By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville’s Gwatney Chevrolet senior American Legion team picked up a nice road win on Monday, beating Sheridan 6-4 in extra innings at the Sheridan Youth Baseball Fields. Jacksonville got an outstanding performance on the mound from left-hander Colton Goodman. He threw all eight innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking four.
Sheridan, which consists of several players from the Yellowjackets’ Class 6A high school state championship team, had several other opportunities to score, but Goodman came through with clutch outs in tight situations.
The Jacksonville offense gave him a lead to work with right away. In the top of the first inning, Ryan Mallison hit a one-out double to right-center field. With two outs, Laderrious Perry doubled to straightaway center to drive in Mallison. D.J. Scott then singled to right to score Perry and give GC a 2-0 lead.
Sheridan cut the margin in half in the bottom of the second. Nick Whitley hit a leadoff double before Goodman got back-to-back groundouts. The second one advanced Whitley to third base. He then scored on a single by Tyler Cleveland.
Jacksonville got its first three batters on base in the third, but Courtland Mc-Donald was caught stealing after a single over second base. Mallison and Caleb McMunn then walked, and Mallison was thrown out on a 6-5 fielder’s choice by Perry.
Scott then got his second RBI of the game, this time with a base hit to left field that scored McMunn from second base. But Jacksonville’s lead was again cut to one in the bottom of the third.
Zach Glidden reached on an error at third by McMunn and leadoff hitter Evan Thompson walked. The runners moved up a base on a groundout to first, and Glidden scored on a sacrifice by Hunter Hicks.
Jacksonville made it 4-2 in the top of the fifth. Mallison drew a leadoff walk and Perry drove a 3-2 pitch to the wall in left field that brought Mallison all the way around for the run. That’s how the score remained until the bottom of the seventh. That’s when another Jacksonville error helped Sheridan score twice to force the extra inning.
Goodman hit Clayton Palmer with the second pitch of the inning before getting Glidden to fly out to center field. Thompson then singled to left before Wright grounded out back to Goodman. With two outs and runners at second and third, Jacksonville second baseman Chris Penn misplayed a grounder, allowing Palmer to score. Whitley then singled to center to score Thompson and tie the game.
Fortunes reversed for Penn in the top of the eighth. After Goodman hit a leadoff single, Penn’s bunt back to the pitcher was mishandled, leaving everyone safe and in scoring position.
Two groundouts to short left the runners still on base with two outs, but McDonald singled to right-center field to drive in both runners and set the final margin.
Goodman got a fly out to left and fanned Cleveland before walking Palmer. Glidden then flew out to right field to end the game.
McDonald, Perry and Scott each finished with two RBIs to account for all six runs.
McDonald and Scott went 2 for 4 at the plate while Perry went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles. Mallison went 1 for 2 with three walks and scored two runs and Penn went 2 for 4 with two singles. Jacksonville totaled 11 base hits and walked seven times.
The Gwatney Chevrolet seniors hosted Russellville last night at Dupree Park, and will play at Russellville on Thursday. Look for details of those games in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
