Jackson-Milton knocks off MVAC rival McDonald 3-1 in district semifinal clash
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VERNON -- As cliche as it is, the common adage still rings true -- it's hard to beat a team three times in a row.
McDonald had gotten the best of Jackson-Milton in each of their two Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference – Scarlet Tier meetings this season. But the third time was the charm for the Blue Jays, as they knocked off the Blue Devils 3-1 on Monday in the Division IV Badger district semifinal.
"I think we finally executed our game plan," Blue Jays head coach Tyler Halavick said. "We caught on to (McDonald pitcher Belle O'Brien's) pitches and we figured it out. We got our timing down and we just started cruising them."
Having seen her twice already, Jackson-Milton knew exactly what to expect in facing the Blue Devils' senior ace.
It's something they've worked on specifically in practice -- familiarizing themselves with her speed and delivery, while getting the timing of her pitches down. It all finally came together for the Blue Jays, as they finished with six hits.
"I think this is just the result of our practice and our practice routines," Halavick said. "I'm not going to lie, all year we were prepping for this girl. We know she's good. It just feels good to finally beat her."
Still, despite the Blue Jays' hitting success, O'Brien's statline was nothing to snooze at, as she struck out 12 and walked only two in seven innings of work.
Brena and Ivy McBeth led Jackson-Milton at the plate, as they each went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Both of Brena's hits were doubles.
McDonald started things off with an early run in the bottom of the first inning off an RBI from Bri McCombs. Then, Jackson-Milton knotted things up with an RBI from Ivy that scored Brena.
The Blue Jays finally broke the deadlock in the top of the sixth inning. Grace Johns led things off with a double, followed by Brena's RBI double gave Jackson-Milton the lead and then Maggie Simkins added to it with another RBI two batters later.
"Jackson-Milton played a good game like they did the last few times," McDonald head coach Michelle Titus said. "We just didn't hit the ball like we should have. We just weren't getting our bat on the ball the way we needed to."
Even though her statline wasn't as impressive as O'Brien's, Blue Jays ace Macayle Thornhill had success all evening keeping the Blue Devils' hitters off balance.
Thornhill pitched to contact, but her defense largely kept almost everything within the infield. McDonald finished with just four hits against Thornhill, as she struck out four and walked three.
"I stated this earlier in the season, but Macayle is just a clean pitcher," Halavick said. "There's no mess, no fluff, she just goes out there and makes sure they don't hit the ball. She does a great job with that and I hope she continues to do that."
With the win, Jackson-Milton advances to Wednesday's district championship game to face No. 13 seed Canton Central Catholic. The Crusaders defeated No. 5 seed Western Reserve 12-1 in the second game of Monday's doubleheader.
McDonald ends the season as MVAC – Scarlet Tier champions, while finishing 15-3 overall.
"I think we did a great job this season," Titus said. "I'm really proud of the girls."
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