Jackrabbits stay alive with victory over Red Devils

YAKIMA, Wash. — Quincy trailed 3-2 in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s loser-out district playoff game, but that didn’t seem to bother the Jacks baseball team.

Quincy senior and second-team All-Central Washington Athletic Conference first baseman Case Hinkins made sure of it.

In the top of the fifth inning, Hinkins stepped up to the plate with a runner on base for the eighth-seeded Jacks.

Quincy head coach Pat McGuire had a feeling Wednesday his senior would make a difference.

“I told Case before the game that he was going to take one deep,” McGuire said. “I didn’t know it would be in a situation to win the game, but I had a feeling.”

Hinkins’ blast in the top of the fifth inning gave the Jacks a 4-3 lead over the Red Devils and McGuire knew his team would hold on for the victory.

“I was elated,” McGuire said of Hinkins’ home run. “I felt that would be the (run) that kept up.”

With his team leading late in the contest, McGuire said he was confident with his team’s 4-3 lead.

“I though we had a dang-good chance with a one-run game,” he said. “I had a feeling that we were going to be in this at the end.”

The Jacks took an early 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning and McGuire turned to sophomore ace Brett Petersen.

Petersen, two-starts removed from a perfect game against Toppenish, took Quincy’s season in his hands.

Although the Jacks held a 2-0 lead in the first, Petersen struggled in the first two innings.

East Valley rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the first before Petersen settled down and took over for Quincy.

“The first two innings (Petersen) really struggled,” McGuire said. “After those first two innings, he was in complete and total control.”

Petersen allowed just on run over the game’s final five innings, setting the table for Hinkins’ game-winner.

The Jacks entered Wednesday’s loser-out playoff game owning the district’s final postseason spot. McGuire said his team is performing well because of it.

“There is no pressure on us at all,” he said. “It makes us really dangerous. We are in a position where we are finally rounding our into a good team and playing really good baseball. We have nothing to lose and we are just going to have fun.”

With the win over East Valley, the Jacks moved into the double-elimination portion of the district tournament and Quincy will travel Ellensburg Saturday afternoon to take on the Bulldogs at 1 p.m.