James Clemens takes down tough Sparkman team in Tuesday road tilt

By Caleb Odom (caleb@themadisonrecord.com)

HARVEST — James Clemens pitcher Andrew Lawrence could hear Sparkman first baseman Carter Wells down in the dugout punching things in frustration.

It was the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday, April 4 at Sparkman’s field and Wells had just struck out swinging.

The score was 9-5 James Clemens and the hope was beginning to drain out of the Senators as Lawrence was on the mound.

The senior shortstop turned big game closer was at it again as the crowd barked a mixture of jeers and encouragement.

Lawrence has a phrase on his glove that means “Get your mind right.”

It’s a few words that he carries with him, but when the game is on the line and James Clemens needs outs, Lawrence was more than ready to play the role of judge, jury and executioner.

The Jets were able to hold off Sparkman 9-5 on the road Tuesday for a valuable win before area play begins later this week.

“It’s huge. It’s a step forward,” James Clemens second baseman Francisco Ramirez said.

“We want to play the best teams and that’s a good team.”

Fresh off an impressive Saturday, April 1 defeat of Bob Jones, Sparkman was riding high as the Senators locked horns with James Clemens a few days later.

The Jets used a massive 7-run top of the second inning to get the better of the Senators.

“That’s a good baseball team man,” James Clemens head coach Johnny Johnson said.

“They can swing the dang bats. So that’s why I told them if all goes well maybe we will see them in the playoffs at some point.”

It was a bullpen game for both teams essentially as James Clemens and Sparkman shuffled through different arms practically inning to inning.

For the Jets, Luke Davenport started the game and tossed a scoreless inning while Sparkman starter Cade Collins was tagged for a James Clemens run in the top of the first.

A Colten Payton RBI single that knocked in Lawrence gave the Jets a 1-0 advantage.

Control issues plagued Sparkman in the second inning as James Clemens walked five times and were hit by three pitches on its way to scoring seven runs to lead 8-0 early on.

The top of the third inning featured an RBI single by second basemen Francisco Ramirez, who showed out with his bat and glove in the early-week affair.

“You know, just sit fastball and coach gave me the green light right there,” Ramirez said.

“I was like hunting the fastball and that’s what I got.”

The bottom of the third inning featured relief pitcher Mason Busch, who got some valuable reps for James Clemens.

“Especially with those hitters that they have,” Busch said.

“I’ve watched what Sparkman can do when they get hot. Just facing plus hitters really helped me out and told me what I have to work on when I get back to practice.”

Busch overcame hitting a batter to collect three strikeouts in his one inning of action.

Firmly in control with a 9-0 lead after three innings, the Jets appeared poised to run-rule the Senators, but it didn’t play out that way.

What makes Sparkman so dangerous is that the team just doesn’t know how to give up.

The Senators were dead and buried when they mounted a late-inning rally that put the heat back on the Jets.

A run in the bottom of the fourth and another in the fifth off of a solo home run by Nick Causey began to chip away at the Jets advantage.

Things started to get tense in the bottom of the sixth when Grant Gage came in to pitch for James Clemens and he walked four batters.

Three more runs would eventually score for Sparkman as the crowd was suddenly alive and full of barbs for the Jets who were trying to put this game to bed.

Lawrence was brought in to put out the fire and that’s exactly what he did.

The closer didn’t blink as he minimized the damage in the sixth and sent the Senators packing in the bottom of the seventh with three straight swinging strikeouts.

The final pitch popped the glove of catcher JT Johnson with an almost cruel finality in the case of Sparkman.

For James Clemens it was just further validation of a team continuing to climb.

“It’s a big confidence boost for us,” Lawrence said.

“We are feeling good as a team right now. We are playing really well.”

The catcher Johnson spiked the baseball into the turf as the Jets yelled in jubilation.

The win catapults James Clemens into area play with Florence later this week.