Dragons upend Bucks

SMACKOVER - If Tuesday’s performance is a harbinger of things to come, Junction City could have a lengthy postseason run ahead.

All nine of Junction City’s starters recorded at least one hit, as the Dragons banged out 16 hits en route to a 15-3 win over Smackover in Class 3A-4A District 12 play.

The win puts the Dragons (18-9) in the driver’s seat for the top seed in next week’s 8-3A District Tournament, while the Bucks (13-13) will be the No. 2 seed.

Junction City can formally wrap up the top seed with a win at Drew Central on Thursday.

The bottom of the Dragons’ order was particularly lethal with Bryce Ware, Clay Jolley and Charles Hoof each registering three hits in the win.

Overall, the Dragons’ six through nine hitters were a combined 10-for16 with eight RBIs, and Junction City hitters struck out only once in the game.

“Hitting-wise, this was one of the better games we’ve had in a long time,” said Junction City coach Joe Paul Hammett. “It was definitely the most hits we’ve had in a game. It came at a good time for us.”

However, the Dragons’ success wasn’t limited to the plate.

Freshman Keelan Hodge overcame a rocky start to pitch his first career complete game.

The right-hander tossed a five-hitter, walking just one batter while racking up seven strikeouts.

Hodge allowed three hits and a run in the first, but allowed just two hits the rest of the way.

“It starts with our pitcher,” Hammett said. “Keelan did a good job of throwing strikes, and we played good defense behind him. Keelan’s played a lot of baseball. He’s played all over the place. That’s one of the good things about it is he has good composure. He never loses it. You never know if he’s doing good or bad, and that’s what you’ve got to have from your pitcher. He was steady today.”

Perhaps what makes the Dragons’ offensive onslaught even more impressive is they did it over a span of five innings.

Smackover starter

Weston Smith was able to pitch around errors in the first and second innings, but the Dragons began their barrage in the third.

With one out, Jack Smith walked and Hoof and Robbie Roberson followed with singles to load the bases.

Joe Lowe then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly with Smith eluding the tag of catcher Cade Schibler by hurdling over the junior as he was trying to haul in Beau Burson’s throw up the third-base line.

With runners now at first and second, Hodge helped his own cause with a single to left that scored Hoof after the Junction City left fielder was able to dislodge the ball from Schibler’s grasp on a bang-bang play at the plate to give the Dragons their first lead.

Smackover promptly answered in the bottom of the third.

Clay Stringer, who singled and scored the game’s first run in the opening inning, rifled a double to left-center to start the frame.

Stringer took third on a sacrifice bunt by Smith and scored on a ground out to shortstop by Burson.

However, it was all Dragons from that point on.

The visitors took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth.

Brock McGoogan led off with a walk and Ware followed with a single to center to put runners at first and second.

Jolley then bunted for a base hit that loaded the bases after Smith slipped and fell while trying to field the bunt.

Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to right that scored McGoogan with the go-ahead run and also allowed Ware to take third.

Hoof then lined a single just fair down the left-field line that scored Ware to make it 4-2.

With runners now at first and second, Roberson advanced the runners a base each with a sacrifice bunt, and Lowe drove in a run after his flare to shallow left fell for a single that scored Hoof.

It was just the start for the Dragons, who scored three runs in the fifth and sixth innings and four more in the seventh.

Smith’s day ended in the fifth after the senior was greeted with three straight hits to start the inning.

McGoogan led off with a single and Ware hit a double to left-center to put runners at second and third.

Jolley then rifled a two-run double to left, prompting a pitching change.

Josh Saulsbury entered and retired Smith on a ground out to shortstop that sent Jolley to third, and Hoof delivered his second straight RBI single to make it 8-2.

Smith allowed eight runs and seven hits in four-plus innings of work. He walked three and did not record any strikeouts.

Smith had an RBI single, while Roberson drew a bases-loaded walk and Lowe was hit by a pitch with the based loaded to account for the Dragons’ scoring in the sixth.

McGoogan, Ware, Hoof and Roberson had RBIs in the seventh.

Hoof was 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Ware and Jolley were each 3-for-5 with the latter adding two RBIs.

After the Bucks tied the game in the third, Hodge retired 13 of the game’s final 14 batters with Burson belting a towering solo homer that cleared the high fence in right-center to start the sixth serving as the freshman’s lone blemish.

The Bucks got off to a promising start against Hodge.

Stringer led off with a base hit down the left-field line and went to second on Smith’s sacrifice bunt.

Burson then went to the opposite field with a bloop single to right to score Stringer with the game’s first run.

A single by Brennan McKnight put runners at the corners, but Hodge fanned Nick Jennings before retiring Schibler on a fly out to right to avoid further trouble.

If there was a key to Hodge’s success, Smackover coach B.J. Greene thought it was the freshman was able to pitch effectively inside.

“First and foremost, they were ten times better than we were today,” Greene said. “The Hodge kid threw a great game. The umpire kind of had a pretty tight zone for both sides, and Hodge found a way to get it inside. The bottom line was our pitchers never could work that inside corner. They just couldn’t get it in there. When they threw it down the middle, boy they hit the ball hard. My hat’s off to those guys. That’s what good teams do. They came back from the loss they had last week when we beat them. They swung it well and had great pitching and defense. They did what they were supposed to do.”

Although their five-game winning streak is over, the Bucks are hoping to get back on the right track with the district tournament starting next week.

“We put ourselves where we need to be,” Greene said. “With the way our season is, I’m proud of our kids. We do have to have short memory. That’s the one thing about baseball in every situation. You’ve got to forget about this. We’ve got to go to Fordyce and take care of business and finish as co-conference champs and take the two seed going into district.”

With games against Drew Central on Thursday and Parkers Chapel on Monday, Hammett is pleased where the Dragons stand.

“I definitely like where we’re sitting, and maybe this will get us going again,” Hammett said.