn’t changed,” said AC head coach Josh Foster of his team’s errors. “We went against their #2 pitcher and did well. We just made stupid errors.”
Foster said his team is good enough that it should be winning every game in which they score six runs.
“If we cut down on the errors, we have a great record.”