Walk-off homer propels Jackson Senior Legion to win over Cape Ford and Sons

Kelby Brown picked the perfect time to hit his first home run of the season.

His one-out, walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday lifted Jackson Post 158 to a 3-2 victory over Cape Ford and Sons Post 63 in the first game of a Senior Legion doubleheader at Herzog Stadium in Jackson.

Brown's 360-foot blast bounced off the top of the fence and landed in front of the scoreboard beyond the wall in left-center field.

Brown, who had struck out in his previous two at-bats off Post 63 ace Calvin Lovig, said he was looking for a fastball.

"If (Lovig) was going to throw a curveball, I was going to wait back on it because it was a lot slower and I could read it pretty good," said Brown, who starred for the Oak Ridge High School team this past spring. "I knew I had to stay up there and battle."

Loving got a couple strikes on the outside part of the plate before unloading a fastball down the middle.

"He just threw it right in my wheelhouse," Brown said.

Until that point, the only other runs Jackson scored off Lovig came on Kyle James' two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. In between, Post 158 (13-2) managed just three hits off the crafty right-hander, who walked just one while striking out five.

"They got good swings on good pitches," Post 158 manager Mark Lewis said. "That's all."

Post 63 (9-4) was struggling against Jackson right-hander Steven Eddy, who was tossing a three-hit shutout until allowing a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Lovig opened with a single in front of a walk to Josh Haggerty. Grant Dix drove them both in with a double to the left-field corner.

"(Eddy) made a couple of mistakes in that inning, and they capitalized on it," said Lewis. "I felt like, up until [the last inning], he made a mistake, and their kid made a mistake, and that's why we were even."

Eddy admitted to feeling a bit fatigued on the mound while pitching on a muggy day with temperatures that reached the low-90s.

"It's hot, you're sweating, you're losing all your fluids," he said. "You've just got to drink as much as possible and stay cool."

Eddy recorded three quick outs to get out of the inning after Dix's double. He set down Post 63 in order in the top of seventh, setting the stage for Brown's heroics.

"I knew I was pitching to the bottom of the lineup," he said. "I was trying to make good pitches, trying not to give up walks, just come at them."

If there was anybody happier than Brown in the bottom of the seventh, it was Eddy.

"Didn't want to have to go back out there and pitch again," Eddy laughed. "It was much better getting it done that way."

Eddy allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out three.

Post 63 manager Justin Lieser said the game had a postseason feel.

"A nice, tight, low-scoring game like that, a couple good defensive plays behind each pitcher that tightened up the game a little bit," he said. "We just came out on the wrong end of that one."

Jackson Senior Legion's Kyle James completes a trip around the bases after hitting a two-run homer against Post 63 during the first inning Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Jackson. (Fred Lynch)

Lieser added these types of games will benefit his squad down the road.

"It's good to be tested, especially this time of year," he said. "We're not even midway through yet, just coming off a 1-0 win, and now you have a 3-2 loss. It's going to test their mettle and the team's overall character."

James, who just finished his freshman season as an infielder at Shawnee Community College, is one of a handful of players with college experience playing for Post 158. Their presence, Lewis said, is "big."

"It's not just their talent, it's the way they approach the game," Lewis said. "It's so good for the younger kids to kind of see. It's good for Legion baseball to have them. I know the (age) rule is changing, probably. And you'll have to adapt to it. But I like the (older) kids in there. I think it's good for Legion baseball because the kids that come back are usually pretty good ballplayers and have an idea how to play the game."

Cape Post 63 000 002 0 -- 2 5 0

Jackson Post 158 200 000 1 -- 3 6 1

WP -- Steven Eddy. LP -- Calvin Lovig. 2B -- Lovig (C), Grant Dix (C). HR -- Kyle James (J), Kelby Brown (J). Multiple hits -- Cape: Lovig 2-3. Records -- Cape 9-4, Jackson 13-2.