Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Action from the Jacksonville baseball team’s 2-1 win over Routt at Routt’s Alumni Field on Friday
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
Jacksonville pitcher AJ Charpentier didn’t start on the mound in the Crimsons’ game against crosstown rival Routt on Friday afternoon, but that’s where he finished it.
Charpentier came on in relief to face Bryson Mossman with two on and two out in the seventh inning trying to protect a 2-1 lead.
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Charpentier got behind in the count 2-0, but Mossman took a called strike before fouling off a pitch to even the count at 2-2. Mossman took the next pitch for a ball to run the count full, with No. 3 hitter Brady Turner waiting on deck. But Charpentier came back and slipped a fastball past Mossman, who swung and missed to end the game.
Jacksonville came away with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Routt in the annual crosstown clash, avenging last year’s 5-0 loss to the Rockets.
“I was focusing first on throwing strikes,” said Charpentier, who transferred to Jacksonville from Routt two years ago. “That’s the main thing. Can’t walk a guy, get bases loaded with their three guy up. So really had to get their two-hole there.
“Bryson Mossman, he’s a very good hitter, so I had to work around him a little bit. All in all, 3-2 count, fastball inside, and I beat him.”
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The game was played in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season for either team. Cars were parked from the main drive all the way to the lake at Routt’s Alumni Field, with several cars positioned beyond the outfield fence.
Both teams had scoring chances early, but Routt’s Turner and Jacksonville starter Ryan Headen battled to a 0-0 tie after four innings.
Routt (14-10) finally broke through with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jacob Brown singled, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Anson Butcher. With two out, Talon Thompson hit a hard ground ball that was misplayed by the first baseman. Brown came all the way around to score to give Routt a 1-0 lead.
Jacksonville’s Jack Rohlk led off the sixth with a single but was erased in a double play started by Owen Smith, who fielded a sharp ground ball at third.
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Jacksonville (16-6) scored twice in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Drew Gillespie singled, and Charpentier reached on an error to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Ethan Kruzan followed with a line drive single. An error by the center fielder allowed Gillespie to cross the plate with the tying run. Charpentier took third, and Kruzan went to second.
Charpentier was cut down at the plate on a grounder by Talan Harney as Kruzan advanced to third. Then with one out, Headen delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Kruzan and give the Crimsons a 2-1 lead.
“Big at-bat there,” Headen said. “Thankfully, Gillespie, and Ethan Kruzan and AJ, they all stepped up there and got on base for me. I tried to get that bunt down — didn’t quite work out, went a little foul. But I’m glad I got the sac fly to center to drive him in.”
Headen went back to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh. He got the first batter on a ground out. Anson Butcher followed with a walk, then took second on a sacrifice bunt by Taegan Rives. Headen walked Talon Thompson to put runners at first and second with two out before Charpentier came on in relief.
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Headen had a solid outing, giving up one unearned run and holding Routt to three hits over six-and-two-thirds innings pitched. He struck out four batters and pitched around five walks. Headen walked two batters in the first with one out but got out of the inning on a double play started by Charpentier.
Headen attended Our Saviour before moving on to Jacksonville High School. He’s good friends with many Routt players.
“Obviously, big game for me — first start against Routt,” Headen said. “Had a lot of nerves going in, but just had tunnel vision with (catcher) Bentley (Lagergren). Just trying to throw strikes. Walked a couple of guys. Had to work around them. Really relied on my defense — defense made a lot of big plays, especially in that first inning. AJ bailed me out with a double play up the middle. He also bailed me out at the end with a strikeout against Bryson. That was obviously huge.”
Turner was brilliant on the mound, scattering six hits over seven innings pitched, with nine strikeouts and no walks. Both of Jacksonville’s runs were unearned.
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“It felt like we just couldn’t scratch one across the whole game,” Headen said. “Even getting guys to third or scoring position was a struggle the whole game.”
Rohlk had two hits to lead the Crimsons at the plate. Charpentier hit a double for the game’s only extra-base hit.
Charpentier said competing against his old teammates still felt strange. But beating Routt meant a lot.
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“It’s big,” he said. “We took a tough loss to them last year. I didn’t pitch the greatest, so it was nice, obviously, to get that last strikeout there. It was great. Great win. We played well, and that’s what we do when we play well — we win.”