No joy for James Clemens, Sparkman ends Jets season
Eric Patterson
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
MADISON- The remarkable first season for the James Clemens baseball team ended Saturday afternoon on the same field where it began over two months ago. Sparkman banged out 13 hits and scored a 9-2 win to take the series after the teams split two games Saturday night.
Merrick Converse allowed only four hits and pitched six innings for Sparkman. Sam Tralango pitched an inning in relief. The Jets mounted a brief rally in the seventh but Jordan Acosta’s ground out ended their season.
Sparkman’s Blake Chapman had two hits and scored three runs. Will Sipes had a two run double in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.
It was a frustrating day for the Jets who loaded the bases on multiple occasions but could not get the big hit. Curtis Towers pitched into the fifth inning and allowed six runs. He was relieved by Eric Patterson.
“We didn’t get a hit when we needed it,” James Clemens head coach Shane Medlen said. ” Coach Greer and Sparkman did a good job.”
Over the course of the season the Jets defied the odds and led by five seniors and five juniors won 14 games and won Class 6A, Area 14.
“We have a bunch of guys that worked real hard, pulled together, and decided they wanted to be a team. Winning is contagious,” Medlen said. “Compared to what everybody was expecting, we did a great job.”
Medlen said that pitching depth and situational hitting are areas his team must improve on in the future.
“We will have five seniors next year so we’ve got to find some depth, especially in pitching and we’ve got to improve defensively.”
Starting shortstop Eric Patterson will be one of the seniors next year that Medlen will be counting on.
“We had a great season,” Patterson said. “We did things no other first year school has done such as win our area. We won a playoff game. We will take all the positives from this season and get better in the off-season,” Patterson said.
Patterson led the Jets in many offensive categories including plate appearances, hits, singles, and batted over .400. As a pitcher he had one save.
Friday night, Taylor Borst had one of his best pitching performances of the season as he pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout in a 5-1 James Clemens win to even the series.
In game one, the Jets fell 4-2.
Sparkman advances to face Area 15 winner Bob Jones. It will be a rematch of last year when the Senators upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs.
