http://www.indeonline.com/sports/highschool/x1506810842/Alex-Lincoln-pitches-Perry-past-Jackson

INDE PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME

By his own estimation, Perry’s Alex Lincoln made two mistakes in Thursday’s Federal League game against visiting Jackson.

One was pretty obvious when Jackson’s Andrew Stalnaker picked out a hanging breaking ball and deposited it over the left field fence in the fourth inning.

Perry centerfielder Aaron Klaiber erased the other when he made a tremendous diving catch in the left-center gap to end the fifth inning.

Those two at-bats notwithstanding, Lincoln was in command nearly all evening in Perry’s 7-1 win over the Polar Bears. The senior right-hander fanned 12, scattered just four hits and issued his lone walk with one out in the seventh.

The complete-game win upped his mark to 4-2, while Perry is now 12-10 overall and 7-3 in the league.

“My fastball was working pretty good tonight. It’s straight, but it gets people out,” Lincoln said. “I was just hitting my spots better than I have been lately. Playing Jackson probably had a little bit to do with that.

“I hung that home run, and I hung that one that sent Klaiber into the wall. Those were the two mistakes I made, hanging offspeed pitches. That stuff doesn’t bother me, though. No pitcher’s perfect.”

While Lincoln’s 12 strikeouts were impressive — five of his final nine outs were punchouts — Perry coach Dave Jones was more taken with the single walk he issued.

“He threw strikes all night,” Jones said. “He had confidence in his slider tonight. He  left a couple up and Stalnaker hit one a mile, but he made a couple adjustments after that.

“When you work ahead, though, it makes things a lot easier.”

Jackson coach Bill Gamble couldn’t do much more than tip his cap toward the Panthers’ dugout, and to Lincoln in particular.

“Twelve strikeouts ... Lincoln pitched well but we obviously didn’t do a good job putting the ball in play,” Gamble said after the Bears dropped to 13-8 overall and 5-5 in the league.. “We have to do a better job making them make some plays.”

The Panthers gave Lincoln all the support he needed with a three-run second that featured just one ball being hit out of  the infield.

Colin Guscoff and Matt Kittelberger worked one-out walks to put runners on first and second. Andrew Wise’s infield single loaded the bases. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Klaiber beat out a grounder to deep shortstop that scored Guscoff for the game’s first run. Joey Beals followed by lacing a 3-1 pitch to right-center field for a two-run single and a 3-0 Perry lead.

Stalnaker led off the fourth with his blast to left to trim Perry’s lead to 3-1. The shot didn’t seem to affect Lincoln, as he came back to record two strikeouts in the inning

Perry’s defense was also there to support Lincoln — no one more than Klaiber in the fifth inning. Klaiber raced to the deepest part of left-center field to track down Nate Ballinger’s drive, crashing into the fence but making the catch the inning’s final out. Klaiber stayed down for a few minutes before trotting off the field.

“The kid’s just tough as nails,” Jones said. “What a catch that was.”

Perry iced matters with a four-run sixth that featured consecutive two-run singles from Klaiber and Beals.