The Mineola Yellowjackets took advantage of a break in the weather to challenge the Rains Wildcats up in Rains last Thursday. Mineola came home with a 5-2 win behind some aggressive base-running and quality appearances by starter Beckham Bowker and reliever Carson Threlkeld. 

Bowker threw five complete innings, giving up two hits, three free passes and striking out six. Threlkeld came on in the sixth. He surrendered three hits, registered two strikeouts and issued no free passes. 

Most of the excitement in the game came in the first two innings. Mineola put six men on base in the first and pushed two runs across.

Bowker and Matthew Ballew scored the first two runs. Bowker came in on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Threlkeld, and Ballew scored on an RBI single courtesy of teammate Lawson Ollive. 

The top of the second inning was a scorekeeper’s nightmare, thanks to aggressive base-running by the Jackets. Mineola garnered three runs from a combination of a batter being hit by pitch (Wyatt Salonen), two infield base hit bunts (Bowker and Ollive), a clean single to left (Ballew), and a rundown of Mineola baserunners between third and home and third and second.

When the dust lifted, Mineola had built a 5-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the second, Mineola catcher Ballew threw out a Rains Wildcat baserunner trying to steal second, to end the inning. 

Going into the third, it appeared as though the Yellowjackets would have their way with the Wildcats.  That was not the case. As the cool air lifted and the sun began to beat down, the game slowed.

The Yellowjackets managed to put men on base in each of the following innings, but key run-producing hits were missing. 

Mineola gave up a run in the fourth and one in the sixth. In both cases, mistakes were costly. An error, a passed ball and a stolen base figured into the Rains production on the day.

The Jackets held on, however, as their composure and consistency won the day. 

The next chance to see the Yellowjackets at home is Tuesday, March 24 when they host Edgewood. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.