Central squeaks past Jackson 3-2

~ The Tigers improved to 4-0 with a game-ending single.

The presence of Central ace Brad LaBruyere on the mound for the Tigers has equated to a win more times than not over the past two seasons.

LaBruyere did not have his best stuff Tuesday against rival Jackson, but thanks to a walkoff single by Blake Slattery the Tigers were able to pick up LaBruyere and remain undefeated with a 3-2 win.

The two-time all-state senior right-hander walked six, hit a batter, allowed four hits and one earned run in a complete game. Seven strikeouts aided LaBruyere, but for much of the day he struggled with command.

"What I did tell him [after the game] is I think sometimes a win like this is more impressive than striking out everyone," Central coach Steve Williams said. "He didn't have his best stuff, and he didn't have his best command. He had to find ways to get outs, and he was able to do that."

Central improved to 4-0. All four wins have come against SEMO Conference opponents.

"It's a good way to start," Slattery said. "We're playing pretty good right now. Hopefully we can keep it up and keep working hard."

What turned into a pitching duel did not look so good for either hurler in the early going. LaBruyere walked a pair of hitters in the first before getting out of the inning unscathed. Jackson pitcher Logan Lawson threw 11 of his first 12 pitches for balls but worked around two walks in a scoreless first.

In fact, Lawson did not walk another hitter. He allowed five hits and struck out four.

"I think Logan found it sooner than Brad did," Williams said. "Plus, he found his breaking ball, which kept us off stride."

Four of Central's five hits came from Slattery and Kory Kitchen. Kitchen got the seventh started with a one-out single. Central lifted Kitchen for a pinch-runner, and the move paid off when Brooks Osburn hit into what looked like a sure out at second. The Indians tried to turn the double play, and both players were safe when the umpire ruled the Jackson player did not touch second.

Central leadoff man Matt Hester struck out for the second out, but Slattery knocked a two-strike pitch into the right-center field gap for the game-winning RBI.

"Kory got a hit, we got a break and I was looking for something to hit hard," Slattery said. "He threw a fastball up and in and I poked it into right-center."

Jackson (1-2) coach Rex Crosnoe had come out to the mound to talk to Lawson before the Slattery at-bat.

"He made a good pitch up and in," Crosnoe said. "Blake's a good hitter and he fought it off."

Jackson struck first, using a single, a walk and an error to score a run in the second. Ryan Cheney singled with one out and eventually came in to score.

The lead was short-lived. Central answered with a run in the bottom of the second, then took a 2-1 lead with a run in the third.

After stranding a runner on third in the fifth, Jackson tied the score with a run in the sixth. The Indians had runners on second and third with one out but managed just one run.

"We had some opportunities throughout the game to get a hit here or there which would have made it a different game," Crosnoe said. "Credit him [LaBruyere], he got himself out of it. We faced some good pitchers these three games, and we just hope we'll continue to get better offensively."

Slattery finished 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, and Kitchen was 2-for-4. Chris Brotherton added a double and a run scored for Central.

Both teams are back in action today. Central hosts Sikeston in conference play, and Jackson will host district foe Hillsboro.

Central 3, Jackson 2

Jackson 010 001 0 -- 2 4 2

Central 011 000 1 -- 3 5 1

WP - Brad LaBruyere, 2-0. LP - Logan Lawson, 1-1. 2B - Chris Brotherton (C), Rex Meyr (J). 3B -- Blake Slattery (C). Multiple hits - Central, Slattery 2-3; Kory Kitchen 2-4. Records - Central 4-0, Jackson 1-2.