JAY – On the bus ride to Jay, the Lisbon baseball team was quieter than usual. It wasn’t tension from fear, but rather a nervous anticipation.

The Greyhounds, after starting the season with seven wins, had dropped two games in two days and now stared Jay, the defending Class C champion, square in the face.

“It was a quiet ride, said Lisbon coach Randy Ridley. “I was very concerned on the way up here because we were playing the defending champions.”

On the field, concern and nerves gave way to clutch hitting and runs as Lisbon ran over Jay 11-6 at Ouellette Diamond in a crucial MVC baseball matchup Friday.

Derek Giusto led the way offensively for the Greyhounds (8-2) with three singles, three runs scored and four stolen bases, while Jon Tefft went the distance on the mound, scattering seven hits and six runs while fanning five.

“It was a situation where we had gotten so comfortable at home that we stumbled a bit on the road to start with,” said Giusto. “We’re adjusting well, though, I think.”

The game took some adjusting for the Lisbon lineup. Jay starter Zach Charles mowed down Giusto on three straight pitches to start the game and retired the next two batters on five more pitches.

“He started well, and he pitched those curve balls in there,” said Giusto. “That’s what got me. After that, we all adjusted a bit.”

The onslaught started in the second when Jon Charette walked and Jarrod Church reached on an error. Josh Willey followed with a fielder’s choice, setting up Jason McKay’s sacrifice to first base, plating Church. Chris Kates then ripped a single to bring Willey home.

“He’s been struggling with his control a bit this year,” Jay coach Chris Bessey said of Charles. “It’s hard for him to get into a rhythm, and that makes it hard for the defense to really get into a rhythm, too.”

Lisbon opened up in the fourth inning, plating four more runs on two hits and another fielding error to take a 6-0 lead. From there, Tefft cruised.

“The first part of the game, I was working my fastball away, trying to get the strike zone where I wanted it,” said Tefft. “After that, they started to come in on it, so I came back inside.”

The Greyhounds added two more in the fourth and three in the fifth, at one point leading 11-2. The Tigers (7-4) battled back with two in the fifth and two more in the seventh, but by that point there was no catching Lisbon.

“That was a big win,” Ridley said to his team after the game, “But that was just one game. We have four more tough ones ahead of us next week.”

Lisbon plays its next three games on the road, which will bring to six the number of consecutive road games the team will play.

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