Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette Jeffers pitcher Levi Kinnunen finishes through on the mound in a games against the Westwood Patriots in Stanton on Saturday.

STANTON — Run production and run production early was the name of the game for Jeffers Jets baseball team Saturday as they took two from the visiting Westwood Patriots. The Jets (9-2) won 9-1 in the first game and 12-1 in the second with most of the runs coming in the first two innings in both games.

In the opener, the Jets’ bats were aided by strong pitching from Levi Kinnunen. The freshman starter had a perfect game going into the top of the sixth. However, an error and a base hit was all the Patriots got off him before the third out of this game. The run came on a pass ball.

In the end, Kinnunen earned the win striking out seven and allowing no walks.

“Levi was great today,” said assistant coach Nels Paul. “He throws strikes, and that’s what we need as we have the defense to back him up.”

Meanwhile, the Jets’ bats came alive to at least one run in each inning. Their biggest inning was the second where they scored five runs and took a 6-0 lead.

In that frame, Luis Larson and Pierce Johnson started things off with singles. After a walk to Ryan Wesa, came hits by Chase Kinnunen and Treyton Helminen – all of whom scored. Those runs were more than enough for the first-game win by the Jets.

In the second game, the Jets took flight in the first inning with an 11-run launch. All nine batters touched home plate while Chase Kinnunen and Helminen did so twice. Now up by 10 with a lot of baseball to play, coach Paul was able to play his bench squad for the remainder of the game.

“Everybody got in,” he said. “That is important as we have a big roster with 24 kids. We have a lot of younger guys who are working hard learning the game and deserve to play. I was pleased.”

The second game ended at 12-1 after just four innings due to the mercy rule.

Earning the win on the mound for the Jets was Lance Johnson who struck out the side twice en route to eight strike outs total.

Westwood coach Bryce Markham summed up the day best for the Patriots.

“We were not ourselves,” he stated. “Too many errors, and we didn’t put the bat on the ball. We need to work on fundamentals.”

Up Next

The Jets will welcome the L’Anse Purple Hornets to their field in Stanton on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. doubleheader.