It didn’t start out all that well. But as the game wore on, things just kept getting better and better for Jack Mays.

On Friday night at Elco High School’s Lyle Krall Field, in the first inning of Richland’s Lebanon County American Legion Baseball League tilt with Fredericksburg, Mays ran teammate Travis Zimmerman into a rundown by not immediately locating the ball in the outfield. Because Mays was running with his head down, Zimmerman was forced to abandon third base and was eventually tagged out by an F-burg fielder.

It took just a couple of pitches for Mays to redeem himself. Mays’ daring steal of home during a teammate’s subsequent plate appearance resulted in the run that tied the score at one.

But that was just the beginning of Mays’ big night. In the bottom of the third, when R-land was taking control of the outcome, Mays stroked an RBI-single that gave his side a 2-1 margin.

Then in the fourth, Mays turned the affair into a route. His double with the bases-loaded plated three teammates and gave Richland a 9-1 bulge.

Mays, the third hitter in the batting order, has been one of the main reasons why Richland has turned it around and became the most improved team in the local summer baseball circuit.

– Jeff Falk