Correspondent photo / Lowell Spencer Jackson-Milton's Drew Sloan fires in a pitch during the Blue Jays' win over Lowellville on Saturday.

STRUTHERS – The Jackson-Milton Blue Jays baseball team might be young, but when it puts everything together, it’s a determined team that believes it can win.

Saturday afternoon at scenic Cene Park, the Jays dug themselves a 5-0 hole before storming back and eventually capturing an 8-6 win over the Lowellville Rockets in Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference play. It marked the Jays’ second victory over the Rockets this season and improved their record on the year to 7-2, 6-1 in the league.

“We’re just happy to be playing,” Blue Jays coach Matt Ruby remarked. “We have nine league games coming up in seven days. We just want to be playing. We are so young with a freshman in center, a first-year player at third, our second baseman is a sophomore, so we just want to be playing.”

The big momentum shift in the contest occurred in the top of the third inning when the Rockets had an opportunity to break the game wide open. Leading 5-1 with the bases loaded and the top of their lineup coming up, a base hit could have plated two or more runs extending their advantage. That’s when Ruby decided to bring in his ace pitcher Billy Sloan.

Sloan was able to induce the Rockets’ lead-off batter Justin Beeson to hit a liner to center field that Jays’ freshman Dominic Krol caught, stranding all three base runners. Sloan went on to pitch two consecutive no-hit innings in relief.

“He roped one to center and the center fielder made a great play on it,” Rockets coach Dan Dougherty said. “After that, it did seem that our bats kind of died off a little bit. It was reflected over the rest of the game.”

“I have been in that position before, bases loaded and you have to get an out. Just stay composed, and throw strikes is all you have to do,” Billy Sloan described the situation. “That was important because it is a league game and you have to get a win. It shows that we can battle back no matter how much we are down.”

But the Rockets, now 2-5, 0-5 in the MVAC, showed their fortitude. After falling behind 6-5 in the fifth inning, they were able to scratch out a run in the top of the sixth to knot the game at six apiece. Rockets shortstop Ryan Neider drew a leadoff walk from the Jays’ closer Aaren Romigh, and he advanced to third base courtesy of a stolen base and a wild pitch. He came home on a Beeson ground out to tie the contest.

However, the Jays answered with a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth to win the game. Billy Sloan reached third base thanks to an error and two stolen bases. He trotted home when Romigh lined a double down the left-field line to provide the eventual game-winning RBI. Aiden Pugh knocked a single to center to bring Romigh home and provide an insurance run.

“I was expecting a fastball, and I got a fastball right down the middle,” Romigh said.

“Obviously Aaren is our clean-up hitter and Billy is our three-hitter, they are by far the best two bats we have power-wise,” Ruby stated. “We have a number of guys that put the bat on the ball, but they know when there is a runner on base that they have to produce. They do a great job at it.”

Romigh picked up the victory in relief while the Rockets’ Justin Beeson suffered the loss in his relief appearance. Pugh knocked in 4 RBIs in the contest, while Billy Sloan and Romigh each had two hits. All three collected a double in the contest.

The Rockets built a 5-0 lead by scoring two runs in the first, and another three in the second. The Rockets’ Kevin Johnson scored the game’s first run after hitting a double to left and then scoring on an error. A ground out plated another run in the first inning. They added three more in the second when Johnson drew a bases-loaded walk, followed by a wild pitch and a groundout pushing two more Rocket base runners home.

“I think we are improving,” Dougherty remarked. “We play a lot of young guys so we try to keep everything in perspective. At the same time with how quickly the season goes, a game like this is one you hate to see it slip away.”

The Blue Jays will be back on the diamond Monday afternoon when they host the Mineral Ridge Rams in MVAC action. The Rockets will look to get back in the winning column also on Monday when they host Waterloo at Cene Park in league play.