CRETE, NE. (NewsDakota.com) – The University of Jamestown baseball team scored nine of its 13 runs with two outs on Monday afternoon as the Jimmies secured the Doane Bracket Championship with a 13-6 win over the Tigers.
Jamestown will now play for the GPAC Postseason Championship on Tuesday at 6 PM against Concordia (NE). The Bulldogs will host the single nine inning game.
The Tigers jumped on Jamestown in the bottom of the first inning by scoring three runs off of five hits and one UJ error to go up 3-0. The Jimmies got a run back in the second when Luke Shekeryk launched his ninth home run of the year to make it 3-1. In the third, UJ loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch, which led to Tayler Cullen clearing the bases to put the Jimmies ahead for the first time, 4-3.
That 4-3 lead didn’t hold for long as Doane scored a run in the bottom of the third to tie it at four. In the fifth, Jamestown regained the lead at 7-4 after scoring three runs on four hits and one Tiger error. After Doane picked up one run in the bottom of the fifth, UJ scored three more in the top of the sixth off another Shekeyrk home run to go ahead 10-5.
Shekeyrk would help the Jimmies extend the lead once again in the seventh inning, driving in three on a bases-clearing double. Jamestown would allow just one more run to cross for Doane in the bottom of the eighth before securing the Doane bracket title.
Shekeyrk led Jamestown with seven total RBIs in the bracket championship, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and a double. Cullen also had two hits, bringing in all three of his runs in the third. Reece McKenzie and Quade Peters each delivered a pair of hits as well. UJ scored 13 runs off 14 hits and had four defensive errors.
On the mound, starter Kendall Yackley went three innings, allowing four runs, three earned, and 10 hits. The bullpen was shut down for the Jimmies as Ben Ray picked up the win, his third of the year. Each of the five pitchers to come out of the bullpen for Jamestown allowed just one hit.