DeGRAFF — Riverside came up with five runs in the fifth and sixth innings to rally and beat Jackson Center 6-4 in a Division IV sectional opener on Monday.
Jackson Center led 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but the Pirates dominated at the plate the rest of the way.
Warren Shockey started Riverside in the fifth with a one-out single to left field. He stole second and moved to third on a ground out, then scored when Simon Godwin hit a single to left.
Gavin Osborne then hit a hard ground ball to right field, and Godwin scored from first to cut the gap to 4-3.
The Pirates took the lead in the sixth.
Andrew Knight drew a walk with one out, and Michael Shockey was brought in as a pinch runner. Shockey stole second base, then Sam King hit a hard ground ball to right field for a double to score Shockey and tie it.
King moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, then Warren Shockey hit a triple to right field to score King. Shockey then scored on an error to push the lead to 6-4.
Warren Shockey struck out three batters in the top of the seventh to seal the win for Riverside.
The No. 6 seed Pirates (11-10) advance to a sectional final. They’ll travel to No. 5 Bradford on Wednesday.
Shockey pitched three innings in relief. He gave up one hit while striking out six batters. Landon Purtee started and pitched four innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter.
Carson Regula was charged with the loss for the Tigers. He pitched six innings and gave up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine batters.
Warren Shockey led off the bottom of the first with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to give Riverside a 1-0 lead, but Jackson Center quickly took the lead.
The Tigers tied it in the second. Bryson Roberts drew walk, Evan York hit a double to right field and Roberts scored on a ground out.
Jackson Center then took the lead in the third. Cooper Hartle started the inning with a single, then Blake Noble hit a bunt that was mishandled by Knight, who plays catcher. Hartle scored on the error to give Jackson Center a 2-1 lead.
Noah Francis hit a single to move Noble to third, then Noble scored on a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 3-1.
Roberts reached on an error in the fourth, then moved to second on a ground out, to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice bunt to push the gap to 4-1.
But Warren Shockey was brought on to pitch for Riverside, and Jackson Center managed one hit the last three innings.
Warren Shockey was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs while Osborne was 2 for 2 with one walk. King was 1 for 1. All three hit one double.
Jace Mullenhour was 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs for the Tigers. Hartle was 1 for 2.
Jackson Center finishes the season with a 9-11 record. The Tigers were 5-7 in Shelby County Athletic League play, good for a fifth-place tie with Anna.
Riverside had seven hits and committed two errors. Jackson Center had four hits and committed two errors.
