H.S. BASEBALL: Devils, Dogs to meet with sectional at stake
Jeff beats Floyd 6-1,

By KEVIN HARRIS
kevin.harris@newsandtribune.com
After the Red Devils (20-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a Dale RBI single, Jeff tacked on three more runs in the third against Floyd Central starter Brandon Smith.

With one out and runners at first and second base, senior Hayden Robb drilled a double to left field to plate Nolan Fertig and Ian Ellis to put the Red Devils up 3-0. Joe Burke then drove in pinch-runner Jacob Flispart with a groundout to shortstop to extend the Jeff advantage to four runs.

“Anytime you can get off to a good start and put a run up, it helps you play and takes the tension off,” Ellis said. “It was nice to get one across early and we were able to do that.”

The Red Devils’ final two runs came off the bat of Jared Burke in the top of the seventh. With one out and runners at second and third, the junior second baseman delivered a two-run double to the right-center gap to put Jeff up 6-0.

The Class 4A No. 3 Highlanders (25-5) scored their only run in the bottom half. Senior shortstop Michael Springer smacked a two-out double to plate Austin Newell from first.

The bottom third of the Red Devils’ lineup — Robb, Joe Burke and Jared Burke — went a combined 6-for-12 with three doubles and five RBIs. Each player was 2-for-4. Jared Burke had a pair of doubles and Robb collected a two-bagger. Robb and Jared Burke each had two RBIs, while Joe Burke drove in one.

“Bottom line, they did a great job of coming through today,” Ellis said. “The top of our lineup did a nice job early. But you have to give Smith some credit in regards to keeping the top of the lineup off-balanced, and maybe dropped his guard a little bit on some of our other guys.”

Like he has all season, Jeff senior starter Josh Burke gutted out another victory. The right-hander threw a complete-game three-hitter without giving up an earned run. Despite hitting four Highlanders, Josh Burke struck out five and walked two to up his record to 6-0.

“He battled. He’s a gritty player,” said Ellis, who also complimented Jeff catcher Trey Dempsey for assisting Burke on the mound. “I really didn’t know if Josh was going to be our No. 2 or 3 [pitcher] on the mound this year. He’s really stepped up and done a nice job. I’m very, very proud of Josh Burke.”

Josh Burke thanked his teammates for giving him an early lead.

“That was awesome by our offense. It helps me a lot on the mound with my composure in getting that lead,” he said. “I just tried to keep the ball down because they hit the ball good. You’ve got to keep the ball down and get a lot of groundball outs. My defense, I can’t give enough credit to them. They helped me out a lot today.”

Smith suffered the loss, ending the season with a 5-2 mark. The right-hander threw 6 1/3 innings, yielding all of Jeff’s six runs (all earned) on 10 hits. Smith fanned six, walked five and hit one batter.

“He did OK, but they hit the ball,” Floyd Central head coach Casey LaDuke said.

The Highlanders left the bases loaded in the first and the third. In each frame, however, Josh Burke retired the side by forcing Floyd Central first baseman Ross Lundy to fly out to center.

“That hurt us,” LaDuke said. “It would’ve been nice to get a little single there and score. But you know what, [Josh Burke] threw a heck of a game. I told him at the end of the game that he did a heck of a job.”

The Highlanders said goodbye to four seniors in Springer, Lundy, Alex Koopman and Nathan Manias. Saturday’s loss was a bitter pill for Floyd to swallow. The Highlanders came up short of the sectional title for the second year in a row after having a stellar regular season.

“We have put together two great seasons back-to-back. We were ranked No. 1 last year and ranked third this year. It’s just a shame,” LaDuke said. “We worked hard in the offseason. We worked hard during the season. It’s just tough. People don’t understand how hard it is. There are no guarantees.”