For the first time this season, the Eastside baseball team was shutout and lost just its second game of the season, 1-0 to Jackson Monday.

Tyler Walker kept the Eagles’ (16-2) bats at bay, going three-up and three-down in the top of the first. Eastside put a batter aboard in the second inning with Hunter Ballard reaching tallying a single. However, the runner was quickly erased on a double play by the Red Devils (10-10). Drew Buckhault got a workout in right field as he caught a pair of sharply hit balls for two of the three outs in the inning. Jackson stranded a man at second as the score remained 0-0 as the inning came to a close.

Eastside mounted a threat in the third with a pair of two-out singles from Cody Walker and Peyton Pallay but neither scored, and the Eagles soon found themselves back in the field. Raynor continued on the mound and worked a 1-2-3 inning as the leadoff batter was cut down trying to stretch a double into a triple, followed by a groundout and a strikeout. In similar fashion, the Eagles went down in order in the fourth inning.

With Raynor still pitching in the bottom of the fourth, the Red Devils soon had runners on the corners with only one out. This would signal the end of the day for Raynor who allowed four 4 hits over 3 1/3 innings while striking out four and only walking one. Gray Ritchey came on in relief and got out of the jam without allowing either of the runners to score as Buckhault again snagged a pair of hard hit balls to right field.

Hank Steele doubled down the line for the Eagles in the fifth to put a runner in scoring position with one out, but Eastside failed to capitalize and left another base runner stranded.

Meanwhile, Ritchey induced three fly ball outs to make quick work of the Red Devils in the bottom of the fifth.
Going into the sixth, the game was still scoreless and the Eagles did nothing to change that in their at bat.
A leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning gave the Red Devils a chance to manufacture a run by sacrificing the runner to second.

A passed ball moved the runner to third and a sac-fly plated what would be the only run of the game. Eastside had a glimmer of hope in the seventh with Womack reaching on a single to start the inning. Womack was lifted for the speedier Jacob Wilder who promptly stole second, but a groundout and a pair of strikeouts ended the game and the Eagles suffered their second loss on the season. Ritchey did not give up a hit during his 2 2/3 innings of work, but issued two walks on the night.

Red Devil pitcher Tyler Walker went the distance for the complete game win giving up six hits while striking out nine and only walking one.

Eastside will resume Region 8A-AAAA play with a two-game series against Lanier today and Friday, home and away, respectively.