The Jefferson County Blazers held their postseason chances in their hands with three games in three nights this week.
At 6-3 in the league (as of Monday), JC can clinch the No. 2 slot by winning two of the three contests. That would earn them a shot at SLABA leader Waterloo, Ill., for the league championship in a best-of-three series starting July 15 at Maryville University in west St. Louis County.
Beating Waterloo will be a tall order because nobody has done it yet this summer. The Warriors, whose home is directly due east of Barnhart, are 24-0 overall and 11-0 in league play.
The Blazers are 18-16 after overcoming a mini-slump at the start of the GMB Tournament, where they fell 6-2 to the 618 Storm and 11-1 to the Greenville Senators June 28-29. JC rebounded June 30 to beat both those clubs, 15-1 and 3-0 respectively, and over the next three days reeled off three more wins: 10-2 over the Rock Memorial American Legion club, 8-7 over Chaminade and 8-1 over the Prime/St. Louis Redbirds.
After seven games in six days, JC got a much-deserved five-day break before the crucial league contests this week.
The two tournament losses were a low point in the season as manager Ed Pottgen questioned his team’s motivation.
“I threatened to end the season if we (kept playing) like we did,” Pottgen said.
The most exciting win in the current five-game streak was an 8-7 walk-off winner over Chaminade July 2 at Fox High. Jefferson County trailed 7-6 going into the bottom of the seventh when Corbin Waller, Tyler Voss and Michael Huff all walked to load the bases. Chris Duncan tied the game with a sacrifice fly and a throwing error on the play brought home Voss with the winning run.
The Blazers managed only five hits but feasted on 12 walks. Brayden Wille was two-for-two with a double, a stolen base and a run batted in.
Huff relieved starting hurler Landon Richard after the second inning. Richard was pitching on two days rest and wasn’t sharp, allowing five hits and walking two. But the Blazer defense didn’t help him and finished with four errors. Huff went four innings, allowing two hits, four walks and an earned run. Richard’s primary sport is football and he will kick and punt at Quincy University this fall.
“(Huff is) a power pitcher,” Pottgen said. “He was overpowering the batters, getting them to hit underneath the ball.”
JC beat Rock Memorial for the second time this season July 1, cruising to a 10-2 victory after scoring nine runs between the second and fourth innings. Voss started on the mound and worked two and 2/3 innings, fanning three and walking four. Woolsey relieved Voss and struck out five in three scoreless innings. Anthony Sabella pitched the final one and 1/3 frames with a clean slate in runs and hits. Carey and Huff had RBI doubles as JC supplemented its eight hits with six walks and two hit batsmen.
Pottgen and the Blazers will look back on the June 30 3-0 win over Greenville as a key turning point in their season as Richard struck out eight in six innings and Woolsey fanned two of the three batters he faced to earn the save. Caleb Quigley delivered the big blow offensively with a two-run single in the sixth.
“Landon went out there and dominated the entire game,” Pottgen said.
Woolsey was the starting pitcher against the Redbirds in the 8-1 victory July 3 and struck out seven in five innings, yielding only two hits. Hayden Greenwood fired two innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and no walks. The Blazers’ nine-hit attack featured an RBI triple by Duncan and six stolen bases, including two by Quigley.
The Blazers hope history can repeat itself. Five years ago, Waterloo entered the playoffs undefeated and knocked off the Blazers in the opener of the championship series. But under manager Aaron Kutilek, with Pottgen as his assistant, JC stormed back to win the next two games for the SLABA title.