DUBUQUE - Tanner Unkel is special and Bailey Hollingsworth was likewise for the Jefferson baseball team Wednesday night at Dubuque Senior.

Unkel tripled home the tying run in the seventh inning and the winning run in the ninth in Jefferson's 12-7 win over Senior in the opener of a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader.

Hollingsworth then went out and pitched a five-inning one-hitter with six strikeouts in the J-Hawks' 8-1 win in the nightcap.

The twinbill sweep was the first of the season for Jefferson (9-18, 7-13) and gave the J-Hawks three straight wins for the first time.

The J-Hawks banged out 22 hits, five by Unkel and four each by Michael Rooney and Alex Larson, in the doubleheader. They also committed but one error on defense.

"Key hitting, key defensive plays and key pitching," was how Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba summed up the sweep.

Larson was the starting pitcher in the opener and was tagged by Senior's Mike Hansen for a grand slam that put the Rams ahead 6-1 in the second inning. He allowed only two hits over the next five innings before giving way to Chance Tiedtke to start the eighth.

"It was a gutty performance," Kuba said.

The J-Hawks tallied two runs in the third and two more in the fourth, but still trailed 6-5 with two outs and a runner at third base in the top of the seventh.

Unkel had a 2-ball, 2-strike count when he hammered a sinking liner to right. Senior's right fielder made a diving stab, but the ball bounced past him and Unkel raced to third for a triple.

"I was looking for his curveball, because that's all I had been seeing all night," Unkel said. "I was just looking to take it to the opposite field and that's what I did."

Unkel also had five hits in the J-Hawks' doubleheader split Monday night at Waterloo West, making him 10-for-16 in his last four games. Four of his hits have been for extra bases.

"I'm not looking for a home run or a double," said Unkel, who has signed to play at North Iowa Area Community College next school year. "I'm just looking to put the ball in play and good things will happen. That's what I've been taught."

"He's just a competitor," Kuba said. "When you're a gamer like that, and you hate to lose and you'll do anything to win, he just brings that gaming attitude day in and day out."

The J-Hawks scored an unearned run in the eighth-inning when a two-out wild pitch plated Jordan McCormick, who had reached on an error and moved to third on Hollingsworth's double.

Senior tied the game up again in the bottom of the eighth on David Janes' two-out RBI single. It was the Rams' first run since the second inning.

Sam Techau led off the ninth inning with a single and went to second on a wild pitch. One out later, Unkel singled home Techau with the go-ahead run. Michael Rooney folllowed with a single and Alex Larson singled home Unkel. McCormick put an exclamation point on the inning by lining a home run over the left field wall for a 12-7 lead.

In the nightcap, Jefferson scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the fourth for an 8-0 lead. Rooney, celebrating his 19th birthday, had a two-run single in the second inning and Unkel an RBI double in the fourth.

Hollingsworth faced only two batters over the minimum and was perfect through three innings, fanning five. Connor Grant led off the Senior fourth with a groundball to shortstop and was ruled to have beaten Larson's throw for an infield single. Grant worked his way to third with two outs and scored on a wild pitch. Hollingsworth set down the side in order in the fifth.

"I was a little bit angry inside," Hollingsworth admitted of the infield hit call. "But I knew we had a lead and that was what was important."

Hollingsworth (2-3) came into the game with a 7.21 ERA that belied his effectiveness of late. He tossed a complete game victory against 10th ranked Iowa City West 10 days ago and had a fastball that was hopping Wednesday.

"Getting the run support behind me was key," Hollingsworth said.

The game was called on account of darkness after five innings. The diamond at Dubuque Senior is not lighted.

Jefferson hosts Dubuque Hempstead for a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m.

"I'm just hoping we can get two more Friday night," Unkel said. "It all came together tonight. We're peaking at the right time."

Game 1

JEFFERSON (12)
Tanner Unkel, 2b, 5 3 4 2, Michael Rooney, cf, 5 3 2 1, Alex Larson, p-ss, 6 1 2 1, Drake Vanous, cr, 0 0 0 0, Jordan McCormick, 1b, 5 2 2 4, Aaron Gruwell, pr, 0 0 0 0, Bailey Hollingsworth, rf, 3 0 1 1, Jordan Dee, dh, 5 1 1 1, Ky Kramer, ss, 0 0 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, p, 0 0 0 0, Colten Jourdan, c, 4 0 0 0, Dylan Jellison, cr, 0 1 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 4 1 2 0, Christian Knox, lf, 5 0 1 0. Totals 42 12 15 10.

DUBUQUE SENIOR (7)
Connor Grant, p-1b, 3 1 1 1, David Janes, 2b, 4 0 1 1, Ryan Jantsch, c, 5 0 3 0, Robby Jones, ss, 4 1 0 1, Mike Hansen, dh, 3 1 1 4, Ethan Sabers, 1b, 0 0 0 0, Drew Anderson, p, 0 0 0 0, Zach Taylor, p, 0 0 0 0, Zayne Moore, cr-pr, 0 1 0 0, Alex Steines, pr, 0 0 0 0, Jamie Kremer, lf, 4 0 1 0, Mike Foley, rf, 4 0 1 0, John Powers, ph, 1 0 0 0, Autin Clemens, cf, 4 1 1 0, Kenny Capesius, 3b, 4 1 1 0, Rob Blake, cr-ph, 1 1 0 0. Totals 37 7 10 7.

Jefferson      012 200 115  - 12  15  1
Senior          150 000 010  -  7   10  4

Larson, Tiedtke (8) and Jourdan. Grant, Anderson (4), Taylor (9) and Jantsch. W - Tiedtke. L - Anderson. 2B - Unkel, Rooney, Hollingsworth, Clemens. 3B - Unkel. HR - McCormick, Grant, Hansen. SB - Unkel, Vanous, Knox, Blake 2.

Game 2

JEFFERSON (8)
Unkel, 2b, 2 2 1 1, Rooney, cf, 2 1 2 2, Larson, ss, 4 0 2 0, McCormick, 1b, 2 0 0 1, Drew Striegel, dh, 2 1 0 0, Knox, lf, 0 0 0 0, Hollingsworth, p, 3 0 1 1, Techau, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Jake Schmidt, rf, 2 2 1 0, Austin Goodell, ph-rf, 1 0 0 0, Jourdan, c, 1 0 0 0, Jellison, cr, 0 2 0 0, Vanous, cr-ph, 0 0 0 0. Totals 21 8 7 5.

SENIOR (1)
Grant, dh, 2 1 1 0, Anderson, ss, 0 0 0 0, Cody Giese, p, 0 0 0 0, Taylor, p, 0 0 0 0, Janes, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Dylan Merritt, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Jantsch, rf, 2 0 0 0, Jones, p-ss, 2 0 0 0, Hansen, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Blake, ph, 0 0 0 0, Kremer, lf, 2 0 0 0, Clemens, cf, 2 0 0 0, Capesius, c, 1 0 0 0. Totals 16 1 1 0.

Jefferson    040 04  -  8  7  0
Senior        000 10  -  1  1  3
(Game called after 5, darkness)

Hollingsworth and Jourdan. Jones, Giese (4), Taylor (5) and Capesius. W - Hollingsworth. L - Jones. 2B - Unkel, Larson, Schmidt.