Top ranked Cherokee jumped out to an early lead then held on against upset minded Bondurant-Farrar. The Braves scored two runs in the third to build a 3-0 lead and went on to post a 3-2 victory in the tournament opener in Class 2A.
Cherokee coach Scott Koch says they put the bat on the ball and hung on. He says they need to work more on getting their sacrifice bunts down, as that would have helped them too.
The Braves made some key defensive plays to preserve the lead with two guys thrown out at the plate. Koch says they scored on one play made by the shortstop, but they got the out and that kept it from being a big inning.
Bondurant-Farrar had nine hits in the first four innings but the Bluejays had two runners thrown out at the plate. They out hit Cherokee 10-7. Bondurant-Farrar coach Brad Hamilton says they came in wanting to be aggressive. He says they got a few kids thrown out, but says they played well and gave everything they had.
The Blue Jays finish the season with a record of 16-16.