JACKSON SLIPS PAST CENTRAL IN 7TH INNING

JACKSON -- For Jackson's baseball team, history almost repeated itself.

But this time, the Indians found a way to win.

Last Friday, Jackson gave up a lead only to tie it and lose in 10 innings to Notre Dame.

On Tuesday, Jackson gave up a lead only to win it in the bottom of the seventh.

The gritty Indians scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh -- the last of which was walked in -- to beat rival Cape Central 9-8 in a somewhat sloppy game.

"We just didn't play well enough to win," said Cape Central coach Steve Williams. "We had a number of hard-hit balls for outs. We swung the bats well and scored eight runs. But give Jackson credit. They're a scrappy bunch and they took advantage of some opportunities at the end."

In the bottom of the seventh, Nathan Brown started the inning with a single. Brown moved to third on a single by Toby Freeman, but Freeman was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double. Josh Hopkins chased Brown home on a single up the middle. Brown later scored on a bases-laded walk given up by Central pitcher John Snider.

Though the two runs in the seventh were needed for Jackson to pull out the win, the biggest hit of the game no doubt came off the bat of Jason Brown in the sixth inning.

Brown, a pinch hitter, came in with two on and one out in the sixth. On a 2-2 pitch, the lefty, jerked a pitch just over the right field fence off Central pitcher Rob Carr to put Jackson ahead 7-6.

"That was a big, big pinch hit," said Jackson coach Sam Sides. "I was happy for him. He's going to do whatever you ask of him. He's a very unselfish player and he's been that way since I've known him. He hits the ball pretty good. He got three hits against Charleston (on Monday) when he pitched. We've got to find a place to play him."

Central, however, erased Jackson's momentum in the seventh inning, scoring two runs. One run was scored on an error and the other on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Josh McIntosh. Two errors figured into the scoring and both runs were unearned.

Only four of Central's runs were earned as Jackson committed five errors, three coming on dropped fly balls by right fielder Michael Birk.

"We didn't play very well," said Sides. "We were very fortunate to win the game. We're not wanting to step up and make plays. Everybody is looking for someone else to make the play."

Cape Central jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on back-to-back doubles by Zac Fidler and Mark Fisher.

Jackson responded with two runs in the first. Tory Meyr singled and scored on a wild pitch and Nathan Brown singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Freeman.

Central bounced back to take a 4-2 lead in the third on a three-run homer by Fisher, scoring T.J. Erlacker, who singled, and Zac Fidler, who doubled.

The Tigers added two more in the fourth when Dusty Barrows and Snider scored on an error.

Jackson chipped into Central's lead in the bottom of the fourth when Ricky Renfroe singled and scored on an RBI single by Birk to cut the deficit to 6-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, Jackson's Lucas McCulley doubled down the left-field line and later scored Freeman's second sacrifice fly of the game to make the score 6-4.

Freeman was the starting pitcher for Jackson and threw well, giving up seven runs (three earned) on seven hits and just one walk, while striking out five.

"Toby is going to throw strikes and keep you in the game," Sides said. "If the defense plays behind him and you score some runs for him, you're going to be in position to win."

Freeman didn't get the win, however.

Lance Limbaugh got the win in relief.

For Central, Joe Hamilton threw five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk. He fanned one and left in position for the win.

Central's relief duo of Carr and Snider gave up five runs in two innings, four of them off Carr.

Snider suffered the loss in a rough outing. He faced four batters and allowed a hit and three walks, one of which was an intentional pass that loaded the bases.