Good to be home: Blue Jays back at Jack Brown, split with Legacy

May 2—JAMESTOWN — Mason Lunzman isn't quite used to the 60-degree, spring weather yet.

"Pitching in the other games it was always cold," Lunzman, a senior pitcher for the Jamestown High School baseball team, said, "I had a neck gaiter on and long sleeves and a couple of layers on and now I am just out here in a t-shirt. It's a lot nicer — I felt a little better out there.

"There's nothing I love more than playing here with the fans and everything — I just love this place," he said.

It's even more fun when you get a win.

The top-ranked Jays split No. 2 Legacy 7-2, 1-3 Tuesday evening at Jack Brown Stadium. Jamestown will be back in action on Friday with a road tilt against Watford City. First pitch is slated to be thrown at 4:30 p.m. The Jays' next home tilt is scheduled for May 9 at 4:30 p.m. against Mandan.

Playing at home has been a long time coming for the Blue Jays.

The squad was originally supposed to open up its home schedule three weeks ago against Bismarck High but the snow and winter weather that has plagued Jamestown the last few months kept the Jays on the road for their first eight games of the year.

But being the away team isn't always bad.

With the sweep over Legacy, the Blue Jays improved to 8-2 in the West Region standings. Jamestown is currently leading the WDA while Legacy is ranked second, also at 8-2.

"I think we all knew what we were capable of so (the start) hasn't really shocked any of us but maybe it shocked some other people in the state," Lunzman said.

Blue Jay assistant coach Michael Smith said the Jays' record is a testimony to the work done on the field — specifically on the mound.

Lunzman got the start for the Jays on Tuesday. The senior went for six innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run. He didn't walk a single batter and retired four.

"Really, my mentality was just to throw strikes and compete as much as I can knowing that all my teammates would back me up," Lunzman said.

"It all starts with Mason," Smith said. "The guy has just been a rock for us. He's such a competitor and he just goes out there and does his thing and that always gives us a quality start."

Speaking of quality:

"We've been stressing quality at-bats — not worrying about your batting average but getting up there and making the pitchers throw pitches, moving runners over and stressing being a team player," Smith said. "I think they are buying into that aspect a little bit and they are playing good baseball. We've had the pitching all year but we're starting to have really good at-bats up and down the lineup."

The Jays tallied seven hits and seven runs off Legacy pitcher Jameson Johnson in game No. 1

"We ran the bases really well and put the bat on the ball when we needed to," Smith said. "We had some sac flys and just played good, team baseball."

Lunzman was 2-for-4 with a run batted in, Thomas Newman and Jackson Walters were 1-for-3 with an RBI, Max Fronk was 0.500 at the plate with an RBI while Brooks Roaldson hit 0.333 and it all started in the bottom of the second.

Carson Orr sent Roaldson home on a double powered over to right field to take a 1-0 lead early in the affair. Tyson Jorissen doubled his team's lead on the next at-bat, sending Reagan Sortland home on a sac fly.

The inning ended with a score by Orr, to make it 3-0 Jays headed into the top of the third.

An error on the Blue Jay outfield in the fifth granted Legacy its first run of the evening, but a 2-run score was the closest the Sabers got to taking the lead.

The Blue Jays notched four runs between the fifth and sixth to make it 7-1 Blue Jays in the top of the seventh. Legacy got one more before Thomas Newman struck out the final batter of the frame to end it 7-2.

"To be able to get out here today was kind of a surprise," Smith said. "We'll take it. It's gorgeous weather. It's always good to be back at Jack Brown and get in front of some of our home crowd. We're glad to be back and have some warm weather for a change.

"We have a lot of seniors and they don't have very many dates left in a Blue Jay uniform and we already missed a couple of dates to play over here at Jack Brown Stadium so I just told the kids to enjoy it," he said. "It's beautiful weather, they get to play baseball with their buddies — I just told them to have fun — our season wasn't going to get made or broke today."

Jamestown 7, Legacy 2

LEG 000 0101 2 7 2

JHS 030 022 X — 7 7 2

JHS: Mason Lunzman, Thomas Newman (7); LEG: Jameson Johnson W — Lunzman, L — Johnson

Highlights: JHS — Lunzman (6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) 2-4, RBI; Max Fronk 1-2, RBI; Thomas Newman 1-3, RBI; Brooks Roaldson 1-3; Jackson Walters 1-3, RBI.

LEG — Jameson Johnson 2-4; Lucas Vasey 2-4; Marcus Butts 1-4; Wyatt Kraft 1-2; Tommy Kuhn 1-3.

Legacy 3, Jamestown 1

JHS 000 100 00 — 1 3 2

LEG 100 000 02 — 3 5 3

JHS: Payton Hochhalter, Carson Orr (6); LEG: Gavin Brice, Tommy Kuhn (5) W — Kuhn, L — Orr

Highlights: JHS — Hochhalter (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) 1-4, 2B; Mason Lunzman 1-3; Jackson Walters 1-4, 2B.

LEG — Wyatt Kraft 2-3, 2 RBI, 2B; Isaac Mitchell 1-3; Jameson Johnson 1-4; Nick Patton 1-4.