Jimtown High School

Jimmies hold off late rally to win opener over Elkhart By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART - Sometimes the outcome in baseball could be measured in inches. Jimtown High School’s shortstop Dalton Cook cleanly swept up a hard-hit grounder off the bat of Logan Kelly and threw him out at first by a half-step to end the Jimmies’ game at Elkhart Monday evening (3.30.26), a 4-3 victory for the Boys of Baugo. It was the opening game for both teams with a good-sized crowd on hand in 78-degree weather. The Jimmies gained a 3-0 lead in the third inning, and Cook, who was pitching at that time, kept the Lions in check into the 6th. His pitch-count had reached 80, according to Jimmy head coach Brandon Squibb, so was replaced by Brodric Kaler, who got a save in the game. But the Lions put together a two-run rally that frame to close the gap. With one out Max Shreiner reached on an error and Kelly and Jaxon Harrison followed with back-to-back doubles. Jimtown scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh that proved to be the winner. Collin Davis led off with an infield hit, advanced on an error and sacrifice by Landon Garretson and came home on another error. “We really played sloppy baseball,” bemoaned Elkhart coach Scott Rost. “We gave them too many opportunities. We have to clean up our mistakes on the basepaths.” “This was like going full-circle,” Squibb said. “Last year we lost the opening game to Mishawaka on the last play, and this year we pulled it out.” Squibb said he was not happy with the team’s lack of bunting skills: “We had four situations where we needed clean bunts, but only one of them happened.” He lauded Cook on his mound work: “He was amazing, throwing seventy percent strikes and didn’t give up a run.” He allowed two hits and one run and struck out five in 5.1 innings. Score by innings: Jimtown 003 000 1 - 4 6 1 Elkhart 000 002 0 - 3 4 4 Umpires: Ken Phillips and Bob Lichtenberger