In completing one of its better comebacks of the season, Jefferson finished the regular season portion of its schedule by sweeping all five area schools when it brushed past Spring Mills, 12-4, on a blustery and chilly evening at Sager Field.

Jefferson’s record against the combined area schools was 10-0 after Taylor Tennant came on in relief in the third, inheriting a 3-1 deficit and immediately closing down the Cardinal offense.

Tennant replaced Austin Bulman, who had fanned 12 and 15 in his previous two starts — both wins — but yielded seven hits and three runs in his two innings of work against the Cardinals.

Bulman had experienced only one other rough outing . . . when he lasted three innings and surrendered four earned runs in a game in Myrtle Beach versus Pigeon Forge (Tennessee).

When Tennant came on to begin the third, Jefferson trailed, 3-1, but quickly took the lead with a three-run third inning.

Tennant was unscored on in his first three innings as the Cardinals managed to hit only one ball out of the infield and saw the right-hander fan the side in the fifth.

Alex Tennant, Austin Cross and Cole Walker scored runs when the Cougars scored three times to take a 4-3 lead. Tennant had a triple and Walker a double in the go-ahead uprising.

Cross doubled home Alex Tennant to improve the smallish lead to 5-3.

A three-run, two-out triple by Dalton Dodson upped the Jefferson lead to 8-3 in the fifth and relaxed the tense atmosphere. Jefferson had stranded 10 runners through five innings.

The next night in Romney, the Cougars again defeated Sectional opponent Hampshire to move their record to 4-0 versus the Trojans and Washington and cement the No.1 seed in this week’s double-elimination Sectional tournament.

Cross blanked the Trojans in his six innings of pitching and improved his record to 7-1 in the 5-0 shut out of the Sectional rival.

Weather permitting, the Sectional tournament runs its course throughout this week. Washington and Hampshire were to open the tournament on Monday, May 8, with Jefferson then hosting the loser at Sager Field on Tuesday. Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s game, the Cougars will host another game on Wednesday, May 10.

Regional play doesn’t begin until the week of Monday, May 22, when the survivor of the Jefferson/ Washington/Hampshire Sectional will face the winner of the Martinsburg/ Hedgesville/Spring Mills/Musselman Sectional in a best two-of-three format.

Jefferson had 2-0 records against all of their possible Sectional and Regional opponents from either Berkeley, Hampshire or Jefferson counties.

After winning for the eighth straight time when Hampshire was blanked in Romney, the Cougars had a 24-5 overall record.

Taylor Tennant had thrown strikes against Spring Mills. And his effort was rewarded with 11 runs from his teammates after he was summoned to begin the top of the third.