Austin pitcher Courtney McCleskie fires a pitch to Rachel Good in Thursday’s area game
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)

MADISON-  Thursday night James Clemens was two outs from claiming a piece of the Class 6A Area 16 softball title but fate intervened. The youthful Jets will have to wait at least another year to finish first in the area and host the area tournament.

The 9-4 loss to Austin means Austin finishes as the area leader and will host the post-season double-elimination tournament. James Clemens finishes the area race in third place and will face Florence in a first round game. The date and time of the area tournament will be determined next week in a coaches meeting but it must be completed by May 3.

“We didn’t get off to a great start and never got the momentum going,” said James Clemens softball coach A.J. Daugherty. “We didn’t have very good at-bats all game. Credit their pitcher and Austin for not giving up even when they were two outs away from a loss. We fell behind with two cheap runs in the first. We came back got the lead but couldn’t shut the door, finish the job. We had opportunities.”

James Clemens was clinging to a one run lead the final three innings and almost made it stand up. In the top of the seventh Austin’s Kelsie Self started the rally with a base hit to short. Two batters later, Courtney McCleskie walked to load the bases with one out when freshman Erin Claborne hit a ball against the fence in left field that scored two runs. A throwing error on second baseman Renee Bolduc allowed another run to score before Addie McNutt hit a triple to the fence in right center scoring two more runs.

When it was over six runs had scored. Daugherty stayed with starting pitcher Emily Jacklin the whole game.

“Emily was not her usual self today. When she is on she can be dominant and today was one of those days for all of us, we couldn’t get it going.”

Still Daugherty is confident going into the area tournament. The Jets finished 3-3 in area play.

“When we play our best softball there is not a team better than us in this area,” Daugherty said.

The previous week, the Jets scored perhaps their biggest win of the season in a non-area game as they completed the season sweep of Bob Jones with a 9-3 win in nine innings. Before the game, the coaches presented the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Foundation with a check for $2,800 raised at the game back on March 13.

Renee Bolduc

Renee Bolduc provided the power and Emily Jacklin as the game went extra innings tied at 3. In the ninth, Bolduc slammed a three run homer and the Jets went on to cruise to a six run win.

Jacklin went all nine innings for her 19^th win of the season. Twice she pitched out of two on and nobody out jams. The defense behind her stepped up as the Jets turned two double plays.

The Jets have a home game remaining against East Limestone on April 21 and Senior Day will be April 24 against West Limestone. The Jets have one senior, Rachael Good and will have a short ceremony to honor her prior to first pitch at 4:30.