Jefferson hands MAC pair of region losses
HILLSBORO — The Mineral Area College baseball team generated scoring chances against Jefferson ace Matt Stites, but could not deliver the timely hitting needed in the first game of Thursday’s double-header.
Stites scattered five hits while recording six strikeouts over seven shutout innings, and first baseman C.J. Rose ripped two doubles at the plate in leading the Vikings to a 2-0 opening shutout.
Double plays spoiled two potential threats along the way, and Mineral Area left the bases loaded to end the contest after having a runner thrown out at home on shortstop Jordan Thompson’s second single of the day.
Stites allowed his first two hits on back-to-back singles by Ronnie Calvird and Richie Stanley to begin the fourth, but escaped with a subsequent strikeout and double play.
The Cardinals bunted into a force play at third base after Nick Cox smashed a lead-off double in the seventh, and stranded eight men overall while failing to capitalize on three Jefferson errors.
The Mineral Area defense also turned two double plays behind a quality outing from sophomore starter Dustin Hunter, who yielded just one earned run on eight hits while fanning two.
The Vikings grabbed a 1-0 advantage on a two-out RBI single from Drew Levi after an error extended the opening frame. Jordan Coons scored his first of two Jefferson runs after lining a double to right-center.
Game two saw Jefferson pounce for three first-inning runs and 14 combined hits while rolling to a convincing 12-2 victory.
Coons went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and matched Levi with three runs scored each. Trey Sorrells added two more hits for the Vikings, who crossed the plate four times in the sixth to invoke the 10-run rule.
Mineral Area (9-17), which will host Forest Park for a double-header on Saturday, saw its lowly record in Region XVI play fall to 2-10.
Isaac Armstrong and Ty Van Schoyck were each 2-for-3, and Calvird picked up two RBI with a double and sacrifice fly for the Cardinals. Freshman Parker Watkins added a single.
