Yellow Jacket Baseball season ends after 11-5 Regional loss at Trico

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[What started with a one run lead for Chester in the first inning and continued in the third to a 3-0 lead started to lose momentum as the Trico Pioneers fired back in the bottom of the third with four runs in the Regional quarter-final round on May 18. Coach Jeremy Blechle acknowledged Trico as a "good hitting team" and brought out starting pitcher David Winters (Sr) who struck out a runner in each of the first two innings.

Back-to-back singles started out the bottom of the third for the Pioneers, followed by a double to left-field that brought in the first run for Trico. Another single would squeeze past Winters on the mound for a second run while an easy out at first base would allow the third run of the inning. What almost looked like a homerun to give Trico the lead fell short with a catch at the fence, although the runners tagged up to grab one more run for the side.

The Pioneers came back swinging in the fourth. After the opening batter was hit by a pitch, the next three batters hit single shots through third and short followed by a deep ball to center-field to round off the three-run inning. Just as in the previous inning, the Jacket defense turned around and went 1-2-3 on the final three batters, ending the fourth inning at 7-3.

Chester did respond in the fifth inning with a lead off hit to right-field by Justin Eggemeyer (Soph). After staring down four balls, Aaron Grah (Jr) walked to first and soon advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two infield outs and runners on second and third, Jeremy Wahl (Soph) hit a deep ball to left field bringing in Eggemeyer but catching Grah at home plate to end the inning 7-4.

The Yellow Jackets struck again in the sixth with a lead off double from Senior Matt Roth. A single shot to center-field by Winters was enough to bring in another run for Chester and shorten the deficit to 7-5. Unfortunately, Trico was not through showcasing their offensive skills and responded with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Winters stared the inning setting up an easy out ground ball to first base, but then allowed a series of hits before a pitching change was made to Sophomore Zach Lochhead to finish the inning.

Coach Blechle looks back on the game with positive feelings. "We played well," he said, "the score just didn't end up like we wanted it." The Mississippi Mojo finish the season with a 4-13 record, and say goodbye to seniors Alex Lankford, Nick Mathis, Matt Roth, Zack Slavens, and the Yellow Jackets' all-conference MVP David Winters. When asked to comment on losing his five seniors, Blechle said, "they were all very dedicated leaders for this team and we appreciate their service to CHS."

Looking to next season, Blechle acknowledged that he is working with a young team and hopes to build a program of committed players. Coach Blechle also stressed that the team would continue to encourage parent/community involvement and keep staples like the Golden Cup Tournament and Easter Basket Giveaway going.