Jones, Jackets shut down Venus in 8-4A baseball opener

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Easton Jones is 8-4A district pitcher of the year after posting 0.88 earned run average with 87 strikeouts as a junior this spring. || TheFlashToday.com photo by BRAD KEITH

By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com

VENUS (March 14, 2017) — Easton Jones plowed through the Venus lineup Tuesday evening, striking out 12 and allowing just two hits in a complete-game shutout as Stephenville (11-2-2, 1-0) began 8-4A district baseball with a 5-0 win.

Jones worked around a pair of two-out singles by striking out the side in the third inning, the only time there was a whiff of trouble for the right-handed junior. He retired the side in the first, second and sixth innings and also struck out the side in the seventh, when he worked around one of his two walks on the night. He faced three more than the minimum, with one of the walks taken off the base paths on a caught stealing by catcher Cody Storrs.

Easton Jones || TheFlashToday.com photo by BRAD KEITH

Stephenville began its scoring in the top of the third with Storrs walking and courtesy runner Chase Carrillo stealing second then scoring on a single to right by Caleb Gibbons. Cleanup batter Trevor Easter doubled Gibbons over to third before Aaron Abila dropped a teardrop between the third baseman and left fielder to bring both across the plate.

Abila struck again with an RBI single in the fifth, bringing Storrs across the plate after he singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Easter was hit by a pitch and was incorrectly called out at third, or the Jackets would have tacked on another run in the inning.


Trevor Easter should have been called safe at third. || TheFlashToday.com photo by BRAD KEITH

The fifth run came soon enough, however, as in the next at bat – the sixth – Stephenville finished the scoring with Clay Krause walking and coming around on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Derek Gifford.

The Jackets continue 8-4A action Friday when they host Midlothian Heritage. First pitch at James T. Young Baseball Field will come between 7 and 7:30 p.m. following junior varsity action.


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