It was a frustrating night for the Yellowjackets in Grand Saline last Tuesday. Three Mineola pitchers gave up a combined 16 free passes in a 12-2 loss to the Indians. 

The conditions – a gusting, and at times howling, wind blowing out to left field – were far from optimal for quality pitching, but both teams play in the same conditions. Grand Saline starter Carson Brown went the distance, giving up three hits, striking out four and walking two. 

The Jackets opened the scoring in the first. Calem Redding reached on an infield error, stole second with a good jump and scored on DJ McDowell’s single to left. 

McDowell went 2 for 3 on the night. Redding lined a single to center field in the sixth for the Yellowjackets’ only other base hit.

The Indians put three big innings together. In the first they combined two hits, a Mineola fielding error and four walks to chalk up four runs. 

Mineola closed the scoreline in the fourth. Redding got dinged and came around after a McDowell single and a wild pitch.

Grand Saline responded with three runs in the bottom half. Mineola hurler Carson Threlkeld was relieved by Preston Haskins after having tossed one and two-thirds innings. Threlkeld had come on in the third after Yellowjacket starter Matthew Ballew was booted for throwing an elbow on the base paths. 

With the offense lagging, the game just drifted away from Mineola. Grand Saline put up an additional four runs in the sixth when they cleared the bases with a triple and a Texas Leaguer. The Indians ended the night in the bottom half by combining a base-on-balls, a balk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.  

Those fans braving the gales were rewarded with three great defensive plays. Yellowjackets Matthew Ballew and Lawson Ollive shared play-of-the-game honors with Indian second baseman Bo Hathcock. 

Ballew came off the mound to lay out for a popped-up bunt in the first inning. In the top of the third, Hathcock elevated to snare a hot line drive off the bat of Beckham Bowker. Ollive ended the fourth by going a long way from his shortstop position to make a tough catch of a sky-high ball on the other side of second base in short right-center field.  

Mineola will next be at home on Friday as they host Edgewood.