Eagles claim 2nd straight state title
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
The Jefferson boys’ softball team captured its second straight Northwest Missouri Boys Fastpitch State championship with a 1-0 win against Winston in Saturday’s title game.
With just one out left to secure in Saturday’s Northwest Missouri Boys Fastpitch State Tournament championship game, Jefferson senior pitcher Ben Jermain had just a handful of words for senior catcher Bryce Deen.
“Let’s go win this thing.”
In the following at-bat, Jermain coaxed a groundball out of Winston freshman shortstop Jacob Lewis that headed straight for senior shortstop Jason Sullivan. Sullivan scooped the grounder, stood tall, and threw a rocket to first.
Then the gloves went flying.
With the 1-0 victory against the Redbirds in Saturday’s state title bout, the Eagles secured their second consecutive championship and sixth in the last eight seasons under head coach Tyler Pedersen.
“It takes a lot of focus every single pitch,” Pedersen said. “Our defense got better throughout the year. And we knew from the first time we played (Winston) that it was going to have to. They’re a great team and they’re going to put the ball in play. I think we saw just a bunch of guys out there making plays. We gave them a couple outs, but we overcame. We bared down and got the outs when we needed.”
For Jermain and Deen — two of the most crucial pieces on a loaded roster — a career couldn’t end in any better way than a pair of first-place medals.
The battery-mates watched as Meadville won the title in their freshman campaign and Winston took the crown in their sophomore season, both of which saw Jefferson finish third.
“It’s bittersweet,” Jermain said. “We got beat by them three times this year, but then we came and won it when it counts.”
The one run in Saturday’s championship tilt came in the fourth inning for the Eagles after Jermain swatted an infield single to start the inning, advancing to second on a throwing error by Winston second baseman Ty Uthe on the play. In the next at-bat, on a stiff fastball over the outer edge of the plate, Deen clobbered a double into the left-center gap to score Jermain easily.
As Deen reached second base, he hunched, slightly flexed, and let out a roar. Three innings later, it turned out to be the biggest moment of the game.
“Bryce has stroked the ball all year long, just hit the cover off of it,” Pedersen said. “Ben did a nice job of getting on and he was in position, and Bryce hit him home.”
However, it wasn’t just a Deen double that clinched gold for Jefferson. Jermain went all seven innings on the hill, using three strikeouts and just one intentional walk to subdue and shut out the Redbirds.
Despite the strong line, Jermain required some help from his defense at momentous turning points in the contest. In the bottom of the third inning, with runners on first and third and two outs, Winston junior center fielder Saxton Pliley whacked a lined shot into shallow center.
A hit that would’ve scored at least one run, possibly two, turned into nothing more than an out when Jefferson freshman center fielder Nate Jermain blitzed the sinking liner and slid in for a highlight catch to save his older brother a run.
“It was awesome,” Pedersen said. “You saw from the kids’ reaction that they knew how big it was. … Ben was like, ‘You saved me there, little brother.’”
To vault themselves to the championship game, the Eagles picked up a 17-0 win in their first game of the one-day tournament against Tri-County before topping Mercer, 16-2, in their semifinal.
Against Mercer, Jefferson held a 6-2 lead heading into the fifth inning before lighting up the scoreboard for 10 runs in the top of the fifth to end the contest prematurely after Jermain pitched a clean bottom half of the frame.
Up until the championship game, the tournament played chalk with the top two seeds climbing into the final contest of the day. Thanks to Ben Jermain’s steady work on the hill, a sweet swing from Deen, and plenty of defensive help from Nate Jermain and Co., the Eagles upset No. 1 Winston for the gold.
“Our outfield consisted of two freshmen and one sophomore that didn’t get a lot of experience last year,” Pedersen said. “So we were young in the outfield. Six freshmen overall, pretty young boys. This is the time of the year that the seniors with the great leadership that they have, those five seniors, they’re just great, great kids. They were talking with the freshmen and keeping them in the present, making sure that their minds didn’t wander.”
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Eagles freshman Nate Jermain charges a sinking liner and pulls in a sliding catch to keep Winston scoreless in a 1-0 victory in Saturday’s state championship.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Senior pitcher Ben Jermain rifles a pitch into the zone for Jefferson during a 1-0 win against Winston Saturday in the Northwest Missouri Boys Fastpitch State championship.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson senior first baseman Corby Walker takes a swing during Jefferson’s semifinal win on Saturday against Mercer before clinching the state title with a 1-0 win against Winston.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Eagles senior catcher Bryce Deen punches an RBI knock into left field on Saturday, helping Jefferson to go 3-0 on the day en route to its second straight state title.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Junior second baseman Michael Burch stands to throw after pulling in a ground ball on Saturday for Jefferson.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Senior shortstop Jason Sullivan scoops up a grounder and rifles a throw to first base on Saturday during a 1-0 win for the Eagles against Winston in the state title game.
