RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
The ball left the park in a hurry.
Adams Central’s Ryan Tester put his best swing on a 1-1 fastball from Bellmont’s Beau Baker with Cade Van De Weg on base in the fifth inning, and the result was a laser-like line drive skimming over the left-center field fence to drive in the winning runs in the Flying Jets’ 4-2 win Tuesday night at Monroe.
Van De Weg had just lined a two-out single to right before Tester came up to the plate. Tester had struck out in the first inning on a fastball up in the zone and grounded out to short in the third.
But this time he dialed in for the game-winner, lifting the Jets to their third straight victory after a season-opening loss last Friday to Rochester.
“Ryan Tester has been hitting the ball hard, just at people,” said Adams Central coach Josh Foster, “so tonight it was good to see him get one. I couldn’t tell if it went out or if it was going to hit the fence, and thank goodness it got over.”
Baker had spotted the Braves to a 2-0 lead with his own two-run homer in the top of the first inning, a high fly ball that drifted over the fence in the right field corner with one out and Jack Scheumann on board. Scheumann had singled for the Braves’ first hit of the game. Baker’s homer was the Braves’ second—and last—hit off Jet starter Dakota Perry.
The senior right-hander shut down the Braves (0-2) in impressive fashion for the rest of his stint, striking out eight and allowing only four more baserunners—on three walks and an infield error—before giving way to reliever Carson Ross with one out in the seventh. Ross recorded the final two outs, giving up only a two-out walk to Bellmont shortstop Will Baker. The win evened Perry’s record at 1-1.
Shortstop Ethan Funk helped the Jets chip away at the Braves’ early lead, driving in Jack Hamilton in the second with a one-out ground out and plating Hamilton again in the fourth, this time with a double to left center to tie the game. Hamilton had reached on singles both times. The second one came on what looked like a routine grounder to Brave first baseman Dylan Velez, but at the last moment the ball hit an uneven spot and darted to Velez’s right.
Baker pitched well for Bellmont, yielding five hits, walking one, and striking out five in five innings. Aidan Zimmerman threw a shutout inning in relief.
“We took a lot of hittable pitches,” said Bellmont coach Tom Montgomery. “Too many strikeouts early on in the game when we needed to at least try to make them make plays and get some baserunners out there.” Four of the Braves’ strikeouts were on called third strikes.
Montgomery was impressed with Perry. “He’s a good pitcher, and hats off to him,” he said.
He also liked the effort he got from Baker, who is only a sophomore. “I thought Beau threw a heck of a game. We probably stayed with him a bit too long once we saw a little bit of fatigue. This was only his second outing, first start,” he noted. “He threw on Friday in relief. I’ll own up a little bit to that home run that gave them a two-run lead because we probably could have made a change a little bit earlier. We’re learning as much as the kids are because it’s early in the year.”
The loss dropped Bellmont to 0-2.
The Braves host Bishop Luers Wednesday. The Jets will travel to Fort Wayne Canterbury Thursday.