The Jefferson R7 Blue Jays appeared to have figured things out. After some early-season struggles they have now won three of their last four games and are primed to enter the Oak Ridge Invitational Tournament.
The Jays smoked Grandview 9-0 on Tuesday before blasting Kingston 24 hours later with an 11-1 drubbing. It was the first time this season they posted back to back wins. Streaks can be contagious, so opponents beware.
Things started slow against Grandview, but Jefferson finally struck first with a crooked number in the 3rd inning. An RBI single from Gavin Theodoro got the line moving and set the stage for a Garrett Lalumondier sac fly and a Camren Johnson RBI base hit.
That would be all the runs the Blue Jays would need with Kole Williams on the mound. He spun 5.2 innings of two-hit, shutout ball and fanned seven for the win. Theodoro closed it out with four clean outs to slam the door.
The Jays weren’t done scoring though. They added another in the fourth before breaking the game wide open in the fifth with a four-burger and added some fries in the sixth with another solo tally. That added up to a more than convincing 9-0 victory.
Five players had multiple hits and Jefferson outhit Grandview 11-2. Max Schnitzler, Theodoro and Johnson were all 2-for-4 while Mikey Frisk and Wyatt McDaniel each went 2-for-3. Sam Stokes and Frisk each had a pair of RBI.
The next day, Jefferson hosted the Kingston Cougars and decided they wanted to crank this one out in double-time. A five-run second inning set the stage, but only featured one hit. The Jays used five walks and a wild pitch to plate three of the five runs. Frisk singled home a pair though, making the only hit in the inning a meaningful one.
They wouldn’t need any more offense after that, but they got plenty more anyway. A run in the third, followed by five more in the fourth made it 11-1 and triggered the mercy rule. Cole Robinson got the win with a terrific start that featured 4.2 inning of one-run ball (the lone run was unearned). He didn’t walk a man and allowed just two base hits, while fanning seven.
Williams was the offensive hero with the only two extra-base hits of the game (a double and a triple) and was a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs scored, a couple RBI and three steals. Lalumondier had three swipes as well and went 2-for-3 with a pair of ribbies.
This feels like a turning point in the season for the Blue Jays and should give them plenty of momentum heading into the Oak Ridge Tourney. They now sit at 4-6, but appear to be on the rise.
