Josh Jahlas set the table and the Kennedy Cougars dined on Jefferson pitching Tuesday night at Jefferson.

Jahlas was 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in one to lead No. 2 Kennedy past Jefferson, 10-0, in six innings in a Mississippi Valley Conference baseball game.

Cody Bell swatted a two-run home run and drove in three runs for Kennedy (26-4, 19-4).

Jahlas, Kennedy's lead-off hitter, reached base all four plate appearances.

"I feel like that's my job," said Jahlas, who also made a diving catch in center field to rob Jefferson's Colten Jourdan of an extra-base hit. "I know we have good hitters behind me that will drive me home."

Jahlas boosted his batting average to .448.

"I'm coming up to the plate with confidence and that continued tonight," he said.

"When you have a guy like that, who understands how to put pressure on the defense, understands opponents' strengths and weaknesses, that's a terrific advantage for us," Kennedy Coach Bret Hoyer said.

The Cougars had to go eight innings to beat Jefferson, 9-8, on Monday night at Kennedy.

"I think we were more focused tonight," said Jahlas, who had the game-tying hit that sent Monday's game into extra innings. "I think we may have taken them too lightly yesterday. They're a good team and they hit the ball well."

After collecting 12 hits Monday, Jefferson (14-19, 12-12) was held to two safeties Tuesday by Alex Hayden and Nick Appleget. Hayden (8-1) gave up one hit in the first five innings.

"Last night we put hits together and scored some runs," said Jefferson senior Chance Tiedtke, who had a first-inning single. "Tonight, we didn't get too many hits and it was hard to stay positive. I think we were still kind of thinking about last night's game and you can't do that in baseball because every game is different."

This one was a lot different. Instead of having to rally from behind, Kennedy jumped on Jefferson's Jourdan for two runs in the first inning and three more in the second for a 5-0 lead.

Jahlas singled to lead off the game and went second on a sacrifice bunt by Derek Jacobus. Bell was hit by a pitch before Jourdan bounced a pitch that got away from Jefferson catcher Ben Koering. Jahlas raced to third on the wild pitch and scored when Koering's throw was low and bounced away for an error.

That type of execution was lacking in Monday's game, and Hoyer let his club know he wasn't happy about it following the contest.

Hoyer cracked a smile following Tuesday's tilt, which included three sacrifice flies and only five runners left on base.

"This was more like it," Hoyer said.

Jahlas had an RBI double, and Derek Jacobus and Bell had sacrifice flies in the second inning. Bell belted his two-run home run in the fourth inning and the Cougars tallied three times in the sixth. Jahlas doubled leading off the inning and scored on consecutive wild pitches by Layne Sullivan. Derek Jacobus, who had walked, scored on a passed ball and Bell, who had singled, scored on Devon Jacobus' sacrifice fly.

"We knew we couldn't put ourselves in a hole, but that's what we did," Jefferson Coach Mike Kuba said. "We showed up flat tonight, for whatever reason. We couldn't get it going."

Jefferson played without starters Jordan Dee (wrist) and Austin Goodell (ankle), both of whom were injured in Monday's game. Kuba said both are day-to-day.

"It's tough to take two strong, put the ball in play hitters out of your lineup," Kuba said.

Jefferson has little time to dwell on its loss. The J-Hawks play Wednesday at North Scott in a JV/varsity doubleheader that starts at 10 a.m.

Kennedy, meanwhile, has three contests on Friday. The Cougars will complete a suspended game against Dubuque Wahlert at 2:30 p.m., then host Waterloo West in a doubleheader that starts at 5 p.m.

"That will be a test of our mental toughness," Hoyer said. "We're trying to stay in the hunt for a conference title. We'll see if we can finish what we started."

KENNEDY (10)
Josh Jahlas, cf, 3 4 3 1, Derek Jacobus, ss, 1 1 0 1, Cody Bell, 3b-1b, 2 2 2 3, Trenton Seubert, pr, 0 1 0 0, Devon Jacobus, 2b-3b, 2 0 0 1, Logan Ambrosy, 1b-rf, 4 0 1 1, Alex Hayden, p-2b, 4 0 1 0, Jared Staton, cr, 0 0 0 0, Jimmy Lizarraga, c, 2 0 0 0, Joel Smetzer, cr, 0 0 0 0, Adam Lloyd, rf, 1 1 0 0, Nick Appleget, p, 0 0 0 0, Andrew Johnson, lf, 2 1 1 0. Totals 21 10 8 7.

JEFFERSON (0)
Dylan Jellison, 2b, 2 0 0 0, Christian Knox, cf, 3 0 0 0, Chance Tiedtke, lf, 2 0 1 0, Colten Jourdan, p-c, 3 0 1 0, Alec McIntosh, cr, 0 0 0 0, Layne Sullivan, dh-p, 3 0 0 0, Ben Koering, c, 0 0 0 0, Sam Techau, 3b, 1 0 0 0, Dylan Wright, 1b, 1 0 0 0, Aaron Gruwell, rf, 2 0 0 0, Ky Kramer, ss, 2 0 0 0. Totals 19 0 2 0.

Kennedy   230 203 --  10  8  0
Jefferson  000 000 --   0   2  3

Hayden, Appleget (6) and Lizarraga. Jourdan, Sullivan (6) and Koering, Jourdan (6). W - Hayden (8-1). L - Jourdan (2-2). 2B - Jahlas 2. HR - Bell.