Blue Jackets heading to regionals

FINDLAY - What do you get with one very determined and hungry team that hasn't been out of districts in a while?The advice on the bus ride to the district final was simple: If you want to leave a legacy stamp at the finals and on the program, win the title and become a regional qualifier.The seniors from the No. 2 seed New Riegel did just that. The combination of ace pitcher Shane Jones and the powerful defense is what took down the No. 1 seed Hardin Northern 8-2 in Division VII district final play at Woody Curlis Field in Findlay Saturday."It's been about eight or nine years since we have made it out of districts," NR coach Dereck Uitto said. "I'm excited for the kids, they were very excited and very focused and had a good week at practice."Jones had six strikeouts on the day, two walks in seven innings, and gave up two runs."To play here at this game today was amazing," Jones said. "It's the first time I have gotten to pitch in a game like this."The fourth inning is where NR (16-12) got the bats singing a tune. Gabe Pugh whacked a fly ball up center field to get himself to first base. After a sacrifice bunt from Quinn Allison and Brighton Coffin tattooed a ball, it got Pugh to third. A line drive by Sam Clouse got him an RBI as Pugh sprinted towards home, and moved Clouse to first. The very next at bat, Jones smacked a fly ball out towards the fence on the right side of the field, and that brought Coffin sprinting into home from third, and Clouse advanced to second. Clouse scored on an error after a throw bounced out of the glove of the catcher and wasn't able to be tagged in time. Jones scored on a Blake Moes bunt, and Moes scored on a Carter Clouse pop fly.A lot of things were going through Uitto's mind, but one thing was for certain, it's never easy to put a crooked number on the board.In the beginning, the Blue Jackets had made an error, but nobody seemed to notice it. The powerful defense of NR though was able to keep the Polar Bears from scoring. In the fifth inning, Alex Hohman put the ball in the hole and then flipped to Allison at second and it was a play that Uitto said was the best all year. It was enough to take Pore out at second and Karter Terhark at first.The Polar Bears were in trouble starting the first inning. Jones was walked and Carson Pahl was hit by the pitcher. Carter Clouse came up to bat and when the ball bounced off the pitcher's glove in an attempt to catch it, both Jones and Pahl ran for home, while Carter Clouse stole two more bases.Those two errors gave the Blue Jackets the lead.Not to be shut out early in the second inning, Kruz Curtis whacked a fly ball to the outfield and ran three bases by the time NR got the ball back into the infield. Dylan Bacon got the RBI as he hit a sacrifice bunt to bring Curtis in.Later, Nolan Hopson whacked a ground ball that was mishandled. Curtis singled a ball to the left field, which moved Hopson to second, and a ground ball to center field from Kaden Guinn moved everyone one plate over, it wasn't until Bacon hit a fly ball that was caught and dropped that brought Hopson across the home plate. That was the bottom of the fourth inning.The Blue Jackets got the final run in the last inning. Pugh was walked, but then stole second base and third base when Allison was at bat and after Allison hit a bunt, Pugh came into home plate.As for Jones, he had to be pulled in the fourth inning from the last game NR was at because he was two pitches under the 50 limit. Uitto let him make a choice about Saturday, and he ultimately decided that he wanted to start."We weren't anticipating him throwing the entire game," said Uitto of Jones. "He is a tremendous athlete and great competitor. He gave us everything we needed today."The Blue Jackets now move on to the regional semifinals that will be held at Bowling Green's Carter Park on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and take on Minster (22-6).