Steve Brock has a simple outlook toward baseball.
“This is a good game to play, and that’s what they do,” the North Pike head coach said. “Sometimes you play good, sometimes you don’t.”
Brock added that Monday was one of those days when his Jaguars could have presented a better effort.
North Pike pitchers issued six walks and the Jaguars committed three crucial errors in a 7-4 loss to Oak Forest Academy in Babe Ruth League action Monday at McComb’s Rotary Field.
The loss dropped the Jaguars to 2-2 in 13-and-14-year-olds league action.
With the game tied at 4, Oak Forest took advantage of two walks, a hit batter and a North Pike fielding error to plate three third-inning runs and take the lead for good.
“We just played pitiful. The errors and walks just killed us,” Brock said after the loss.
After trailing by as much as 4-1 after the first inning, the Jaguars rallied to tie the game in the top of the third. With two outs, Patrick Roberts walked and took second on Stephen Williams’ single to center field.
Oak Forest catcher Cade Cernich tried to pick off Roberts at second, but his throw sailed into center field, moving Roberts to third, who eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
It took little time for Oak Forest to answer.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Brian Muse singled to center, Cernich reached on a Jaguars fielding error and Alex Houeye walked to load the bases. Bransen Schwebel then took a 3-2 pitch from Williams just off the outside corner for a walk to force home Muse for a 5-4 lead.
Cody Miller followed with a sacrifice fly to left field off North Pike reliever Dusty Brock to score Cernich and push the lead to 6-4.
Dalton Brabham’s RBI double to deep left-center field plated Houeye and capped the scoring.
The Jaguars left a runner on base in each inning, including the third when Williams was stranded at second after delivering his game-tying RBI single.
“When you hit the ball better and make fewer errors, you win,” Brock said. “We didn’t. They hit the ball with men on and we didn’t.”
North Pike took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Mikel Jenkins reached on an Oak Forest two-base throwing error and scored on Roberts’ two-out single to center.
Oak Forest took advantage of four walks, a two-run triple by Steven Liuzza and an RBI double from Muse off North Pike starter Reed Taylor to take a 4-1 lead.
With still nobody out, Roberts relieved Taylor and retired three consecutive Oak Forest hitters, two via the strikeout.
North Pike pulled back to within a run in the second. With one out, Dallas Smith doubled off the right-field fence and scored on Nick Parker’s single to left field.
Parker advanced to second on Hayse Thompson’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Kole Brown’s single to center to make it 4-3.
The Jaguars will be in action again tonight at 8 when they face McComb at the McComb Sports Complex.
