After four innings of back-and-forth baseball between two teams battling for positioning in District 9-6A, Jesuit Dallas used a booming home run from senior starting pitcher Jack Lynch helped the Rangers close the bout with six unanswered runs over the final two innings en route to a 9-3 win over Plano on Friday at Wright Field. The victory puts the Rangers into the thick of the playoff hunt with a 5-5 mark in district play heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
 
Lynch excelled on the mound and at the plate, throwing six innings of stellar work in addition to helping his own cause with a 3-for-4 performance in the batters' box. The Xavier University commit struck out seven batters and only allowed five hits, yielding two runs and two walks to the Wildcats. Lynch's sixth-inning home run was one of two extra base hits on the day as Lynch capped his all-around performance with a run-scoring double in the sixth.
 
Junior Jalon Mack added two runs while forcing two walks to finish the game 1-for-2. Mack's two-run double brought the Rangers back from a one-run deficit in the third and provided the opportunity for the team's breakout in the late stages of the game. Junior Braxton Boyle recorded two hits and scored twice while senior Cooper Shawl joined sophomores Connor Chavez and Gavin Perryman in the RBI column.
 
Plano scored one run in the top of the second before Jesuit scored its first run in the bottom of the frame. A leadoff walk to Mack and a passed ball put a runner in scoring position for the Blue and Gold before a Perryman single to right center drove home the junior to tie the game. Mack delivered Jesuit's first big hit of the game after Plano took the lead back with a run in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles by Boyle and Lynch put two runners on for Mack, who cracked a high fast ball down the right field line on the first pitch of his at bat to score two and give Jesuit its first lead of the game.
 
Lynch worked his way out of a runner in scoring position during the fourth inning before a leadoff single, stolen base and two passed balls allowed Plano the game in the fifth. A single to left center by Chavez led off the bottom of the fifth before Boyle drove home the sophomore with a single to left field. Lynch took a 2-2 pitch deep to right field, a home run which cleared the tree line over the outfield fence to spot Jesuit a three-run lead.
 
After Plano was retired in order during the top of the sixth inning, the Rangers plated three critical insurance runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning. Senior Caden Carlson walked to lead off the inning before a double down the left field line by Perryman put two runners in scoring position with no outs in the inning.
 
The Rangers scored two runs on squeeze bunts as bunts were landed on the ground by Shawl and Chavez to plate senior pinch runner Marco Marrero and Perryman to increase the lead to 8-3. A double down the right field line by Lynch scored Shawl to complete the Jesuit scoring, sending the two teams into the seventh with Jesuit holding a 9-3 lead. Senior Ben Shepherd entered the game in the top of the seventh, striking out three batters in the inning to clinch the win.
 
Jesuit will enter a two-game series with McKinney this week, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. clash on Tuesday at Wright Field. The two-game series will conclude in McKinney, Texas on Thursday evening.