Jackson

The high school baseball team entered Monday night at 7-1 as they took on Oskaloosa at Grover Eddy Field.  The Bears entered at 7-3, marking an important game on the Buffaloes’ schedule.

The first inning was a scoreless one for both teams, but Onaga got things started in the second inning when sophomore L.J. Koelzer led off with a single.  Junior Hunter Lamond then walked, and three batters later Koelzer scored on an error to give the Buffaloes a 1-0 lead.

Onaga would put up two more runs in the bottom of the third on hits by sophomore Jackson Kolterman and seniors Zac Fisher and Colby Simkins.  Then in the bottom of the fifth, the Buffaloes blew the game open when Fisher hit a two-run homerun, the first of the season for the All-Stater and the tenth of his career.  Then three pitches later, Simkins blasted a homerun of his own.  It was also the first of the season for him and the third of his career.

Simkins got the start for Onaga on the bump and had nearly completed a complete game shutout of the Bears, but had to be pulled thanks to KSHSAA’s pitch count rules so that the ace could throw on Friday when Onaga hosts Troy.  He lasted six innings, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out five.  Lamond and Fisher would close the game out for the Buffaloes as they took a 6-1 win.

The Buffaloes collected seven hits in the game.  Simkins, Fisher, and Kolterman each had multiple hits to lead the way.  Onaga was sure-handed in the field as well and didn't commit a single error. Kolterman had the most chances in the field with eight from the short stop position and completed them all for outs without an error.

Game two was a dog fight between the two teams but it would eventually be Onaga who snatched the lead late with a barrage of runs.  The game was scoreless through the top of the third inning when the Buffaloes finally put the first runs on the board.  Sophomore Dylan Magnett got things starting hitting a leadoff single, then fellow sophomore Jackson Kolterman would blast a home run on the second pitch of the next at-bat.  It was the first career homerun of the young shortstops career, and it gave Onaga a 2-0 lead.

Onaga wasn’t done though as Zac Fisher and Colby Simkins followed that up with a pair of singles.  Then sophomore L.J. Koelzer would blast a double to left field to make it 4-0.  A single by junior Rayce Fisher would later score Koelzer and give the Buffaloes a 5-0 lead after three innings.

Oskaloosa would not go down easily though.  The Bears used a leadoff double in the fourth followed by a single and walk to score their first runs.  A double play by Onaga with the bases loaded actually scored two runs to make it a 5-2 game.

Zac Fisher got the start for Onaga on the mound but again, thanks to KSHSAA’s pitch count rule, the senior had to be pulled in the sixth inning.  Kolterman took over with two runners already on base and the first batter he faced was cleanup hitter Hunter Boyd.  The senior first baseman would blast a three-run homer into left-center field to tie the game 5-5.

Onaga didn’t get down though, as they would open the floodgates in the bottom of the sixth.  With Rayce Fisher and Magnett on base, Kolterman would hit his own three-run shot to left, the second of the game for him, and take back an 8-5 lead.

The Buffaloes sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning and amassed multiple hits, including the fifth home run of the night, this one by Rayce Fisher, who sent a ball to straightaway center field that landed in the group of fans watching from there.  In the end, Onaga put up 8 runs in the inning and took a 13-5 lead into the seventh, which would be the final score.

Onaga would tally 13 hits in the game, with Colby Simkins, Zac and Rayce Fisher, Kolterman, Koelzer, and Magnett all collecting multiple hits.  Kolterman led the way going 2-for-4 at the plate while hitting two home runs and driving in five.

The Buffaloes are now 9-1 on the season and sit atop both the league and regional standings.  They are also ranked #8 in the state this week, and have a chance Friday to wrap up their third league title in as many varsity seasons when they welcome Troy to town for 4:30pm first pitch.

You can check out the baseball team's roster, look at stats, follow results, look at the program’s history, and much more, head over to the team's page on the school website, www.usd322.org/page/baseball.