Just as they split victories with Jackson County foes Murphysboro and Carbondale last week, the Central Jr. High Junior Redbirds traded wins with Saline County teams in its last two games, losing a nail biter to Harrisburg on Thursday, then making short work of Eldorado, topping the Eagles 10-0 on Monday afternoon at the city park.
Against undefeated Harrisburg, the ‘Birds utilized doubles by Jeremiah Teal and Kyle Sailliez to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning, then took the lead in the third frame. Braxston Koehl ripped a two-out single and Hunter Johnson reached on an error before Hunter Hancock and Teal provided RBI hits, and it was 3-1 Frankfort.
The Junior Bulldogs tied the game in their fourth turn at bat with a two-run home run, but Central regained the lead in their half of the inning when Sailliez lined another two-base hit to left field and Dalton O’Conner drove in his teammate with a two-out RBI single, making the score 4-3 Redbirds.
Harrisburg appeared to break the game open in their half of the fifth inning by plating three runs on four hits and an error, grabbing a 6-4 advantage, but Central again took their turn on the see-saw in the sixth frame.
Garrett Karoski led off the inning with a nifty bunt single and Sailliez drew a walk. Chase McLaren dropped another perfect bunt but Sailliez was caught too far off second base.
Karoski broke for the plate but was also cornered in a rundown, and the end result of the strange play, rather than bases loaded with no outs, turned out to be a lone runner aboard with two outs. In spite of the bad breaks on the basepaths, Tyson Smith, O’Conner, and Koehl then hit safely and Johnson was hit by a pitch, all resulting in a two-run inning for the ‘Birds and the high-intensity game was now knotted at 6-6.
Sporting a 6-0 record for a reason, Harrisburg was able to get two runs across in their last at-bat on two walks, a hit batsman, and two hits, but Central put the tying runs aboard in the home half of the last inning when Karoski and Lane O’Daniel both singled. However, Bulldog fireballer Carson Batts took the mound to put out the Redbird rally and preserve Harrisburg’s 8-6 victory. On a sad note, Batts suffered a broken bone in his leg while celebrating the win with his teammates and an ambulance had to be called to assist him.
