Dobbs' walk-off single lifts Jackson baseball past Ste. Genevieve

By Phillip Suitts ~ Southeast Missourian

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Jackson's Braeden Dobbs celebrates with Will Winingar, left, after hitting a walk-off single in the seventh inning against Ste. Genevieve on Tuesday at Capaha Field.

Fred Lynch

For a few seconds, Braeden Dobbs wasn't sure if his flare toward shallow left would be a walk-off hit.

As the Jackson third baseman ran down the first-base line his eyes were focused across the diamond on the Ste. Genevieve shortstop. If Brandon Hinson had caught the ball, it would've retired the side and sent the game into extra innings, and Dobbs wasn't sure if his hit had enough juice.

"He looked like he was going to make a great play on it," Dobbs said. "But it poked right over him."

When Dobbs realized he had just delivered a two-out, walk-off single with the bases loaded, he raised his right arm. And he didn't stop at first, rounding the base before his teammates mobbed him near second.

The Indians certainly had reason to celebrate, as Dobbs' single was the difference Tuesday in Jackson's 1-0 win over Ste. Genevieve at Capaha Field.

Jackson's Landon Hahn steals second base as Ste. Genevieve's Grant Staffen covers on the play during the sixth inning Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at Capaha Field.

Fred Lynch

On a night when neither team got going offensively, combining for six hits, it was perhaps fitting Dobbs delivered a crucial at-bat. He and catcher Colten Weber each had two hits, accounting for all of the Indians' hitting.

Jackson persevered through the offensive struggles, including a few missed scoring opportunities, and a 40-minute weather delay to improve to 3-1. Jarrett Newell and Drew Brown combined to throw a two-hit shutout, and the Indians took advantage of two walks and a hit batter in the seventh to push across the decisive run.

"It was just a great job of keeping focus throughout the rain delay, seeing a good pitcher, being able to chip away a little bit," Jackson coach Bryan Austin said. "There's guys that came up to bat that had poor previous at-bats that improved throughout the game, and that's the benefit of the seventh inning. We had guys come up that previously had not had good at-bats and had good at-bats in the seventh, so that shows a lot of mental toughness on our end."

Brown led off the seventh with a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Landon Pehle. A sacrifice bunt moved Pehle into scoring position before another walk and a hit batter loaded the bases. When reliever Chad Donze induced a fly out to shallow left-center field by Newell, it appeared the Dragons (3-2) might escape another jam. Then Dobbs got enough of the barrel on the ball to drive in Pehle.

Dobbs went 2-for-4 with each hit coming six innings apart. Weber was 2-for-3 with the only extra-base hit of the contest, a triple in the sixth.

The game was originally scheduled for Jackson, but due to incoming inclement weather, the game was moved to Capaha Field, which has an artificial surface that allows teams to play shortly after rainfall has concluded.

Jackson reliever Drew Brown pitches to a Ste. Genevieve batter during the sixth inning Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at Capaha Field.

Fred Lynch

It didn't have the makings of a pitcher's duel early, with both hurlers allowing a few base runners in the first. But each starter worked around that early trouble.

Ste. Genevieve led off, and the first two batters reached base via a walk and an error. Newell then focused in and struck out the next three batters.

"Overall I thought our pitching and our defense were excellent tonight," Dragons coach Mike McDaniel said. "We just didn't come through in the clutch whenever we had opportunities. The first inning, we had runners on first and third with nobody out, but we strike out looking twice and strike out again swinging. We had at least two or three more opportunities through the course of the game but were unable to come through."

Dobbs and Weber got a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the frame, and Dobbs moved into scoring position at second. Ste. Genevieve starter Drew Toombs responded with an inning-ending strikeout.

After those first-inning scares, the starters settled down. Over the next three innings, the two allowed a combined two hits and one walk. Newell was pulled after a two-out walk in the top of the fifth and ended his afternoon with eight strikeouts, two hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Brown replaced him and got through just 1 1/3 inning before the game was halted in the bottom of the sixth due to rain and lightning. During the break, the teams entertained themselves by mimicking bowling with a baseball and human pins and recreating a battle between the two dugouts.

When the delay ended, it was back to business, and the temporary stop did little to throw off the pitchers -- Toombs and Brown both returned to the mound -- or spark the bats.

Weber's two-out triple in the sixth was followed by a walk before Toombs again got out of a jam with a strikeout. That was the final batter he faced, though. Toombs tossed six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and three walks.

On the other side, Brown and Newell combined to strike out 11 and give up just three walks and one hit batter.

Jackson's Colten Weber, center, and his teammates entertain themselves during a rain delay in the game against Ste. Genevieve Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at Capaha Field.

Fred Lynch

"I thought our pitching was fantastic today," Austin said. "[Newell] did a great job locating three pitches. Colten did a great job behind the plate. ... Overall to hold an offensive team like Ste. Genevieve to zero is a great benefit. Drew Brown entered in relief and was fantastic. When he came in, he was lights-out, and we were going ride him for awhile even if we went to extras because of how well he was pitching."

In the seventh, Brown pitched around a leadoff walk and a hit batter, keeping the game scoreless and setting the stage for Dobbs in the bottom of the inning.

When Dobbs came up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh, his first-inning single was hours ago. In his most recent at-bat, he had flown out to left. It didn't help that he was full of nervous energy.

"My heart was beating out of my chest," Dobbs said. "But I knew in the end, we would come out with a win."

The senior fell back on what he learned freshman year: find a focal point. He took a deep breath and stared at the emblem near the handle of his bat. That did the trick, as he got enough of the 1-1 pitch to drive home the winning run.

Jackson practiced on Capaha Field earlier this spring, so Austin said the team wasn't intimidated by the surroundings. But for Dobbs, delivering that clutch hit at Capaha made the moment that much more special.

"That's indescribable," Dobbs said. "It's amazing."