More than 1,000 school-age children from several surrounding districts were in attendance for Jamestown’s Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League West Division matinee against the Niagara Power.

The sun was shining and temperatures were in the 80s.

Jamestown High School product Bryce Jackson, who was named a Western New York Athletic Conference First Team All-Star for Jamestown Community College on Monday, was on the mound.

Unfortunately, the Tarp Skunks couldn’t break through at the plate and their pitchers couldn’t find critical outs en route to a 12-3 loss at Diethrick Park.

Jamestown Tarp Skunks starting pitcher Bryce Jackson throws late to first base on a bunt single by Niagara Power’s Payton Eeles. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“You are going to have these games,” Jamestown head coach Jordan Basile sayd. “In a 48-game season, you see it in the Big Leagues, even the best teams don’t have their best games.”

Jackson lasted just four innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six.

“Bryce didn’t necessarily have everything,” Basile said.

The right-hander’s undoing was the top of the third inning when Niagara (5-5) strung together five hits while taking advantage of a walk and an error to plate five runs. River Hart walked to open the frame and Cadyn Karl hit a bloop single to right field before Payton Eeles’ RBI single up the middle. A fly out moved Karl to third and Eeles stole second ahead of Jadyn Logliner’s two-run single under the glove of Jamestown shortstop Mark Tucker.

From Page B1

“The little things we can do better are eliminate some of the passed balls, the free passes, the walks, the hit batters,” Basile said.

Ben Sinins then singled past second baseman Nate Johnson and Andrew Fairbrother hit an RBI single over Tucker’s glove. Alex Dzimian then reached on a fielder’s choice. As he stole second, Tarp Skunks catcher Johnny Kampes threw into center field allowing Sinins to score on the play.

“It just seems like when teams start to get in rhythm, everything seems to go their way,” Basile said. “We’ve had a couple of days like that ourselves. It was their day today.”

The Power made it 8-0 in the top of the fourth. Eeles reached on a two-out bunt single, went to second on a passed ball and took third on a wild pitch. With a 3-1 count on David Coleman, Jamestown elected to issue an intentional walk. Eeles and Coleman then executed a double steal before Lobliner’s RBI single to right field plated the eighth run.

“I thought there were some routine plays we should’ve made, but there were a couple of balls that took some weird hops on us,” Basile said. “At the end of the day, we have to be able to make those plays and not give them the momentum.”

Jamestown (6-4) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of runs, but it could’ve been more. Padraig O’Shaughnessy, Brandon Lane and Cody Bey reached on consecutive singles to open the frame, chasing Niagara starter Andres Hulfachor. Johnson then reached on an RBI swinging-bunt single as the Power’s throw to the plate hit O’Shaughnessy and got away from Niagara’s catcher. Bey rounded second too far on the play and forced Lane to get out in a rundown between third and home.

“It’s all about when you get down, the ability to fight back, stay in the game, stay with each other. I thought we did a good job of that,” Basile said. “Even when we were down eight runs, we still believed in ourselves and gave ourselves what we thought was a chance to come back.”

A wild pitch allowed Bey to score the Tarp Skunks’ second run, but a fly out to right field ended the threat.

“We thought there was a high probability with the speed that we have that we probably could’ve stolen that base,” Basile added. “To run ourselves out of an inning, we have to rely on the bats a little bit more when we get behind.”

Kenny Misik pitched three scoreless innings for Jamestown, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out three.

“Kenny came in, a little bit softer thrower with more of a looping curveball. It was just a completely different look and their team had to make adjustments and they didn’t do it,” Basile said of the Youngstown State University product. “Props to Kenny, too. That’s the most pitches he’s thrown in a while. He’s coming back from an injury. It was great to see him come in and have success.”

Richard King threw a scoreless eighth inning, but allowed the Power’s final four runs on three hits, two walks, a wild pitch and an error in the ninth.

The Tarp Skunks return to action tonight in Elmira with a 7 p.m. first pitch against the Pioneers at Dunn Field. After an off day Thursday, Jamestown returns home for a pair of 6:30 p.m. games Friday against the Auburn Doubledays and Saturday against Elmira at Diethrick Park.