A pair of victories last Friday against Crawford County advanced the Jefferson Dragons to the Sweet 16 in state playoff action.
The Dragons will continue to have home field advantage this week, as they play host to the Titans of Blessed Trinity today (Wednesday).
The Titans advanced to the Sweet 16 last week by defeating Chattooga County in two games by wide margins. They won game one 10-3 and game two 19-5.
The Titans are 20-8 on the year, going 10-2 in region 6-AA. They’ve scored 257 runs this year to Jefferson’s 230. However, the Dragons have allowed only 94 runs to be scored this year while Blessed Trinity has allowed 112.
In their previous two meetings, Blessed Trinity has come away the winner. They won against the Dragons in state play off action last year, 3-1 and 10-8.
First pitch in game one is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Crawford County
The Dragons played host in the first round of state playoff action to the Eagles of Crawford County.
The Eagles looked to take an early advantage, getting two runners across in the top of the first. The Dragons answered by getting three runs across in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Jefferson then proceeded to control the game, not allowing Crawford to score again while adding a run in the bottom of the second, then two more in the bottom of the fourth. In the end, Jefferson came away with the 6-2 victory.
Jake Fields recorded the win, giving up just two hits and two runs while striking out nine in seven innings.
Fields also led the team at the plate, going 3-3 with three RBIs, including two home-runs. Jamie Sexton went 2-4 with one RBI and a home run. Kyle Hardy went 1-3 with one RBI and a home run. Timmy Kashuba went 2-3. Caleb Meek went 1-3. Drew Carson went 1-3. Lucas Redd went 1-3.
Game Two
A victory for Jefferson in game two would send them to the Sweet 16 in state playoffs, while a win for Crawford would force a tie-breaking third game on Saturday afternoon.
The game was a draw for the first two innings, as neither team could put together what they needed to get a score on the board.
But Jefferson broke out in the top of the third, putting three runners across to take the lead. The Dragons would add another four in the top of the fourth and two more in the top of the fifth, all while holding Crawford scoreless.
The Dragons would all but put the game away in the top of the sixth by adding two additional runs in the top of the sixth. The Eagles would score one run in the bottom of the inning, but couldn’t score another to avoid the game ending on the ten-run rule. In the end, Jefferson won 11-1 in six innings.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.
