Jags baseball drops two on opening day at ACA
The Northridge Jaguars baseball team stumbled coming out of the gate on opening day of the 2025 season. The Jags traveled across town to American Christian Academy for a double-header with the ACA Patriots and the Oak Mountain Eagles. After being down 2-0 in the top of the seventh inning, Northridge had the bases loaded with two outs and scored one run on a base hit, but had a runner thrown out attempting to score, to end the game. The second game of the afternoon saw the Jags hold up fairly well until the sixth inning when Oak Mountain, leading by one, put three more runs on the board and held the Jags scoreless for the final two innings.
Game 1 vs American Christian
In their game against the Patriots, the Jags didn’t get their first baserunner until Rowdy Christensen drew a walk with two outs in the top of the third inning. Northridge couldn’t move Christensen past first and closed out the inning without scoring.
Thomas Woolf collected the first hit of the 2025 season for the Jags, with a single in the first at-bat of the top of the fourth. A double play and a ground-out kept the Jags off the board again.
With one man on in the bottom of the fifth inning, ACA got their two runs when Eric Davis launched a deep fly ball that carried over the fence in almost straightaway center field. The towering shot gave the Patriots their only two runs of the game, which proved to be enough for the win.
The Jags gave a valiant comeback attempt in the top of the seventh, beginning when Wyatt Rath led off with a single to left field. After a strikeout, Tayte Dunn moved pinch-runner Aiden Avery to second, on fly ball error to right field. John Pruet followed with a single that loaded the bases for the Jags, with only one out. Following a strikeout, Sawyer Thompson sent a pitch into left-center field. Avery scored but a second Jag runner was a victim of a perfect throw and relay, resulting in the final out of the game.
Evan Malone got the call to open the season on the mound. Malone pitched five complete innings, giving up two runs and two hits. Malone struck out five and gave away one free base. Burns Brumfield gave one inning of relief work, striking out two, walking one and giving up no hits or runs.
At the plate, Woolf, Rath, Pruet and Thompson had one hit each for the Jags. Of note, Christensen picked up his first stolen base of the season and Will Allen was hit by pitch.
Game 2 vs. Oak Mountain
In the second game of the afternoon for Northridge, Oak Mountain picked up one run in the top of the second inning. The Eagles would add another three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Although Rath, Ford Cole and Thompson managed hits for the Jags, Northridge never lit up the runs column.
Woolf got the start against the Eagles and gave up one run on five hits. Woolf struck out seven and issued three bases on balls. Hudson McComb contributed one inning of relief, giving up three runs, one hit and two free bases. McComb struck out one Oak Mountain batter. Ellis Tucker served one inning on the mound, striking out two while giving up no hits and no runs.
