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Tuesday evening’s sixth inning between Morristown West and Jefferson County put both teams through a variety of emotions.

Trailing 7-2 heading to the sixth, Morristown West showed life and plated six runs to take a one-run lead. However, with their backs against the wall, the Patriots responded and grabbed three runs. That proved to be the difference in the game as Jefferson County prevailed, 10-8.

“We just showed a lot of fight,” Jefferson County coach Zach Reese said. “We refused to lose. What happens in the top of that sixth inning, it’s baseball. It’s always exciting when we play (Morristown West). We hit it really well these past two games and need to continue to do that.”

The rally for West in the sixth started as Tayshawn Griffin singled with one out. Griffin was pinch-run for and that run scored on the very next at-bat as Gavin Mitchell singled to make it 7-3. Following the second out of the inning, a single by Charlie Dewald and a walk to Jordan Watson loaded the bases.

That brought up Bryson Jenkins who hit a two-RBI single to cut the lead to two. Following a walk to Riley Short that re-loaded the bases, Paxton Seal singled to score a run and make it 7-6. The game was tied the very next batter as Cody Blair walked to bring home Short.

That rally would have been enough for West as they had all the momentum, but they weren’t done yet. Following a ball to Griffin, the throw back to the pitcher was bad and rolled into center field to score Short and give the Trojans an 8-7 lead.

The Trojans got a quick out in the bottom of the inning, but back-to-back singles by Jace Dobbins and Maddux Rogers put runners on the corners. With just a ground ball needed to get out of the inning, West got that as Drew Potts grounded to Dewald at short. Dewald flipped to second for the out, but the throw to first was low and Potts was safe at first. Dobbins scored during the play to tie the game at eight.

West still could have come out with a little momentum and the game tied, but Beau Revord was next up and singled to left. Potts was sent to the plate and the throw was high to give Jeff County the lead. On the throw to the plate, Revord kept running and rounded second to head to third. The throw to third was on time but rolled out into the outfield, allowing Revord to score to make it 10-8.

“It was a 3-0 count and I told him to swing,” Reese said about Revord’s at-bat. “I’m not going to have him watch a strike. He’s the one guy in the lineup that can leave the park at anytime, so I am going to give him a chance to hit. With the way I coach, I was going to send them home. We’re going to make you make a throw from the outfield. That’s how we play and always play. Thankfully, we were able to hold the two-run lead.”

For West, it was a tough loss to a team they will most likely see again in the first round of the District Tournament in a few weeks.

“We started out the game early and had opportunities but just really didn’t capitalize and had bad approaches,” West coach Justin Pickett said. “Cody (Blair) pitched his butt off and gave us a chance to win. There late, we get six runs and find a way to take the lead. But we don’t shut them down in the bottom of the sixth, and we had to do that. Overall, the three phases of the game weren’t there for us.”

Isaac Lawson got the start on the mound for Jefferson County in the game and threw 5.2 innings. Lawson walked five but was able to pitch out of damage in his first conference start on the mound.

Lawson also got the Patriots going at the plate in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer that made it 5-1. Then in the fifth, he doubled in another run that made it 7-2.

“It’s a different role for him starting on the mound,” Reese said. “He walked too many guys, but he kept us in the game. I told him when I took him out that he gave us a chance to win and did his job.”

After Brody Carr faced three batters, Cole Osborne entered on the mound and got the final out of the sixth and then went 1-2-3 in the seventh to close the game for the Patriots.

On West’s side, Blair got the start and threw five innings. Landyn Spencer replaced Blair in the sixth and pitched the rest of the way.

Things started positive for West as Jenkins singled in the first, advanced to third and then scored on a Short groundout.

However, the Patriots answered in the bottom of the second as Lawson singled and Lucas Havely was hit by a pitch. That brought up Landon Thomas and Thomas tied the game at one with an RBI double.

The Patriots weren’t done in the inning as Dobbins bunted to drive in Havely and give Jefferson County the lead and Rogers bunted to score Thomas and make it 3-1.

Jefferson County added two more in the third on Lawson’s home run, but West got a run back in the fifth as Dewald walked and Watson reached on an error. That gave Short an RBI opportunity and he delivered with a sacrifice fly that scored Dewald and made it 5-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Patriots answered right back as Briley LaRue and Lawson both hit RBI doubles to make it 7-2.

That was the score into the sixth inning when West took the lead but could not hold on.

“This is huge,” Reese said about winning on Monday and Tuesday. “This is going to be the team that stands in our way from getting back to Region. It’s not over with them. So to do this was big.”

Jefferson County will be back in action on Thursday as they travel to take on Bearden. West will return to action on Thursday as they travel to take on Northview Academy at 5:30 p.m.

“That’s what we’re going to try and do is just pitch, have good at-bats and play good defense,” Pickett said. “You try and carry Thursday, Friday and Saturday over into Monday and Tuesday. We’ve done a good job of that, but these past two nights we just couldn’t capitalize and they found ways to win.”