Miscues lead Jaguars over Leopards
By JOSE NEGRON
jnegron@yourmvi.com
Thomas Jefferson took advantage of the opposition’s miscues and used timely hitting to capture a 14-4 victory over Belle Vernon Area in nonsection play Thursday at the John DiVirgilio Sports Complex in Rostraver Township.
The win helped snap a four-game losing streak for the Jaguars (2-6), who moved up from Class 4A to 5A this season.
“We needed that one pretty bad because we’ve been reeling a little bit,” Thomas Jefferson head coach Tim Vickers said. “The kids came in with a lot of confidence and they were loose. It was definitely a quality win.”
TJ finished with 10 hits, but a majority of its runs came on mistakes made on BVA’s part. Seven runs were scored on either passed balls or wild pitches, while three scored on errors. The Leopards (5-3) finished with five errors in the loss.
“We didn’t pitch well and we didn’t field well,” BVA head coach Tony Watson said. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
Thomas Jefferson scored two or more runs in all but one inning and got things started with a three-run first inning.
Shultz Reinhart wasted little time showing off his power and his speed as he started the game with a triple into the gap in left-center field off BVA starter Peyton Rothey.
Reinhart finished with a pair of extra-base hits, but his tone-setting three-bagger was one of the biggest hits of the contest.
“That hit really made the whole group loose and confident at the same time,” Vickers said. “That was a big spark to start the game.”
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Friday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
