Jackets prevail in pitchers’ duel

Posted 4/8/21

Two Wood County young men, Mineola’s Spencer Joyner and Winnsboro’s Tristan Stout, put on a pitching demonstration last Thursday, fittingly under perfect baseball conditions.

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Jackets prevail in pitchers’ duel

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Two Wood County young men, Mineola’s Spencer Joyner and Winnsboro’s Tristan Stout, put on a pitching demonstration last Thursday, fittingly under perfect baseball conditions.

In the 4-1 Mineola win, Joyner faced 24 hitters, gave up three hits, struck-out six and issued no free passes. For the Raiders, Stout likewise was equally effective. He faced 26 hitters, gave up four base hits, struck-out seven and walked one. Joyner put the Raiders down in order five times over seven innings, and Stout put the Jackets down in order twice.

It was baseball as it is designed to be.  

To add to the mystique of the game, the steady wind which had been blowing last Thursday died with the sun, yielding a cool and crisp night. It was just a great night for baseball.

Winnsboro put their lead-off man on with a sharply hit single down the third base line. He stole second base and scored on the only Yellowjacket fielding error of the night. 

Mineola put runners on base in the 1st and 2nd innings. Back-to-back singles by Braydon Alley and Joyner started a hopeful rally in the second. A nicely-turned 4-6-3 double play by Winnsboro killed the rally.

Winnsboro put runners on in the third and fourth, but they could not advance. Coy Anderson gunned down the baserunner in the fourth with a beautiful throw on a steal attempt.

Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Riley Fowler reached on a fielding error, although he would have beaten-out the throw regardless. He stole second and took third on a wild pitch. After Cason Davis lined out, Caleb Gant laid down a perfect bunt midway between the pitcher’s mound and third base. It was an infield hit. Joyner then lifted a deep fly ball to right which was dropped by the right fielder. 

After the dust settled, Mineola had a 2-1 lead. 

Each side went down in order in the fifth. Anderson made a top-shelf catch on a very high ball behind the plate. It was a textbook catch right against the screen.

Errors gifted the Jackets a run in the bottom of the sixth. The Jackets got on when a ground ball was bobbled by the third-baseman. A throwing error eventually brought that runner home. Gant beat out a second bunt for a base hit and scored on an Alley sacrifice fly to left field.

Mineola needed three outs to secure a 4-1 win. Joyner produced. He generated a ground ball, a swinging strike out and a routine fly ball for the win. 

The game highlighted two outstanding pitching performances by Joyner and Stout. Joyner enjoyed excellent defensive support, while fielding errors were costly to the Raiders. It was well-played defense which won the day for the Jackets.  

The next opportunity to catch the Jackets at home will be Tuesday, April 13 as they host Harmony.