Blue Jays earn road sweep

Riley Schafer calmed down just in time to give the Jamestown High School baseball team another good pitching performance.

Schafer threw eight strong innings, and Landon Weiser’s double down the left-field line in the top of the eighth inning scored Cody Benson to lift the Blue Jays to a thrilling 2-1 win over Bismarck St. Mary’s in West Region play Friday at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark. The Jays took the sweep with a 10-4 non-region win in the nightcap.

“(The first win) was important,” said JHS coach Cory Anderson, whose team fell to St. Mary’s 2-0 on Monday at home. “When we dropped that one, we told our guys that we need to get that one back somewhere along the way.”

The Jays did so in style, trailing 1-0 until the seventh inning, when Jake Stilwell and Brady Anderson executed a double steal that saw the latter score the game-tying run with two outs.

“It was important to come back and really battle,” Anderson said. “We were pretty anemic offensively for the first six innings. Then, we made something happen and were able to get in and get it done.”

With Schafer consistently retiring the Saints in the bottom half, JHS was able to muster offense in the eighth inning thanks to Benson’s leadoff single. Ben Walz sacrificed him over, leading to Weiser’s big hit.

But the Jays still managed just four hits, and Anderson said the win came down to good pitching and defense. Schafer went all eight innings, allowing one run on five hits and striking out three.

“Riley walked three guys in the first three innings and that was his total for the game. It took him awhile to find his rhythm,” he said. “We didn’t have any errors. That’s been a trademark we have to continue.”

Anderson said winning in Bismarck provides his team with confidence heading into the stretch run. JHS (12-6 overall, 4-3 region) hosts Minot for a pair of seven-inning counters at 1:30 p.m. today.

“The boys have not had success at Municipal Field in Bismarck, whether it’s been high school or Legion,” Anderson said. “Today was a big momentum swinger for them. They got a monkey off their back.”

In the second game, Shaun Hogan picked up the win by going the distance.

Jamestown exploded for six runs in the top of the first inning and added two more in the second to get out to an 8-3 lead.

At the plate, Jake Stilwell was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, while teammate Tyler Ukestad was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

Jamestown 2, St. Mary’s 1 (8)

JHS 000 000 11 2 4 0

StM 001 000 00 1 5 0

Riley Schafer and Joey Gebhardt. Trent Bohan and Preston Tescher.

W—Schafer. L—Bohan.

Highlights: JHS, Schafer 8 IP, R, ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K, Landon Weiser 1-3, RBI.

Jamestown 10, St. Mary’s 4

JHS 620 11 — 10 9 3

StM 301 00 — 4 7 3

Shaun Hogan and Cody Benson. Chris Uhler, Andrew Thorson (3) and Brandt Haskell.

W—Hogan. L—Uhler.

Highlights: JHS, Jake Stilwell 2-2, 2 R, RBI, Schafer 1-2, 2 RBI, Tyler Ukestad 1-3, 2 R.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jays, baseball