Jimmies offense explodes in doubleheader sweep at Midland

FREMONT, Neb. – The University of Jamestown game against Midland University was tight until the fourth inning when the Jimmies exploded for eight runs on their way to a 16-4 win on Saturday, April 1, at Midland’s Moller Field.

The Warriors went into the third inning with a 2-1 lead but two batters into the frame, their lead was gone thanks to a Kendall Yackley RBI double to make it 2-2. The Jimmies added another one in the inning to take a 3-2 lead. Yackley came up again in the fourth and crushed a three-run shot to push the Jimmies' lead out to 6-2. Later in the inning, the Jimmies’ Hayden Brown got hit by a pitch to score a run and push the lead out to 7-2. The very next batter was Alex Tolbert who hit a grand slam to push the lead out of reach at 11-2. It is the first grand slam for the Jimmies since Tayler Cullen hit one against Mount Marty on March 26, 2022.

Yackley came up in the seventh and hit an RBI single to push the lead out to 12-4. The Jimmies senior went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs in the first game.

UJ 16, MU 4

UJ: 0 1 2 8 0 0 5–16 15 0

MU: 0 2 0 1 1 0 0–4 6 1

WP: Luke Zimmer (6-0) LP: Keegan Adams (3-3)

Scoring plays:

Second inning:

UJ: Julian Sansores reaches on a fielder’s choice, Jordan Singleton scores

MU: Alec Villanueva RBI double, Connor Petersen scores

MU: Dax Wandler RBI groundout, Haydn Crawford scores

Third inning:

UJ: Kendall Yackley RBI double, Reece McKenzie scores

UJ: Hayden Brown RBI single, Yackley scores

Fourth inning:

UJ: Yackley three-run HR, McKenzie, Payton Smith score

UJ: Brown RBI hit by pitch, Xander Orejudos scores

UJ: Alex Tolbert grand slam, Brown, Singleton, Isaiah Roebuck score

MU: Crawford solo HR

Fifth inning:

MU: Petersen sacrifice fly, Yealex Lopez scores

Seventh inning:

UJ: Yackley RBI single, Smith scores

UJ: Singleton 3 RBI double, Roebuck scores, unearned, Orejudos, Yackley score

UJ: Chase Burke RBI single, Singleton scores

The Jimmies scored three runs in the top of the first inning and their offense continued to put runs on the board as they got a 13-4 win over the Warriors in the second game of the doubleheader.

Yackley led off the top of the first with a double and was eventually brought home on a Jordan Singleton three-run shot to push the Jimmies in front 3-0. The Warriors (14-13, 6-4) got one back in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 3-1. The second inning was the big inning for the Jimmies (15-11, 4-4) in game two as Yackley started the merry-go-round with a run-scoring single to push the lead out to 4-1. The Jimmies’ Xander Orejudos hit a two-run sacrifice fly to push the lead out to 6-1. Later in the frame, the Jimmies’ Chase Burke smashed a grand slam to push the lead out to 10-1.

The Warriors were able to steal some momentum back with a three run bottom of the third to cut the deficit to 10-4. The Jimmies’ Alex Alva got on in the fifth and stole second and moved to third when the catcher’s throw sailed into center, and then he scored on an error by the center fielder to push the lead out to 11-4. The Jimmies added another run in the sixth to push it out to 12-4. The Jimmies put the finishing touches on the game in the ninth thanks to Yackley reaching on a fielder’s choice and Julian Romero scoring to make it 13-4.

The Jimmies' starter Anthony Comfort struggled only going two innings while giving up seven hits and four runs. But the Jimmies hurlers were able to stop the bleeding from there as Austin Shelton and Connor Nipp went the last seven innings giving up four total hits and striking out eight hitters.

"I thought Austin Shelton and Connor Nipp came up really big in game two," Jimmies head coach Tom Hager said. "Anthony Comfort didn't have a great start today but Austin Shelton minimized the damage, he was able to pitch with the lead and he did it effectively. He bridged that gap and then Connor Nipp took over and he was lights out today. We've been waiting for that Connor Nipp and that Connor Nipp is fun to watch."

Over the two games combined, Yackley went 6-for-11 with six RBIs and five runs.

UJ 13, MU 4

UJ: 3 7 0 0 1 1 0 0 1–13 12 1

MU: 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0–4 11 6

WP: Austin Shelton (1-0) LP: Lucas Hamzeh (3-2)

Scoring plays:

First inning:

UJ: Singleton three-run HR, Orejudos, Yackley score

MU: Crawford RBI double, Jacob Liquori scores

Second inning:

UJ: Yackley RBI single, Sansores scores

UJ: Orejudos sacrifice fly, McKenzie scores, unearned, Smith scores

UJ: Chase Burke grand slam, Brown, Roebuck score, unearned, Yackley scores

Third inning:

MU: Lopez solo HR

MU: Petersen RBI single, Liquori scores

MU: Villanueva sacrifice fly, Crawford scores

Fifth inning:

UJ: Alex Alva steals second, moves to third on an error, scores on an error, unearned

Sixth inning:

UJ: Brown RBI double, Madison scores, unearned

Ninth inning:

UJ: Yackley reaches on a fielder’s choice, Julian Romero scores