Jackson scores 1, drops 2

A night after scoring 18 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Fulton, Ky., on Friday night, the Jackson American Legion RE/MAX Achievers managed a single run and dropped a pair of games to fellow Kentucky squad Calvert City on Saturday at home.

Jackson lost the opener 7-1 and the second game 2-0. The losses drop the Achievers' record to 10-4.

"Hitting comes and goes," Jackson coach Mark Lewis said. "You have to have the defense all the time. We've won 11-10 before, so hopefully the pitchers will stick with it and we'll get the bats going again."

Unlike the Achievers, Calvert City had more than its share of hits in the opener. The big inning for Calvert City came in the third, with five hits leading to three runs. Austin McCriston had the big hit with a one-out two-RBI single.

Two innings later Calvert City struck again, scoring two with the help of an error by Jackson. McCriston knocked two runs with a hit-and-run single.

"They hit and ran a lot," Lewis said. "They really executed. They did a good job with that."

Jackson, which had led 1-0 on Jason Owen's RBI in the bottom of the second, fell behind 7-1 in the top of the sixth. Kyle Ramage finished the scoring for Calvert City with a two-run home run.

Austin Swain pitched the complete game for Calvert City. He allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked one.

Chad Minson had a pair of hits for Jackson.

"The key to the first game -- and both games -- is we didn't swing the bats real well," Lewis said.

The second game was a fast-paced pitchers duel. Jackson starter Austin Morrison and Calvert City's Ben Choat held the hitters scoreless through six innings.

Jackson had an opportunity in the fifth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Aaron Green struck out after failing to get a bunt down and Morrison followed with a pop fly. Jake Carter was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but Choat forced Minson to fly out to end the threat.

Morrison ran into trouble in the seventh. Pete Thackston led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice. Morrison intentionally walked Taylor Thieke to set up the double play, but Dylan McCurry did not cooperate, hitting a single to give Calvert City a 1-0 lead. After another intentional walk, Wes Claiborne laid down a suicide squeeze to push the score to 2-0.

"The second game was well pitched by both teams," Lewis said. "We had some opportunities, not many, but we didn't take advantage of them. They did."

After allowing two hits in his first inning of relief, Calvert City pitcher Dustin Easley retired Jackson in order in the seventh to pick up the win.

Tim Stearns and Brandon Gendron had two hits apiece for Jackson in the second game.

"It didn't fall for us today," Lewis said. "We have to take advantage of our opportunities. One run in two games, you're not going to win ball games like that."

In the second game of Friday's doubleheader, Jackson won 11-7 over Fulton in a game that went late. Carter, Owen and Tim Stearns had two hits apiece.