Tigers run into Wall to end season in area round

It’s hard to win with one arm tied behind your back. Have both arms behind your back and it’s nearly impossible.

Jacksboro’s baseball team must have felt like that in Game 1 of its Class 3A area series vs. Wall Thursday night. The Tigers made an uncharacteristic four errors and had a run taken off the board for interference.

The 10th-ranked hawks took advantage of all that to come from behind and post a 4-3 victory at Cooper High here. Jacksboro falls to 17-9 with the setback with Wall going to 25-6.

Jacksboro Coach Blake Belcher said all the errors combined to hurt the squad, despite Jacksboro outhitting Wall 7-6.

“Those couple of physical errors hurt but getting that run taken off the board in the first kind of sent things spiraling,” Belcher said following the 2:02 contest.

Kasey Ray Swan pitched the first 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Lando Belcher threw the final 1 2/3 innings.

The Tigers looked to get on the board in the first. Kaleem Howard opened with an infield single, the first of his three hits, and went to second on a pickoff error. With one gone, Lando Belcher singled and stole second.

Jackson McComis walked to field the bases. Christian Wiggins then grounded to shortstop. The umpire ruled that Belcher interfered with the fielder, ruling him out, and the throw to first completed the double play to end the inning.

Wall got on the board first with a run in the third, Gunnar Dillard doubling home Hutson Teplicek for a 1-0 lead.

Jacksboro took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Howard beat out an infield single and Belcher drew a two-out walk.

McComis then scalded a double down the right field line to plate both runs. A strikeout ended the frame.

A bases loaded walk and catcher’s error put Wall back on top 3-2 in the fourth. The Hawks looked to extend the lead in the sixth, loading the bases with one gone. Belcher replaced Swan on the hills and got a double play ball to third kept things status quo.

In the Hawk seventh a one out single, a stolen base and an error on the throw moved the runner to third. A wild pitch brought the runner home with what was then an insurance run before a groundout to shortstop ended the rally.

Jacksboro rallied in its final at-bat. Cody Frie, stroking a leadoff double. He moved to third on a two-out wild pitch. Belcher aided his cause with a single, plating Frie, but he was left stranded as a popout to third ended the game.

Game 2: Wall 2, Jack 1

After a two and a half hour lightning delay at Cooper High, the squads got back on the field after playing the first three innings with Wall leading 1-0. The Hawks got their

The Hawks got their first run in the second inning before Jacksboro tied the game in the top of the fourth out of the delay. Wall got the run back in the bottom of the fifth and held on for the win.

The Tigers, after making four errors in the series opener Thursday night, played clean ball in game two but picked up only three hits in the contest, one each by Kasey Swan, Wiggins and Frie.

Jacksboro allowed 10 hits, Jackson McComis throwing the first 4 2/3 innings before Lando Belcher threw a perfect 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Jacksboro ends its season at 17-10 with Wall moving on at 26-6.