The Jersey baseball team cheers from the dugout as Senior, Austin Hayes, rounds home plate at the team’s first home game of the season on Monday against Alton. (Carissa Sitki/Jersey County Journal)
Can’t win ‘em all. Junior, Pete Barten, rounds third to head home, but is called “out” as he slides across the plate. (Carissa Sitki/Jersey County Journal)
By Austin Andre
The Jerseyville Panther baseball team has been on a hot streak this season, with five consecutive wins so far in total. They beat the Alton Redbirds this past Monday in an exciting first home game of the season.
Both teams kept each other silent and off the board for the two first innings. In the top of the third, the Redbirds pulled together a one-run lead to put them ahead 1-0. The Panthers failed to muster anything in the bottom of the inning.
Again in the top of the fourth, the Redbird’s scored again to make it a 2-0 ball game. They managed to keep the Panthers scoreless in the bottom of the fourth.
Not about to end their winning streak, the Panthers executed terrific small ball plays to put two players in scoring position. A base hit followed and drove in three runs to put Jersey on top of the Redbirds 3-2. Neither side allowed any runs, and the game ended with a Panther victory.
Jerseyville maintains a 5-0 record. Their past games against Roxana ended 5-4, Waterloo, 16-2, Gillispie 7-6, and Southwestern 10-4.
So far, they are number one in the Mississippi Valley Conference and 12th in the state rankings.
They face Bellville East in a doubleheader on Friday, along with games against Carlinville and Roxana in the coming week.
