Powell Krepps helped Spalding extend its flawless season to a 5-0 record Monday night, pitching five innings and allowing just two earned runs while registering 11 strikeouts and a win in the Jaguars’ 7-4 victory over the Jonesboro Cardinals at Jaguar Field. This was Spalding’s third region game, placing them atop the 4-AAAA leader boards along with Griffin and the winner of the Locust Grove-Dutchtown game.

The Jags are 5-0 for the first time since the 2009 season.

Things didn’t start off well for Krepps, giving up a run and two hits in the first before settling down and retiring eight straight. In the bottom of the second, freshman shortstop Drew Compton recovered from a mental mistake to drive in two runs, later scoring another to bring the Jaguars the lead. Krepps held on in the third, and sophomore Evan Skipper drove in senior Chase Pruitt with an RBI double to extend the margin to 4-1.

Both teams scored twice in the fourth — Spalding on a 2-run single from Krepps, and Joneseboro on two errors and a past ball from the Jaguar defense. In the fifth, the Cardinals drove in an unearned run, while Spalding couldn’t break the game open — leaving one man on base.

Senior Jonah Riceman came in to pitch in the sixth, and threw up two innings of no hit ball while striking out three to earn a well-deserved save. Parker Powell, Anson Link, Alec Hayes, Skipper, Pruitt, and Compton each reached base twice, and the majority of Spalding runners landed because of non-hits (walks and errors).

With the 7-4 win, Spalding ups its season scoring advantage to 48-16, a great description of how well it’s playing on both sides of the ball.

Spalding will try and extend its streak in Hampton Wednesday against region opponent Dutchtown at 6 p.m. The Jags will be traveling to a team playing its third game in as many nights due to an unfortunate scheduling quirk.

SPALDING HIGH

Date |Opponent |Time/Score

2/18 |SANDY CREEK |W 15-5

2/25 |PIKE CO. |W 7-6

2/27 |RIVERDALE* |W 11-1

3/1 |N. CLAYTON* |W 8-0

3/4 |JONESBORO* |W 7-4

3/6 |Dutchtown* |6:00

3/8 |E. Landing* |6:00

3/11 |Sandy Creek |6:00

3/13 |WOODLAND* |6:00

3/15 |STOCKBRIDGE* |6:00

3/18 |L. Grove* |6:00

3/20 |Griffin* |6:00

3/22 |UPSON-LEE* |6:00

3/25 |Nside-Col. |5:30

3/27 |Riverdale* |5:30

3/29 |N. Clayton* |5:30

4/1 |Jonesboro* |5:30

4/3 |DUTCHTOWN* |6:00

4/5 |E. LANDING* |6:00

4/10 |Woodland* |5:30

4/12 |Stockbridge* |5:30

4/15 |L. GROVE* |6:00

4/17 |GRIFFIN* |6:00

4/19 |Upson-Lee* |5:30

4/26 |Pike Co. |2:00

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