While Brooks Roaldson assumed the role of the designated hitter in Jamestown High School's baseball tilt with Bismarck Century on Thursday, his sister, Ella, was busy putting her own mark on the ball.
Roaldson, the Blue Jays' No. 3 hitter, went 4-for-5 at the plate, ringing up a double and three RBIs en route to the Jays' 11-1 game No. 1 victory over Bismarck Century in Bismarck. The Jays ended up splitting with the Patriots, dropping the second game 9-5.
"I think Ella was hitting the ball well today," JHS head coach Marissa Drenth said. "She was seeing the ball all the way into her bat. We call it 'seeing a big ball', where you kind of slow the game down for yourself and seeing the ball all the way to contact. It was good to see her walk in today and find a rhythm."
The Blue Jays were coming off a 30-0 win over Williston, a game in which Roaldson went a perfect 5-for-5 and batted in five runs. Jamestown is slated to host Turtle Mountain on Friday. First pitch for the conference doubleheader is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Century was 7-1 before the Jays came to town, sweeping Bismarck Legacy, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo. The Patriots split with Bismarck, losing 4-2, but came back with a 20-2 win. The matchup with the Jays marked Century's first WDA contest.
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Drenth said she wasn't sure how her team would react due to inclement weather canceling games but was pleased with how the Jays attacked the Patriots from the first pitch.
"It was good to see because with games being moved and games not happening -- I was a little concerned that we had gotten into a lull, but it was good to see them come out on game day and compete," Drenth said.
While the Jays were unable to make it a two-game sweep, Drenth said she was still pleased with the effort and energy put into game No. 2. The head coach said the win helped give the Jays confidence heading into the rest of the weekend and early next week.
The Blue Jays are slated to host Watford City on Saturday at 1 p.m., travel to Valley City Monday for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch and head to Bismarck to take on Legacy Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
"I think we are feeling good," Drenth said. "I think they are excited to play games."
Jamestown 11, Century 1
JHS 000 350 3 -- 11 10 0
BC 001 000 0 --1 5 2
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JHS: Katie Falk; BC: Maddy Zander, Delani Clarke (6). W -- Falk, L -- Zander.
Highlights: JHS -- Falk (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 3 BB), 2-4, RBI; Payton Gall 1-3, 2B, RBI; Ella Roaldson 4-5, 3 RBI, 2B; Jenna Fischer 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI.
BC, Zander (5 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 9 K, 4 BB), Malee Wittenberg 1-3, 2B, RBI.
Records: Jamestown 3-2, 3-0 WDA; Bismarck Century 7-2, 0-1 WDA.
Century 9, Jamestown 5
JHS 005 000 0 -- 5 7 1
BC 004 410 X -- 9 11 4
JHS, Payton Gall, Falk (5); BC, Brooklyn Morris W--Morris, L -- Gall.
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Highlights: JHS, Gall (4.1 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 4 K, 4 BB), Falk (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB), 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Roaldson 1-4, RBI; Jenna Fischer 1-4, 2B, RBI; Ella Falk 1-2, 2B.
BC, Morris (7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 11 K, 2 BB) 1-3, 2B; Zander 2-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI; Clarke 1-1, 2B; Wittenberg 2-3, 3B, RBI.
Records: Jamestown 3-3, 3-1; Century 8-2, 1-1.
