Jackson softball team snares first win by downing rival Central

Jackson was looking for its first win of the season while Central was looking to rebound from its first loss.

The Indians got the better of their rival Wednesday, posting a 5-1 victory against the host Tigers.

The young but talented Indians jumped on Central for two runs in the first and never trailed. They used stellar defense and solid pitching to outlast the Tigers.

"Any time you can get that early lead and give your pitcher a little more confidence as they're going out to throw, it's a good thing for them all the way around," Jackson coach Amanda Forester said. "It gives us confidence defense wise, too. It's just a sigh of relief once you get those few runs across."

Jackson (1-2) banged out a single, triple, and double in three consecutive at-bats in the first inning.

Jackson's Brooke Whitledge, left, high-fives teammate Lauren Anderson after Anderson scored against Central during the sixth inning Wednesday. (Laura Simon)

"That felt really good," Jackson pitcher Mallory Jones said. "It took some pressure off."

Jones was impressive in her first win of the season.

The sophomore hurled all seven innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits.

"Just focusing on my pitches," Jones said. "And just trying to do my best and focus on my mechanics."

Jones allowed only two walks over the final four frames to silence the Tigers.

Jackson's LaQuesha Martin catches a foul ball to end the sixth inning Wednesday, August 31, 2011 in Cape Girardeau. Jackson won 5-1. (Laura Simon)

"She did a great job," Forester said. "She was working ahead of her batters. A couple innings she wasn't, but she brought it around. She was keeping it mixed up and really getting done what she needed to get done."

Meanwhile, the Indians' defense made several nice plays to keep Central from rallying.

The first impressive play of the afternoon came from Jackson shortstop Brooke Whitledge.

Central (2-2) was threatening with runners on first and third with only one out in the second when Whitledge backhanded a ball in the hole and fired a strike home to get the Tigers' lead runner.

"That was our mistake," Central coach Amy Blattel said. "We actually hesitated. If we don't hesitate then we score that run. She did what she had to do. She made that play and threw it home, but we actually made the mistake on that play."

Central's Kadie Orenstein delivers a pitch during the seventh inning Wednesday.

Jackson continued to make plays behind its young pitcher. It's something the Indians had struggled to do in their first two games.

"I thought we were a lot more aggressive defensively," Forester said. "We communicated a lot better. We've been struggling the first two games, so it was nice to come out here and get a good defensive showing. [It was] mainly our communication, our whole aspect of turning around and actually encouraging each other and things like that. Today's game just seemed different."

Sophomore Melanie Dockins provided the big hits for Jackson.

The catcher blasted an RBI triple in the first and followed that with an RBI double in the third.

"My dad always tells me to turn my hips really well and really squash the bug and keep my head on it," Dockins said. "So I was really just going up there thinking I was going to kill it.

Jackson's Lauren Anderson safely slides in front of Central's Bailey Kratochvil during the third inning Wednesday at Central. (Laura Simon)

"We were saying in practice, 'We have to beat them, we have to beat them,' so we came out and did that. It's pretty cool."

The Tigers mustered one run in the third after a leadoff single by Maddie Daume, who later scored on an error.

It was the last threat Central managed.

"We're not waiting on pitches," Blattel said. "We're trying to attack it too early and we're getting it out in front of us. It's just little adjustments that we have to make, and we will make, and it will be a completely different ballgame for us.

"All we have to do is play the way we are capable of playing and make some adjustments offensively. If we make the adjustments we need to make offensively, we'll be fine. ... The only thing I think we have to do is wait and be more patient and be more selective at the plate, and we'll be fine."

Central's Hannah Madsen fires a throw back to the infield during the fourth inning Wednesday.

Jackson 201 002 0 -- 5 10 2

Central 001 000 X -- 1 3 2

WP -- Mallory Jones. LP -- Kadie Orenstein. 3B -- Melanie Dockins (J). 2B -- Dockins (J). Multiple hits: Jackson, Mollie Crader 2-3, Dockins 2-4, Shanda Reed 2-3. Records -- Jackson 1-2, Central 2-2.