Tigers cut down Indians 2-1

Central junior Erik Allen talked with his teammates about the potential of Tuesday's baseball game being suspended because of darkness, and decided to do something about it.

With the sun sinking lower in the sky and the shadows growing longer, Allen stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning. Both Central and Jackson had struggled to score all game, and there wouldn't be many more chances before the game was suspended.

"I was like, I don't want that to happen," Allen said. "We'll just try to win it right now."

Allen laced a single to right field to lift the Tigers to the 2-1 victory over their rivals.

"I was just looking for one in the zone and make contact with it," Allen said. "I was waiting on the ball. I wasn't going to foul it off or anything."

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.comCentral starter Josh Meyer delivers a pitch to a Jackson batter during Tuesday's game at Central.

Allen almost made it to second base before turning toward his dugout after the game-winning hit. His teammates mobbed him, jumping up and down and smacking him on his helmet, before he reached the pitcher's mound.

"I saw it go over the second baseman's head, and I knew," Allen said. "It fills my heart."

With one out, Ryan Grigaitis singled to center and went to second when Jamie Pickel was hit by a pitch. The Tigers loaded the bases when Josh Compas reached on an error, setting the table for Allen.

He met coach Steve Williams halfway down the third-base line before his at-bat for a brief discussion.

"I told him, 'Don't try to do too much,'" Williams said. "The defense is going to be in. The key is to get a good pitch and just put the barrel on it. If you hit it with anything on it, it's going to get through the infield because that just improves your average as a hitter when the infield comes in."

Jackson left fielder Zach McDowell makes a sliding catch.

Williams said he considered a squeeze bunt, but there didn't seem a perfect spot during Allen's at-bat.

"The only thing with the bases loaded, if it's not a real good bunt, all you have to do is throw home for the force out," Williams said. "But we talked about the squeeze. If we got a situation to do that, but we didn't really have a chance because all of a sudden he got two strikes. The first pitch was over his head and he was ahead in the count. So I wanted to give him a chance to swing the bat."

Allen repaid the confidence with the line drive to right field.

"Erik has really started hitting the ball well for us this year," Williams said. "With two strikes, I had confidence in him. That was one of the hardest hit balls all day long."

Both teams received outstanding pitching performances to reach extra innings. Jackson starter Caleb Hosey allowed one hit through the first six innings before allowing two hits in the seventh. He departed after seven shutout innings, having struck out seven.

"Caleb was great today," Jackson coach Rob French said. "You really hate to lose any game when you go out there and throw a gem. One hit over six innings, three hits over seven innings. It's tough to walk away when your team can't give you any support."

Central starter Josh Meyer lasted 4 2/3 innings, and left with the potential go-ahead run at third base. Williams went to his bullpen, bringing in Zach Wilson.

Wilson got Bobby Clark to ground out to second base to extinguish the threat.

"I was just trying to get out of the inning without them scoring," Wilson said. "It's be the hero of the game."

Wilson got into a jam in the seventh when the Indians put a runner on third with two outs. But he struck out Drew Coleman to end the inning.

"Zach has pitched in those situations before and he kept us in the ballgame," Williams said. "He got us out of the jam."

Jackson (2-1) pushed across a run in the eighth when Andy Winkleblack singled home Josh Duncan, but the Tigers (2-1) responded in the bottom of the inning when Hideaki Tanaka drove in Shawn Prince to force another extra inning.

"The bottom of the eighth, when they came back and scored, it did take a little bit of wind out of our sails," French said. "Then we couldn't answer in the top of the ninth, then they put it on us in the bottom."

Jackson000000010--171

Central000000011--272

WP -- Jared Green. LP -- Travis Hurst. 2B -- Shawn Prince (C). Multiple hits -- Jackson: Caleb Hosey 2-3, Andy Winkleblack 2-4, Josh Duncan 2-4; Central: Blake Smith 2-4, Ryan Grigaitis 2-4. Records -- Jackson 2-1, Central 2-1.