Jimmies Baseball lose to Mt. Marty, Thurs. GPAC Tourney

CRETE, Neb.  (UJ)   — With just a one-run lead, University of Jamestown pitcher Dru Fitz (SR/Gresham, OR) kept Mount Marty (S.D.) University off the scoreboard for seven innings Thursday afternoon.

The Lancers finally broke through against Fitz, scoring three runs off the righty and four runs total in the bottom of the eighth inning, defeating the Jimmies 4-2.

Jamestown, now 28-22, plays Northwestern (Iowa) College in a loser-out game Friday at 12 p.m. in the Doane bracket of the GPAC postseason tournament, The Raiders lost 7-6 to Doane Thursday.

Chase Hacker (SR/Millcreek, WA) led off the top of the third with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brian Rice (JR/Vancouver, WA). Grant Okawa (SR/Mississauga, ON) followed with a single up the middle to bring home Hacker for a 1-0 lead.

That would be all the offense the Jimmies would muster against Mount Marty starter Tyler Preist. Preist worked into the sixth inning and allowed just one run on seven hits.

Fitz (6-3) scattered five hits over the first seven innings but ran into trouble in the eighth. Josh Roemen singled to start the frame, and moved to second after Mason Townsend walked. Zane Salley came in to run for Townsend, and with Billy Hancock at the plate, Salley and Roemen pulled off a double steal. The throw to get Roemen went offline, allowing Roemen to score and Salley to advance to third. Hancock then homered to left to make it 3-1 and chased Fitz from the game.

Reliever Cameron Jenkins (JR/West Richland, WA) retired the first batter he faced but then allowed a solo home run to Colin Muth to make it 4-1.

Jamestown scored once in the top of the ninth against Lancer reliever Jared Bell. Brice Foster (SR/Lynnwood, WA) singled and an error by the left fielder allowed him to move into scoring position. After a pair of groundouts, Foster was at third and came home on a pinch-hit single by Luke Shekeryk (JR/Seattle, WA). Bell retired the final hitter to end the Jimmie rally.

Foster was 3-for-4 while Hacker finished 2-for-4. The Jimmies finished with nine hits overall.