By By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
A little bit of home cooking could not help the Pam Pack stir up its first win of the season as Washington dropped its home opener 6-1 to Farmville Central on Tuesday.
For Washington (0-3), it was its second loss to the Jaguars in a week, with its first being a close 7-5 defeat on the road.
On Tuesday the Pam Pack got a solid pitching effort from Hatteras Brooks, who with the exception of a few hiccups threw a nice game. Brooks tossed five complete innings letting up three runs and six hits while striking out four batters.
The Pam Pack kept within two runs of Farmville all the way up until the top of the seventh when they added three more runs.
Washington scored its lone run in the fifth when Gator Moore scored on a Cole Hartley sacrifice fly. Moore reached base on a double, then stole third base to set up the score.
Aside from that, the Pam Pack offense struggled against Jaguars’ sophomore Justin Taylor. The right-hander was not overpowering but was extremely effective, limiting the Pack to three hits, while striking three batters.
“They just hit the baseball better and made less errors,” Washington’s first-year coach Travis Rogerson said. “I tell the guys it’s pretty basic: Hit better than the other team and make less errors and its usually a pretty good night. (Farmville) did that tonight and that was why they were so successful.”
The Pam Pack made plenty of contact against Taylor, but could not piece together a rally.
“We put the ball in play well,” Rogerson said. “We just didn’t square it up and hit it solid like they did.”
The Jaguars got on the board in the second inning when Blake Modlin drilled a double that hit off the wall in left-center field, which just missed going over the fence.
Will James followed up with an RBI single to make it a 1-0 ball game.
Farmville struck again in the fifth when Jonathan Turnage led off with a single and was brought home two batters later when leadoff hitter Will Davis smashed a Brooks’ pitch over the 360-feet mark in center field to take a 3-0 lead.
With a cushion, Taylor continued to breeze through the Pack lineup until he was pulled at the end of the sixth.
“He is a sophomore with a bright future, he looked pretty good on the mound,” Rogerson said of Taylor. “He stayed composed and just pounded the strike zone. He didn’t give up any walks and that’s the key to success on the mound. Our guys were just missing him, and when they did hit the ball solidly they made good defensive plays.”
The Pack won’t have long to dwell on its loss, as it will be back in action today on the road against Williamston at 7 p.m.
Farmville Central 010 020 3 — 6 9 0
Washington 000 010 0 — 1 3 2
Jaguars — Will Davis 1-3 (HR, 2 RBI), Matt Ashoen 2-4 (2 2B, 2 RBI), Jamison Oakley 1-4, Blake Modlin 2-4 (R), Will James 1-3 (RBI), Jonathan Turnage 1-3 (2 R), Josh Branch 1-3 (R).
Pam Pack — Hatteras Brooks 1-3 (2 B), Weasel Moore 1-3, Gator Moore 1-3 (R).