Clinton’s Junior Legion baseball team split a double-header Wednesday at home against Jacksonville.
While the Dark Horses earned a come-from-behind victory in the first game, their pitching struggled in game two as Clinton fell in four innings.
Rising freshman Jonathan Wright took the mound in game one and led the Horses to the win as he pitched a complete game while going 2-2 with four RBIs.
“We played good,” said Clinton coach Tracy Thornton. “Jonathan pitched well and had some key hits for us. I think that’s the best game we’ve played this season.”
While the Jacksonville bats came out swinging and jumped out to a 3-0 start, Clinton used a seven-run third inning to take the lead. They would not look back, and took the first game by a score of 9-4.
Game two would be a different story, as a depleted pitching staff couldn’t manage to find the strike zone.
Jacksonville led off the game with a bloop hit and the runner moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before coming home to score on a single. After another single, the Jacksonville lead was 2-0 in the middle of the first.
The wheels would begin to come off for Clinton in the second inning. Jacksonville led off the inning with a pair of singles before pitcher Kris Royal picked the runner off of second to get the first out. However, ensuing walks would load the bases. With two outs, it appeared the Horses would get out of the inning unscathed as Royal induced a pop-up to third. The ball was dropped though, allowing a runner to score. Another runner came home on a walk to make it 4-0.
Jacksonville broke the game open with a eight-run third to make the score 12-0.
Wyman Faison would provide an offensive spark in the bottom of the inning with a two-out, two-RBI double but the deficit was too great.
Down by 12 and down to their last three outs in the bottom of the third, Kenan Lanier led of the inning with a double. He would be stranded there, however, and the final score came in at 14-2.
“We just ran out of pitching,” said Thornton. “We have one guy who’s hurt, another’s sick. We ran out of gas.”
Clinton is now 4-6.
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