Jordan baseball wins 7th straight, hands Northern Durham first PAC-6 loss in two years
Something had to give on Tuesday when Jordan hosted N&O No. 12 Northern Durham in baseball. Either the Falcons would extend their winning streak to seven games or the Knights would remain undefeated in conference play.
By night’s end, Jordan had its winning streak intact after defeating Northern 7-6 in a dramatic game.
The win was Jordan’s first against Northern since May 2014 and and the loss is the Knights’ first against a PAC-6 opponent in nearly two years.
Junior pitcher Mike Henry earned the win for the Falcons as he gave up only one run in three innings after replacing junior Eli Newton in the fourth inning.
Earning the victory was anything but easy for Jordan, though.
The Falcons trailed 5-0 after two home runs by Northern junior catcher Spencer Smith,
Jordan still trailed 6-2 after the first five innings, but the Falcons turned the game around in the sixth. Coach Aaron Brown’s team plate five runs in the sixth, four earned, against Northern junior relief pitcher Keaton Bradley.
“We just fought back,” Brown said.
The Falcons opened up the inning with RBI singles by Henry and sophomore right fielder Connor Garcia before Henry later scored on a fielding error to bring the Falcons within one run. Jordan was then gifted its final two runs as Bradley hit consecutive batters with the bases loaded to give Jordan a one-run lead.
Turning point
Just minutes after his team went ahead late in the contest, Henry walked back to the mound for the top of the seventh inning knowing he had a lead to protect. He did just that, striking out Northern junior shortstop Tyler Mangum with two runners aboard to end the game.
They said it
“Northern is the class of the PAC-6. They’re fantastic. They’ve got juniors and seniors up and down their lineup that can really play, so this is great for our program.” – Jordan coach Aaron Brown.
Three to know
Mike Henry, Jordan: When Henry entered the game, things were not looking bright for Jordan. The Falcons trailed by five runs and Northern’s lead seemed insurmountable. Yet Henry kept his cool and gave his team a chance to win.
“That’s what I’m in for,” Henry said. “I just stay calm and throw strikes and don’t worry about anybody.”
Spencer Smith, Northern Durham: Northern’s hitters struggled a bit in the first few innings, but it was Smith (hitting .471) who woke up the rest of his teammates with his two dingers. Smith and his .980 slugging percentage demonstrated why he's known as the best power hitter in PAC-6.
Wil Hoyle, Jordan: The junior shortstop reached base in each of his four plate appearances and scored twice.
By the numbers
11: The number of batters Jordan sent to the plate in the sixth inning.
9: The number of home runs Smith has in only 63 plate appearances this season for Northern.
March 24: The last time Jordan lost.
This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 9:43 PM with the headline "Jordan baseball wins 7th straight, hands Northern Durham first PAC-6 loss in two years."