The Siskiyou Jaxx Senior Babe Ruth team dropped its third straight game, 8-5, Tuesday of last week to the Pit River Channel Cats at Sons Park in Weed. The loss followed two losses the Friday before in Klamath Falls, where the Jaxx lost four one-run leads, each time because of defensive errors.
The losses ended the Jaxx’s season-opening 10-game winning streak.
Trailing the Channel Cats, 2-0, in the third inning, the Jaxx loaded the bases with no outs, but scored just one run against Pit River starter Colby Rimmer of Scott Valley.
After Jaxx pitcher Andrew Ward struck out two and retired another batter on a pop-out in the top of the fourth, Siskiyou scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Run-scoring doubles by Taylor Barlow and Travis Andrews were followed by Ward’s RBI single to make it a 4-2 game.
The lead was short-lived as the Channel Cats took advantage of two Jaxx errors to open the fifth and plated five runs to take a 7-4 lead.
Three Jaxx batters reached on walks in the bottom of the inning, but again they mustered only one run.
Pit River added a run in the sixth and cruised to the victory.
The Channel Cats roster featured four Etna Lions players including Rimmer, who earned the win. Will Johnson and Rickey Reynolds each had a hit for the Cats, and Tanner Shaefer scored a run and threw two scoreless innings in relief.
Andrews finished 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
Ward went 1-for-1 with a walk and an RBI, while Barlow was 1-for-3 with a double and RBI.
Brad Thomas, LT Hisey, Dylan Morris and Jake Mekeel each had a hit for the Jaxx.
Travis Greene started on the mound for the Jaxx and threw two scoreless innings.
Ward followed, allowing two runs over two innings.
Hisey was saddled with the loss, allowing five runs (two earned) in one inning of work.
Thomas pitched the final two innings for the Jaxx and allowed one run while striking out four.
The Jaxx are playing in the Southern Oregon State Tournament this weekend at Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls.
A tournament championship would earn them a berth into the Pacific Northwest Regionals in Portland.
“The guys have something to play for this weekend and I think they will come focused and prepared,” said Jaxx head coach Jon Cox. “I think things got put on cruise control after the hot start, now there is a chink in the armor, so we will see how they respond.”
