GAINESVILLE — This time last year, Jefferson’s Lane Watkins was just another middle schooler trying to make his way.
On Saturday, the freshman first baseman proved he could be a key player for the Dragons, who are trying to reload after losing six starters from last year’s Class AAA state finals team.
Watkins drove in one run and scored the eventual game-winner on an errant throw to help lead Jefferson to a surprising 4-3 win over Gainesville at Ivey-Watson Field in a rare matchup of state finalists from the previous season.
“I would say this is a big win for us. Anytime you beat Gainesville it’s a big win, especially here,” Jefferson coach Tommy Knight said. “Last year Lane was in middle school and now he’s in some big pressure situations. You don’t really expect a freshman to come through like that. He had a big hit and then good awareness to score on that throw. Can’t say enough about him.”
It wasn’t a thing of beauty, especially offensively, as the two teams combined for six errors and left a combined 21 runners on base, including 13 in scoring position. Gainesville left 13 on for the game, and a whopping 10 in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded in the second.
“Jefferson made some good pitches at times but I also think we helped them out some at the plate as well,” Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said. “We swung at some pitches we shouldn’t have. That’s something we need to work on.”
Gainesville had a great chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jefferson’s Zack Boobas (1.2I, 0H, 2K) hit Jared Smith to start the inning, who then moved to second on a sacrifice and stole third with one out. But Boobas struck out Jack Langford and got Fedrick Cardona to fly to center to end the game for the save.
Brook Beddow earned the win in relief going 1 1/3 innings allowing one run on one hit.
“Zack has about four types of pitches he can throw at different speeds and I think that makes him tough,” Knight said. “He made a couple of really good pitches to hold them off.”
Jefferson started strong getting a pair of hits from Taylor Wilkes and Will Breese to begin the game. But Gainesville starter Sam Carpenter was able to get out of the early jam inducing Joshua Hutch to pop to the catcher on a bunt attempt, fanning Boobas on three pitches, and getting Hunter Thompson to ground out to first.
The Red Elephants put some early pressure on Jefferson starter Asher Standridge in the bottom of the first when Collier Scott was hit by a pitch and Carpenter followed with a single with one out. But Standridge got out of his trouble striking out both Anthony Carrera and Jonathan Gettys looking to end the inning.
Carpenter faced another jam in the second when Kasen Rainey reached on an error and then stole second. Watkins walked but Carpenter got Justin Cole to fly out to right and struck out Wilkes looking to end that inning.
The Red Elephants cracked through first in the bottom of the second. Banks Griffith singled to lead off and moved to second on a Standridge throwing error. After hitting Farris Mance, Standridge uncorked two wild pitches, the second scoring Griffith on a walk to Cardona for a 1-0 lead. Standridge then hit Collier for a second time loading the bases but got out any further damage getting Carpenter to ground out back to the mound.
The Dragons answered right back in the top of the third. Initially it looked like Carpenter would produce the first 1-2-3 inning getting Breese and Hutch quickly to start the inning. But Boobas beat out an infield single, Thompson walked, and then Rainey doubled to right knocking both in for a 2-1 lead.
Standridge settled down after the second allowing just one hit over the next two innings. He ran into trouble in the and was knocked out with game tied. He allowed one earned run on four hits and fanned four in 4 1/3 innings.
“This is a different team and it’s a scrappy group. You saw that today. The more they play, the better they’re going to get,” Knight said.
Carpenter was replaced by A.J. Smallwood to start the fifth. Carpenter allowed two runs (none earned) while scattering three hits and walking two. He fanned four batters.
The Red Elephants tied the game in the fifth when Gettys doubled to center, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Jefferson error that allowed Griffith to reach. Jefferson replaced Standridge with Beddow and Jared Smith reached on another Dragons error moving Griffith to third. But Beddow got Mance on a ground out and fanned Langford to end the inning with the game still tied.
“Sam really battled out there without his best stuff,” Kemp said. “We’re a scrappy team as well. We’re going to have to work hard for what we get. We still have to do to get a lot better, especially with region starting.”
Neither offense could get that big hit through the first five innings. The Dragons left seven runners on base, three in scoring position. The Red Elephants stranded 10 through five with six in scoring position.
The Dragons answered right back in the sixth to reclaim the lead for good, 4-2. Devin Humphries beat out an infield hit, stole second, and then scored on Watkins’ RBI single to left. Watkins also took second on the throw home. Watkins then scored on a ground out by Justin Cole after an errant throw to catch Watkins going to third.
Gainesville answered that with one in the bottom of the sixth. But it had the makings of a big inning. Cardona walked and Scott singled to start the inning and both moved up a base on a Carpenter sacrifice. Cardona scored on a wild pitch and then Carrera walked and stole second to put the go-ahead at second with one out and Gettys coming to the plate.
The Dragons brought in Boobas, who was able to get out of the jam fanning Gettys and then Griffith lined out to Boobas to end the inning. Gainesville stranded 12 runners through the first six inning, nine in scoring position.
Gainesville (3-1) is off until Wednesday when it will open its Region 8-AAAAA schedule on the road at Apalachee.
Jefferson (3-1) will play host to White County on Tuesday in the first of a home-and-home series next week.
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