The top of the first inning didn't go well for Grant Wood. The bottom of the first, however, couldn't have been much better.
The senior allowed three straight hits, including Tanner Stewart's three-run home run to left field, in the first inning.
"I wasn't comfortable with all my pitches and I just didn't locate," Wood said.
Wood came up with a man on and one out in the home half and blasted a home run to left field. It was his first of three hits to help lead the Jefferson City Jays to a 6-3 win Tuesday night against Willard in the Class 5 sectionals at Vivion Field.
"My first inning fired me up and I was ready to go after that," Wood said.
No doubt. Wood only allowed one more hit until Jacob Weirich relieved him with one out in the fifth. Wood retired the side in the second and fourth innings, and allowed a single in the third but the Jays turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Wood finished with two strikeouts and three walks, with all the walks coming in the fifth. In stepped Weirich, who struck out the next two batters to strand the bases loaded.
"I have confidence in J-Dub every time he's on the mound," Wood said. "I know what we're going to get."
Weirich struck out six in 22/3 innings of hitless baseball. He walked one in the sixth and the seventh but struck out the final batter looking to send Jefferson City (28-2) to Thursday's quarterfinals. The Jays will host Kickapoo at 6 p.m. with Weirich scheduled to start after staying under the pitch limit that requires two days rest.
"Hopefully he's as sharp as he normally is come Thursday," Jays coach Brian Ash said. "We had to do what we had to do to get this game to get to the next one. Gutsy performance once again."
Wood got his 10th win of the season to stand alone with the most wins in a season in school history.
"He owes Jacob a lot for bailing him out of that situation," Ash said of the bases-loaded jam in the fifth.
Wood also lasered an RBI double to the fence in right-center field in the third inning to score Weirich, who led off the inning with a double.
Gaven Strobel followed with a two-run home run to left field to give Jefferson City a 5-3 lead. Strobel was 2-for-2 with three RBI and a walk.
Wood and Strobel are a combined 10-for-17 with eight RBI in postseason play.
"Hopefully we can keep it going, too," Wood said.
The bottom of the Jays' lineup struggled Tuesday, as batters 5 through 9 didn't reach base.
"We've got to get more production from our 7, 8, 9 guys," Ash said. "We've got to be better than that. They are very capable and we've seen them do it."
They'll be going up against a Kickapoo team that shut out Webb City 5-0 on Tuesday. The Chiefs received votes in the final state poll.
"We'll hit the scouting report hard tonight and we'll talk to the kids and get a game plan tomorrow," Ash said.
With Kickapoo advancing, it allows the Jays to stay at home instead of traveling like they did last postseason.
"Our fan base is huge and they've supported us all the time," Wood said. "Hopefully we can bring them a state title this year."
The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal will advance to the Final Four in O'Fallon. The semifinal is next Friday.
The Jays won 9-1 at Nixa in the quarterfinals last season with Weirich going the distance on the mound, but Weirich threw nearly 45 pitches Tuesday.
"It may come down to other guys that haven't thrown a lot recently that's going to have to step up and give us some innings if needed," Ash said. "As of right now, Jacob's going to get the ball and he'll go as long as he can."