BASEBALL: Red Devils edge New Albany, 5-4
BY KEVIN HARRIS | Posted: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 11:59 pm

Jeff edges Bulldogs, 5-4
Jeffersonville catcher Casey Gibson braces for impact to get the out as New Albany’s Tanner Robison barrels toward home plate during the Red Devils’ 5-4 win over the Bulldogs on April 22.
JEFFERSONVILLE — Wednesday night’s annual matchup between Jeffersonville and New Albany was not the most well-executed game.
But like this rivalry always seems to be, it was very competitive.
After taking a 5-2 lead after five innings, the Red Devils held off a Bulldog rally to win 5-4. Jeff extended its lead in the series to 62-49-1.
“I thought it was probably going to be a close game,” Jeff head coach Derek Ellis said. “Nobody has an overpowering pitcher on either team. Those guys are scrappy and find a way. I thought it was in hand when it was 5-2, and obviously it wasn’t. We’ve got to get better.”
It was a night where New Albany wasted chances to take control of the contest. The Bulldogs left 14 runners on base, including nine in scoring position.
“That’s our season in a nutshell right there,” New Albany head coach Chris McIntyre said. “I thought we were offensively, in the first four innings, just horrible. We had some opportunities. We had some guys up, who were some of our better hitters, with two outs and they swung at the first pitch that were not good pitches. You just can’t give yourself up like that. We’ve got to do a better job with our situational hitting.”
The Red Devils (4-2) went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded and none out, Jeff junior starter Ian Ellis helped his cause by smacking a two-run single to left field off New Albany starter Joey Collins.
The Bulldogs (3-7) fought back by scoring a run apiece in the fourth and fifth.
With two out and the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, catcher Timmie Redford collected a single up the middle to plate Chase Rudy to cut New Albany’s deficit to 2-1.
The Bulldogs tried to get a second run to come home on the play, but Tanner Robison got thrown out at the plate by Red Devil center fielder Drew Campbell for the third out.
In the top of the fifth with one out, Collins knocked in teammate Justin Striegel from second base on an opposite-field base hit to right to tie the game at 2-2.
New Albany loaded the bases with one out after Ian Ellis issued back-to-back walks to Jacob Mullins and Rudy, but the Jeff right-hander got out of the jam by striking out Trey Brummett looking and forcing Robison to fly out to center.
In the bottom of the fifth with one on and two out, the Red Devils’ Jeremiah Phelps stole second base and advanced to third on a Collins wild pitch. After Collins walked Jeff first baseman Joe Burke, Jared Burke pulled a single into right to drive in Phelps to give the Red Devils the lead back at 3-2.
The next batter, catcher Casey Gibson, launched a double to the left-field fence to knock in both Burkes and put Jeff up three runs. Gibson tried to extend his two-bagger into a triple, but got thrown out at third by New Albany left fielder Coen Beach.
“We were trying to manufacture some runs there. It was a big inning for us,” Derek Ellis said.
The Bulldogs answered in the top of the sixth. Center fielder A.J. Nixon cut New Albany’s deficit to one with a two-run, one-out double to deep center off Phelps, who was relieving Ellis, to plate Beach and Redford.
Beach started the top of the seventh by reaching first on an error with one out. However, he got thrown out at second by Jeff right fielder Nolan Fertig on a Redford fielder’s choice.
After Redford advanced to second on a wild pitch and Striegel walked, Phelps threw another wild pitch to move both New Albany runners up a base. The game ended when Nixon grounded out to second.
“We battled,” McIntyre said. “I give our guys credit. We’re off to just a horrible start by wins and losses. They’re not quitting, they don’t have a bad attitude and they’re fighting. It’s just our execution is not very good right now, both offensively and defensively.”
Coach Ellis said his team has got to learn how to close games out.
“It comes back to closing out the ballgame on the mound, and we’re just not doing that,” he said. “We’re giving them enough run to get back into ballgames. We’ve got to start figuring out a way to close the door.”
Jeff will host Louisville St. Xavier, the top-ranked team in Kentucky, tonight. The Tigers defeated Indiana No. 1 Floyd Central 8-3 on Wednesday.
New Albany will travel to Evansville on Friday for a doubleheader with Reitz.
JEFFERSONVILLE 5, NEW ALBANY 4
New Albany 000 112 0—4 7 2
Jeffersonville 020 030 x—5 6 1
W — Ian Ellis (1-1). L — Joey Collins (0-3). S — Jeremiah Phelps (2). 2B — Justin Striegel (NA), A.J. Nixon (NA), Casey Gibson (J).
Records — Jeff 4-2, New Albany 3-7.

Reprinted from News & Tribune