Jays hit ground running with 2 wins

Ryan Wilson, Union Publisher, The Junction City Union, Kan.
·3 min read

Mar. 29—The JCHS Blue Jays varsity baseball sneaked by with a win for their season open against Salina Central, waiting until the third inning to score.

Lincoln Upham and Jonathan Phillips first got on base for the Jays by walking. Cael Smith, brought as a courtesy runner, scored on a double hit by Logan Nabus. Gavin Moore, also brought in as a courtesy runner, scored by stealing home. Moore scored a second run for the Jays after walking and being forced home when Salina Central walked a batter with the bases loaded. Griffin Bohanan hit a single and Smith also walked that inning.

Salina Central got their sole run in the fifth, with a walker advancing bases and scoring on throws. The Jays picked up another run in the fifth too, with Cooper Bogenhagen scoring after walking, advancing to second and third by stealing and then scoring on a balk.

As pitcher, Upham allowed six hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out five and walking one. Bohanan came in as relief in the fifth, striking out four.

In hit, Nabus went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Jays in hits and made the most plays with nine.

Jays defeat Salina Central in second game

The JCHS Blue Jays took the lead late and defeated the Salina Central Mustangs 7-3 in an away game on Friday, not scoring until the sixth inning, when they tied up the game with two runs.

The Jays got their first base hits of the game in the fourth inning with Brock Bazan and Logan Nabus hitting singles, and loaded the bases with Cooper Bogenhagen walking, but weren't able to score due to a double play in that inning.

Salina Central got on the scoreboard first scoring two runs in the fifth inning, both with runners stealing home. The Mustangs hit three singles and another got on base by walking that inning. They added another run in seventh inning on a double, two singles and another walker.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Blue Jay tied things up at two after Tate Miller, Jonathan Phillips and Bogenhagen hit singles. While Bazan was up to bat, Miller scored by stealing home, got picked off at second and Bogenhagen stole second, third and home to tie up the game.

The Jays pulled ahead in the seventh inning with Noah Brown, Miller, Phillips and Cael Smith hitting singles and Griffin Bohanan, Neil Crowley, Smith and Nabus getting hit by pitches. Brown, Bohanan, Crowley, Smith and Phillips all scored that inning, with Brown and Smith scoring by stealing home.

JCHS Pitcher Levi Mehl allowed two hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out six and walking one. In other significant outs, third baseman Jonathan Phillips tagged a runner out attempting to steal third in the second inning and shortstop Cael Smith getting a forced out on third in the seventh inning. Miller and Phillips each managed three hits as the team's top hitters.