By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
There were some tense moments in the final two innings, but Beechwood pitcher Nick Jackman got the outs his team needed to defeat Cooper, 3-2, in the opening round of the 9th Region baseball tournament on Monday.
Cooper had the tying run on second base with no outs in the sixth inning and the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh, but the Jaguars came up empty both times.
” I just did my best and it worked out,” Jackman said. “We all just did what needed to be done to win the game.”
The win lifted the senior right-hander’s record to 6-0. Earlier this month, he was named most valuable player in the All “A” Classic state tournament for getting the win in three of the Tigers’ playoff games.
That’s why Beechwood coach Kevin Gray wanted him on the mound for the 9th Region opener against Cooper, a team that had won seven of its previous eight games.
“Nick’s been in a lot of big games at the end of the year so he’s definitely turned into our ace,” said Gray, who is in his first year as coach of the Tigers.
Cooper senior Blaine Walters led off the sixth inning with a towering fly ball that hit off the right fielder’s glove and he reached second base on the error. After Jackman retired the next two batters on a pop-up and infield grounder, the lanky pitcher snagged a hard-hit ball back to the mound and threw out the batter to end the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Cooper’s first three batters reached base on a single and two bunts that were misplayed by Beechwood infielders. Tyler Ollier, who got hits in his first three at-bats, then stepped to the plate for the Jaguars.
Jackman set down Ollier on a called third strike, whiffed the next batter and got the final out on a pop out to second base by Walters, who had driven in both of his team’s two runs.
“We messed up two bunts to give them bases loaded and no outs,” coach Gray said. “Normally, you’re not going to get out of that without giving up runs. Luckily, we did, with the way Nick hit his spots and made some big pitches in the seventh inning.”
Cooper senior pitcher Branden Reid limited Beechwood to three singles and had 12 strikeouts in seven innings. But the Tigers were able to score one run in the first inning and two runs in the third off of fielding errors.
“Reid has been outstanding all year and (Monday) was no different,” said Cooper coach Brian Bush. “He put everything he had out there and Beechwood just beat us by one run.”
The Tigers took a 3-1 lead in the third inning on a hit-and-run play. With John Odom breaking from first base on the pitch, Logan Castleman ripped a single to right field. The ball skipped under the right fielder’s glove and Odom scored on the error. Castleman came home when the throw from the outfield got through and the ball rolled to the dugout.
Cooper cut the lead to 3-2 on a run-scoring double by Walters in the bottom of the third, but the Jaguars couldn’t get the big hit they needed off Jackman in the final two innings.
“I was mixing things up with my curve ball and fast ball, that’s about all I throw,” Jackman said. “But that last inning I was throwing a lot of curve balls and they couldn’t hit it.”
The game times for the 9th Region semifinals on Tuesday were moved back to avoid heat index issues. Covington Catholic will play St. Henry at 6 p.m. and Beechwood will take on three-time defending champion Highlands at 8 p.m. Both games will be at UC Health Staium in Florence.
If CovCath wins its semifinal game, it will be the 1,000th victory in coach Bill Krumpelbeck’s 42-year career with the program.
BEECHWOOD 102 000 0 — 3 3 2
COOPER 101 000 0 — 2 7 4
WP — Jackman (7 Ks). LP — Reid (12 Ks). HITTING LEADERS: B — Odom 2-3. C — Ollier 3-4; Walters 2B, 2RBI. RECORDS: Beechwood 22-10, cooper 21-12.
9th REGION AT UC HEALTH STADIUM
Monday scores
Covington Catholic 4, Ryle 2
St. Henry 9, Newport Central Catholic 0
Beechwood 3, Cooper 2
Highlands 11, Dixie Heights 0
Tuesday
Covington Catholic (25-10) vs. St. Henry (17-13), 6 p.m.
Beechwood (22-10) vs. Highlands (24-13), 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 7 p.m.
10th REGION AT CAMPBELL COUNTY
Monday scores
Clark County 15, Mason County 1
Campbell County 6, Nicholas County 2
Montgomery County 16, St. Patrick 0
Brossart 5, Harrison County 3
Tuesday
Clark County (22-10) vs. Campbell County (19-11), 5 p.m.
Montgomery County (18-11) vs. Brossart (19-12), 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 6 p.m.
8th REGION AT OLDHAM COUNTY
Monday scores
North Oldham 7, Walton-Verona 3
Shelby County 1, Henry County 0
South Oldham 21, Carroll County 7
Collins 7, Simon Kenton 4
Tuesday
North Oldham (27-7) vs. Shelby County (20-10), 6 p.m.
South Oldham (19-12) vs. Collins (18-17), 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 6 p.m.