Jackson baseball claims SEMO Conference title

The Jackson Indians baseball team defeated the Poplar Bluff Mules 9-4 on Friday at Jackson Stadium. With the win, Jackson finishes the regular season undefeated in the SEMO Conference and in Class 6 District 1, as well as being regular season and conference tournament champions.

The game began as a pitchers battle between Poplar Bluff’s Noah Spain and Jackson’s Carson McDaniel, with the Mules leading 1-0 through four innings. A big fifth inning changed the landscape, as the Indians put up seven runs to take a 7-1 lead.

Jackson’s Owen Osborne got things going with a line drive to right field before Drew Parsons reached first on a bunt. With two on and nobody out, Jackson poured it on, Adler Flinn reached on a bunt, and Spain walked in a run.

Another bunt turned into an error and scored another for Jackson followed by a sacrifice fly and back-to-back singles making the score 5-1. Osborne came up to bat for the second time in the inning and brought home two more for the Indians.

Jackson head coach Josh Roach said his team has been practicing “small ball” all season and he knew late in the game they could use it.

“If we got one guy on we were gonna move that guy to second with a sacrifice bunt. Our catcher, Drew Parsons did a beautiful sacrifice bunt down the first base line, and the pitcher and first baseman kind of miscommunicated and when he was safe at first, we saw the first little crack in the defense,” Roach said. “So we decided to try and exploit that a little bit more and lay down a few more bunts and wanted to see if they could get some outs. Luckily, we were able to execute and get some runs.”

Jackson added two more in the sixth but Poplar Bluff decided they were not ready to give up so easily. The Mules loaded the bases with just one out before Jackson reliever Ben Dambach hit Kolby Greenwall with a pitch and threw a wild pitch bringing the score to 9-3. A sacrifice fly brought it to 9-4 before the Indians managed to end the game.

Jackson and Poplar Bluff will begin play in the Class 6 District 1 Tournament on Wednesday. The Indians will host Northwest (Cedar Hill) and the Mules will travel to take on Seckman.

Roach said his team is happy to get a game at home against a team who will want payback from the last meeting.

“They're [Northwest] a streaky team. They play well sometimes and not so well other times so we were just telling our guys we have to come in from the first pitch with great energy and firing on all cylinders from the get-go,” Roach said. “If we do that our chances are good in the first round and then you give yourself an opportunity for the second and hopefully third round.”