INDIANS SINGLE OUT PIRATES FOR A 13-8 WIN

JACKSON -- Jackson left fielder Nathan Brown proved that run producers don't have to hit the ball out of the park.

Brown went 4-for-4 with a walk, six runs batted in, two stolen bases and two runs scored as the Indians improved to 3-1 on the season with a 13-8 home win over Perryville (1-2) on Friday.

In all, Jackson sprayed 13 hits, only two of which went for extra bases as the Indians hit line drive after line drive to all fields.

But Brown had the biggest day of all, providing two-run singles in the first and second innings, an RBI double in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. He hit two balls up the middle, one to left and one to right.

"This is the first day he's hit the ball real well this year," said Jackson coach Sam Sides. "He was a good hitter for us last year."

"I was real happy with the way I hit today," said Brown. "I came out relaxed and felt good. But the key was the guys in front of me got on base, so it didn't matter whether I hit a single or a double or a home run. On three of my four hits, I had a guy on second base and sometimes on second and third."

It was leadoff hitter Tory Meyr and No. 2 batter Lucas McCulley who did the table setting. Meyr went 1-for-2 but reached base in all five of his plate appearances and McCulley went 2-for-3 and reached base four times.

"They hit the ball real well today," said Perryville coach Dennis Glueck. "They put the ball in play and made things happen."

Jackson certainly did make things happen.

The Indians ran wild on the base paths, stealing nine bases.

Jackson got off to a rocky start as pitcher Josh Hopkins walked four and hit a batter as the Pirates scored three runs in the first. Darren Deckerd provided a long, two-run single to right and the other run was walked in.

Sides said Hopkins didn't have the proper warm-up time because he arrived late after attending a school music function.

"He really wasn't warm until the third inning," Sides said.

All told, Hopkins threw 44 pitches in the first the same amount he threw in the next four innings combined. Hopkins settled down and faced just two over the minimum in the second through fifth innings before getting into more trouble in the sixth.

With Jackson leading 11-3 going into the sixth, Perryville responded with a five-run inning. The first three Pirate batters reached against Hopkins, then McCulley entered the game for Jackson but didn't fare any better as three more Pirates reached. Andrew Meyr provided a two-run single in the inning, Colby Palisch drove in another on a single and Ryan Wichern drove in the fifth run of the inning on an infield single.

Jackson, meanwhile, scored three in the first, two in the second, six in the fourth and two in the sixth.

Hopkins faced three batters in the sixth before being replaced by McCulley. Hopkins got the win going five-plus innings. He allowed six runs (five earned) on three hits and six walks. He struck out six.

In Jackson's six-run fourth, the Indians sent 11 batters to the plate and got RBI hits from McCulley, Brown, Hopkins and Ricky Renfroe.

For Perryville, David Riojas suffered the loss. He went three innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks. He struck out three.

Offensively, Perryville banged out seven hits, but no player had more than one hit.

"We hit the ball fairly well," said Glueck. "I'm pretty happy with our offensive performance. But we had a couple of errors that hurt us and we walked too many batters."

Riojas and relief pitcher Scott Engert combined to walk eight batters, giving at least one free pass in every inning but the third.