Locust Fork runner Kevin McCay dives back to first base as Corner’s Josh Walker fields a pickoff throw in the Yellow Jackets’ 6-3 win Monday night.

It’s just what head coach Steve Kelley and his staff had been waiting for. On a warm, lazy March evening, Corner’s bats weren’t lazy at all.

The Yellow Jackets cranked out 11 hits which, combined with a wide-awake defense that turned three unorthodox double plays, resulted in a 6-3 win over Locust Fork Monday night.

“We needed to come out aggressive, because that’s one thing we haven’t been doing,” said kelley. “We’d been taking too many fast ball strikes, getting behind and having to hit the pitcher’s pitch instead. Tonight we came out aggressive and made some defensive plays, which we hadn’t been making all year.”

Corner left fielder Nick Webb caught a short fly ball, then doubled Hornet baserunner Blayke Robinette off as he dashed back to second base to squelch a first-inning potential rally. Two innings later with runners on first and third, Robinette hit into another twin-killing, this time when shortstop Nick Glasnovich threw to second baseman Matt Burnett for the force out; Burnett then fired to catcher Bill Cody Boshell to catch Hornet pitcher Jessie Hill making a break for the plate.

“Matt Burnett’s got a great arm at second base,” Kelley said. “You like to have a shortstop with a good arm, but we’re in just as good a shape, maybe better shape, because Matt’s got such a great arm.”

The Jackets turned two again in the fourth when Garrett Finnen lined out to Corner pitcher Cody Gilbert, who then threw to first to double off the runner.

Jackets lead-off hitter Jack Robbins was 4-for-4 for the evening, all singles, and scored three times.

Locust Fork (4-5) got on the scoreboard in the first inning, when Robinette’s double scored Hill, who had walked and reached second on a steal.

The Jackets tied the game in the bottom of the first on designated hitter Jordan Shipp’s bunt attempt, in which Robinette, the catcher, overthrew first base. That allowed Robbins to score from second. But Hill got out of a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts for the Hornets.

Corner took the lead in the second when Robbins scored on Burnett’s two-out double.

The bottom of the batting order came through for the hosts in the fourth, when third baseman Blake Howard smacked a lead-off double, then scored on right fielder Dylan Blackmon’s single. Blackmon then came home when Burnett hit into a fielder’s choice that got Robbins out at second base.

Corner added two runs in the sixth when Robbins moved around on another Robinette error, then came in on Shipp’s single. Shipp then scored when Robinette’s throw was wild again on a steal attempt.

The Hornets threatened in the top of the seventh when Kevin McCay’s double scored Finnen. McCay then scored on a Corner error, but mustered no more runs as Howard, in to relieve Gilbert in the sixth, struck out the last two Locust Fork batters.

Gilbert, a sophomore went five innings, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out four, with one earned run. Howard struck out three in two innings of relief with two hits and two runs, one earned.

“He’s a young kid who’s been pitching well, and that’s why we gave him the start tonight,” Kelley said. “Our pitching’s being tested this week, so we have to get a lot of mileage out of everybody.”

The Jackets (3-5) face Carbon Hill on Friday, then travel to Pleasant Grove on Saturday for a tri-series against the Spartans and Vestavia Hills.

Hill took the loss for the Hornets, going five innings with four strikeouts, six hits and three earned runs.