Jack Clark
jackclark@mvn.net
JOLIET —
The Jefferson County Sports Authority’s Broncos suffered a tough loss on Thursday afternoon, as St. Joe’s outhit them 7-5, en route to a 3-1 win in pool play at the PONY North Zone tournament.
Jefferson County coach Brian McPherson said that his team had trouble getting the ball into the air.
“We’re hitting the ball into the ground,” McPherson said. “We just can’t get our bats to working.”
Jefferson County managed only five hits. Sam Storment led the way with two singles. Reed Millwood, Aaren Morgan and Blake McPherson each hit safely.
Morgan scored the lone Jefferson County run on a fielder’s choice in the second inning.
St. Joe’s scored in the second, fourth and sixth innings.
“We hit the ball 17 times in the infield and they made the plays,” McPherson said. “We put the bat on the ball, we just couldn’t put hits together.”
The problem wasn’t an overpowering pitcher, as it may have been in game one on Wednesday. The problem was simply getting the baseball beyond the reach of the infielders.
“We only had one strikeout the entire game,” McPherson said. “We just couldn’t get the ball into the outfield. We only had one ball into the outfield for a hit. That was my boy, Blake, he hit it over their heads. But, everything else, we were banging the ball into the ground and they were making the plays.”
Blake Jones pitched a complete seven-inning game. He struck out four St. Joe’s batters and allowed seven hits in the game.
“Blake was really good,” McPherson said. “He pitched to contact.”
McPherson said that Garrett Minks will take the mound for Jefferson County as the team faces Oak Park today at 2:30 p.m.
“Three to one, and it was a good ball game,” McPherson said. “We were just on the wrong side of the three part.”
