Bob Jones High School’s Jack Shaw threw a complete-game gem and the top-ranked Patriots flexed their defensive muscle in a 7-1 victory over No. 2 Thompson in Friday’s Class 7A quarterfinal in Madison.

Bob Jones (40-7) lost last year’s quarterfinal series to the Warriors, but clinches the series this season and advances to the semifinal round for the first time since making back-to-back trips in 2018 and 2019.

“Anytime you can beat a team like Thompson, I love competing against those guys,” Bob Jones coach Jared Smith said. “Probably my favorite team to play because you know how competitive those guys are and how they play the game.”

The Patriots grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning with second baseman Jacob Pearl scoring on a wild pitch and surged to a 7-0 advantage after the second inning.

“I didn’t know if that was enough,” Smith said. “That really helped in a game like this, but against a team like Thompson, I didn’t know if that was enough. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any more, but Jack Shaw didn’t need any more.”

Reece Cato struck out to lead off the second Inning and Tanner Hermesch was hit by a pitch on the next at-bat, setting the table for six straight singles as the Patriots shot through the order.

Pearl and Mississippi State signee Braden Booth scored a run on consecutive singles and Gresham Baker and Alabama commitment Zack Johnson cleaned up the side with back-to-back 2-run singles.

“We try to go wave after wave, attack them with the offense, and keep going one after another,” Johnson said. “The defense was lock-down today and Jack Shaw pitched his ass off.”

The Warriors responded with their only run of the game in the third inning as Game 2 hero D’Marion Terrell brought Bray Smith home on a sacrifice fly. Shaw allowed only three baserunners the final four innings and the Bob Jones defense turned two 6-4-3 double plays, the latter of which ended the final threat from Thompson.

“You can’t ask any more out of your team than that right there,” Smith said.

Thompson (29-11) brought Terrell to the mound in the third inning and proceeded to shut down the Bob Jones offense, allowing a single hit while issuing 3 strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.

Ashton Blair was tagged with the loss, allowing all 7 runs on 5 hits. He was relieved by Ben Ferrell, who lasted an inning before giving way to Terrell.

“I’m proud of ‘Bub’ (Terrell) for coming into the last innings and giving us something,” Thompson coach Frankie Perez said. “But our pitching has to get better in the future.”

Star of the game: Shaw. The junior earned a complete-game victory by allowing a run on 3 hits while collecting a single strikeout. The Bob Jones defense was stout behind Shaw and turned two double plays in the final three innings.

“They played outstanding. I had to trust my defense because I really couldn’t really overpower them. I just had to do my thing – throw strikes – and my defense backed me up. I was a little tired, but knew I had enough in me to get the job done,” he said.

Stat sheet: Bob Jones – All but two Bob Jones batters earned a hit in the game and all nine hits were singles. Cato was 2-of-3 and Baker and Johnson were both 1-of-3 with a 2-run single each. Pearl was also 1-of-3 and had an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch. Thompson – Terrell was 1-of-2 with a double and the sac fly, and Ethan Crook was 1-of-3 with a double. Wyatt Williams went 1-of-2 with a single and Bray Smith was walked twice while scoring the only run for the Warriors.

Coachspeak: “Jack Shaw was lights out tonight, I can’t say more about him. I knew he’d give us a shot, but I can’t believe – to keep an offense like Thompson to one run is incredible. Super proud of us and hat tip to Thompson, they’re a heck of a team.” – Bob Jones’ Smith

“These guys battled extremely hard throughout the year and we got the most out of the players. I’m proud of that. Our pitching hasn’t been good for a while now and you can’t just not throw strikes. It’s a high school game and props to Jared (Smith) and Bob Jones. They beat us, plain and simple. The seniors left this program in a better place. Losing sucks and it’s supposed to, but it’s about making memories. They’ll be my sons for the rest of their lives. Once a Warrior, always a Warrior.” – Thompson’s Frankie Perez

What’s next: Bob Jones will play host to No. 9 James Clemens, Wednesday at 5 and 7:30 p.m. in a three-game Class 7A semifinal series. If necessary, the two will play Game3 on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Patriots swept city rival James Clemens – 6-4, 6-1 and 4-3 – during the regular season.