The Junction City Blue Jays had an undefeated Shawnee Heights baseball team on the ropes Friday night at Rathert Field.

Junction City ( 4-4 ) had jumped out to an 11-4 lead, but couldn’t hold it. The Thunderbirds rallied with six runs in the sixth inning and one in the 7th inning to tie the game 11-11, and then scored three in the top of the ninth to get a 14-11 victory over the Blue Jays.  Good hitting by Shawnee Heights was the key to the rally.

Blue Jay coach Drew Biery said the Thunderbirds were a good ballclub. “They got us on our heels and they took advantage. It seemed like every mistake we made it scored two or three runs.

Shawnee Heights ( 6-0 ) won the first game of the doubleheader 15-0 in four innings.

Biery noted when his team was up 11-4 in the third inning on the Thunderbirds in the second game he thought the Blue Jays believed they had it won. We had opportunities where we could score. In the third inning we got the hit that scored it. The rest of the game we just didn’t get those hits.”

The coach added he was tied of the way the Blue Jays responded after the big loss in the first game of the twinbill. “They came out and they did what they were supposed to do. They did what we asked them to do, and that is compete.” Biery added, “That is one of the best teams in the state, and I’m proud that we’re hanging with them, but to this point there’s no more moral victories, it’s only results. And those kids need to understand they’ve got to make the plays when the time comes.”

A key play occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning with the game tied 11-11 when Amir McFarthing tripled with two out for Junction City. The next hitter Bobby Khoury hit a hard shot down the first base line that got past the first baseman, but then bounced and  popped up in the air where it was caught with Shawnee Heights quickly stepping on the first base bag to make the final out of the inning,  preventing the Blue Jays from getting the win.