The Jena Giants opened up district play this past week and have proven themselves to be a formidable force in District 2-3A.
The last two seasons the Giants have finished in third in district play behind Buckeye and Caldwell. The Giants have been unable to beat Caldwell the last two seasons, so the highly anticipated matchup was held this past week.
Caldwell would come to Jena on Tuesday, March 11, in a game that both teams would need to help improve their power ranking.
In the bottom of the third inning, Jena was leading 1-0 when junior catcher Carson Willis would hit a 2 RBI triple to increase the lead to 3-0.
The Giants would go on to win 6-1 behind a dominating pitching performance from sophomore Collin Jensen. The lefty pitcher would get the complete game victory only giving up 5 hits, one unearned run, and 7 strikeouts.
On Thursday, March 13, the Giants would play Franklin Parish at home. The Giants would defeat Franklin Parish 16-6 with an impressive offensive performance.
Brayden Oakes went 4-5 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases in the game. Zoyle Gemar would finish with 2 hits and 3 RBIs.
Calex Campbell would pitch 3 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits with 3 strikeouts. With the win the Giants are now 14-6 overall and 1-0 in district play. The Giants finish the week on a 9-game winning streak and winners of 11 of their last 12 games. The Giants are now ranked #9 in the Division III Non-Select power rankings.
This week the Giants will be at home against Bunkie on Tuesday and will be at Oak Grove on Friday. If you can’t make it to the Bunkie game, then you can hear all the action live on 102.7 KJNAFM.
If you are not in the listening area then you can download the MIXLR app and search for KJNAFM or go online at www.kjnafm.mixlr.com.
Photos from the Caldwell game:
