Jackson splits doubleheader with Lafayette

The Jackson Indians went 1-1 against the Lafayette Lancers in a Class 6 matchup on Saturday at Jackson Indian Stadium.

Game 1 went to the Lancers 3-0 in a game where the Indians struggled to generate much offense, getting just four hits.

Junior John Paul Sauer pitched five innings and finished with five strikeouts, three walks, and three earned runs before being relieved by senior Caden Bogenpohl. Jackson (17-6) last played on Monday against Marion (IL) something that Indians coach Josh Roach said he noticed.

“I could tell that we hadn't played in a few days, we came out a little flat. Lafayette played really well in the first game. I thought their pitchers threw the ball really well and made all the plays defensively,” Roach said. “Offensively, they did enough to get some runs in, they did a really good job of the small game and kind of exposed where we need to get a little better with our bunt coverages but they played really well and we just didn't play good enough.”

The Indians rebounded in Game 2 with a 6-2 win.

The Lancers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the second inning. Jackson scored four runs to take the 4-2 lead and cruised the rest of the way to secure the series split.

Senior Grant Dotson led the way for the Indians going 2-3 with two RBIs, as the nine-hole hitter Dotson and the six through eight batters had 67% of the total hits for Jackson. Roach said he was proud of those guys being able to come up big.

“The bottom of our lineup kind of got the engine going a little bit,” Roach said. “We were able to get some runs on the board, so they did some good things.

Indians pitcher Carson McDaniel went the full seven innings on the mound and finished with five strikeouts one walk and just two earned runs. Roach was complimentary of McDaniel’s performance both today and thus far this season.

“Carson McDaniel has been good, he's been so good all year. They got a couple runs on him early and what I love about Carson is he's very poised, he isn’t gonna let something like that get to him,” Roach said. “He weathered that brief little storm in the beginning and then just got to work, he threw a ton of strikes and kept them off balance. That's what he's done all year, he's been great at that.”

Jackson will take on SEMO Conference opponent New Madrid County Central at home at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.