Jesuit Prevails in Another Close Victory

The single to right field by Marc Theberge (3) in the third inning drives in Nick Ray (12) for the second Blue Jay run of the ball game.

If there’s one thing certain about the Blue Jay baseball team’s 16-7 season so far, it’s the fact that they never make their victories look easy. In many games this season, though, the Jays have shown that they can do what good teams always do — win close games when it counts. Tuesday night’s second district match up with Shaw was no different.

Senior Davis Martin (1) had a masterful performance on the mound, pitching 6 1/3 innings and striking out six batters.

On offense, the Jays managed to score a run in the first inning even without any hits. Seniors Hunt Conroy (5) and Nick Ray (12) each walked on base, and with two outs in the inning, Conroy was sent to steal third. After sliding underneath the tag of the Shaw third baseman, Conroy came home easily when the toss back to the pitcher was overthrown.

After Shaw left a man on first and third in the bottom of the inning, the Jays enjoyed the early 1-0 lead.

The bats came alive for the Jays in the third inning with a series of singles to the outfield. Ray started things off with a single to center. Senior Stephen Sepcich (27) advanced Ray to third on his own single to center, and senior Marc Theberge (3) drove Ray in on a single to right.

The Jays maintained their 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth when Shaw got their only run of the night. With runners on first and third, Jesuit made a risky attempt to throw out the runner stealing second. The errant throw gave the third base runner enough time to steal home, and the Jays were facing a closer game at 2-1 than they would have liked going into the final innings.

In the top of the sixth, the Jays lost an opportunity to extend the lead when they left the bases loaded. The top of the seventh inning passed without a hit for the Jays.

The bottom of the seventh found Jesuit in a situation up one run with one out and a runner on first. Junior Andrew Cashman (19) came out to relieve Martin to give the Eagles a fresh arm to face. The very next batter hit a ground up the middle for a game-ending double play. The team pulled out another close victory, 2-1.

The win improves the Jays district record to 3-1 as they prepare for a two-game weekend against St. Augustine. The first game takes place at John Ryan Stadium at 6 PM on Friday, with the second game on Saturday at 4 PM at RBI Field (Wesley Barrow Stadium).