Sixth inning dooms Jackson in sectional loss

CEDAR HILL, Mo. -- Jackson and Northwest turned their Class 4A sectional baseball game into a sixth-inning showdown Wednesday.

The Lions won both the inning and game 5-3.

Both teams scored all their runs in the sixth, with Jackson (14-7) striking first and Northwest (12-10) countering in the home half.

"We missed out on some opportunities early and it really hurt us and set the tone," said Jackson coach Sam Sides.

Jackson broke the scoreless deadlock on a two-run single by senior Matt Gordon, who later scored on a single by Bryan Austin. The Indians had three of their six hits in the inning.

But Northwest answered with three hits in the bottom of the inning, combined with two walks, a hit batsman and an error off three Jackson pitchers.

Northwest opened the inning with a double and single off starter Austin McDowell to cut the lead to 3-1. After hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch to put runners at second and third, McDowell was lifted for Josh Parham (5-2). Parham yielded a game-tying single to Damian Stewart and sandwiched a pair of walks around a strikeout. Jason Owen then relieved Parham and surrendered a two-out, two-run double to A.J. Laughlin for a 5-3 lead.

"We didn't play a bad game, but we didn't take advantage of some chances," Sides said. "The last couple of weeks we had been doing that. Northwest took advantage and deserved to win."

Northwest reliever Danny Reitz (3-4) picked up the win.

Michael Birk went 2-for-3 for Jackson. Stewart and Braun each finished with a pair of hits for Northwest, which had eight overall.

Sikeston at North County

The Bulldogs will challenge North County's 10-game winning streak and could become the first Missouri team to beat theRaiders in a Class 3A sectional game today.

Sikeston has won 14 consecutive games.

The teams will play at Desloge with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal game Saturday.