The game was competitive, but not without its flaws when Jefferson hosted Western Dubuque in non-conference baseball  Monday night at Jefferson.

Naturally, an error decided the outcome.

Tanner Unkel's sacrifice bunt and a wild throw by Western Dubuque third baseman Hunter Westhoff scored Christian Knox all the way from first base in the bottom of the seventh inning and lifted the J-Hawks to a 3-2 win.

The teams had four hits apiece and there were no runs batted in for either side. Western Dubuque (23-14) had four errors, Jefferson (14-22) two.

Knox drew a walk leading off the bottom of the seventh.

Unkel popped the bunt up, but it did not go far enough for Westhoff or pitcher Matt Kass (4-3) to catch it. Westhoff scooped it up and second baseman Adam Hoeger was a tad late covering the bag at first. Hoeger was still moving toward the bag when Westhoff's throw careened past him and into foul territory down the right-field line.

Western Dubuque right fielder Ryan Lehmann chased the ball down and uncorked a strike to the plate. The ball skipped past catcher Derick Ludwig as Knox slid across the plate with the winning run.

"(Lehmann) made a pretty good throw," said Jefferson assistant coach Gordy Nordgren, who was acting as head coach and directing traffic at third base in Coach Mike Kuba's absence. "I was down (the third-base line) far enough that I thought, 'Ah, (Knox) is in.' But, ooh, it was close, a lot closer than I thought it was going to be."

Knox said he hesitated going around second base to pick up the ball. When he saw it down the right-field line he said he was sure Nordgren was going to send him home.

"I know my coach," Knox said. "I was busting it and coach was sending me. I just had to make a good slide."

Unkel said he thought Knox would score when he saw the ball go down the right-field line.

"When coach was wheeling him (home), I thought, 'Yep, he can score,' " Unkel said. "But then the kid (Lehmann) threw a BB from all the way out there and I thought, 'OK, I better get to third.' "

There were more costly errors on both sides in the game.

Jefferson took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. With one out and runners at first and second base, Jordan McCormick hit a routine double-play grounder to third base. Alex Larson was forced at second base, but Hoeger's relay to first base was wide of the mark and courtesy runner Aaron Gruwell scored.

Western Dubuque struck for two runs in its fourth. Westhoff doubled leading off the inning and scored when Hoeger hit a ball into the hole between second and first. Unkel, Jeff's second baseman, and Bailey Hollingsworth, playing his first game at first base, both went after the ball. Hollingsworth pulled up when he saw Unkel was going to get it, but was unable to get back to the bag before Hoeger. Unkel tried to make a throw to the moving Hollingsworth and the ball sailed past the first baseman for an error that allowed Westhoff to score.

Hoeger ended up at second on the play and went to third on a ground out. He scored on a wild pitch by Austin Goodell.

Jefferson tied the game, 2-2, in the fifth. Jake Schmidt led off with a single and went to second on Knox's sacrifice bunt. Unkel flied out and Michael Rooney walked. Larson spanked a hard shot off Westhoff at third base that spun into shallow left field for an error that scored Schmidt.

The J-Hawks squandered a chance to score in the third inning. With one out, Unkel at third base and Larson at the plate, Nordgren put on the squeeze play. The pitch was in the dirt and Unkel was dead at the plate.

"There's nothing you can do when the ball bounces in the dirt and the catcher makes a nice play," Unkel said. "It ain't the major leagues, so you can't plow anybody either. Larson did the right thing. He even hung over the plate and delayed the catcher for a little bit. He did his job."

Jefferson used four pitchers. Rooney, Goodell and McCormick each pitched two innings. Junior Eric Lehmkuhl, making his first appearance in a varsity game this season, retired the side in order in the seventh inning and picked up the win.

"We're trying to keep everybody fresh," Nordgren said of the pitching staff. "We want to go full-bore Friday night."

Jefferson plays at Kennedy in a Class 4A substate first-round game Friday night. The J-Hawks close out their regular season schedule Wednesday night with  JV/varsity doubleheader against Davenport North.

Western Dubuque hosts Davenport North on Tuesday, then closes out its regular season Wednesday with a Wamac Conference doubleheader at Marion that starts at 4 p.m. The Bobcats play Dubuque Hempstead on Friday in a first round Class 4A substate game.

WESTERN DUBUQUE (2)
Logan Pitz, lf, 4 0 0 0, Cody Reimer, ss, 4 0 0 0, Nick Tuttle, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Ryan Lehmann, rf, 2 0 0 0, Tyson Massey, dh, 3 0 1 0, Matt Kass, p, 0 0 0 0, Hunter Westhoff, 3b, 2 1 2 0, Adam Hoeger, 2b, 3 1 1 0, Derick Ludwig, c, 3 0 0 0, Dawson Besler, cf, 2 0 0 0. Totals 26 2 4 0.

JEFFERSON (3)
Tanner Unkel, 2b, 1 0 0 0, Michael Rooney, p-cf, 2 0 1 0, Drake Vanous, cr, 0 1 0 0, Alex Larson, ss, 2 0 1 0, Jordan McCormick, dh-p-1b, 3 0 0 0, Austin Goodell, lf-p, 0 0 0 0, Bailey Hollingsworth, 1b-rf, 2 0 1 0, Drew Striegel, c, 3 0 0 0, Aaron Gruwell, cr, 0 0 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Jake Schmidt, rf, 3 1 1 0, Eric Lehmkuhl, p, 0 0 0 0, Christian Knox, cf-lf, 2 1 0 0. Totals 21 3 4 0.

Western Dubuque  000 200 0 -  2  4  4
Jefferson               100 010 1 -  3  4  2
(No outs when winning run scored)

Kass and Ludwig. Rooney, Goodell (3), McCormick (5), Lehmkuhl (7) and Striegel. W - Lehmkuhl (1-0). L - Kass (4-3). 2B - Westhoff, Hollingsworth. SB - Unkel (25).