By Michael Lindsay
The York Institute Dragons opened the 2024 postseason with a 16-2 victory over Jackson County in the opening round of the District 5-2A tournament.
“Everybody starts out 0-0 in the playoffs,” said York head coach Adam Bowden. “You have to come out and be sharp in all three aspects. We got on base a lot and caused a lot of havoc. We scored a lot of runs and were aggressive, and I think it really paid off.”
Ethan Garrett led the Dragons at the plate as he went 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Pitcher Blade Garrett earned the victory as he struck out 5 batters while allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings pitched.
“Blade has pitched a lot for us,” said Bowden. “I felt like he matched up well against them. Blade did great and Eli (Garrett) got a little work in pitching and shook some rust off. He was able to get those last three outs.
Jackson County struck first in the top of the first inning via a Bryce Stafford single to score Cooper Kinnaird. York answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 advantage entering the second.
The Dragons held Jackson County scoreless in the second before posting 5 runs of their own to take a 7-1 lead after two innings. York posted two runs in the third before a 7-run fourth inning gave the Dragons a 16-2 lead entering the fifth, where they held off Jackson County to win by a 16-2 final score.
Up next for York Institute in the District 5-2A tournament is a trip to top-seeded Watertown on Thursday at 6 p.m.
“Watertown is a great team and extremely well-coached,” said Bowden. “On defense, we have to make the routine plays and hit the ball. We’re going to go play our game and see what happens.”
