St. Rita’s Sir Jamison Jones said his unique first name was given to him by his parents in order for him to get one thing from other people.
“It’s all about respect,” Jones said. “My father was big on the name because it really gives you that sense of respect.
“Say I open the door for somebody. They don’t know my name is Sir, but they call me sir. That feels good.”
Jones, a sophomore catcher, definitely earned Providence’s respect Monday.
The Illinois State recruit went 4-for-4 with four RBIs, including the game-winning three-run homer, as the Mustangs rallied from a five-run deficit for a 9-8 Catholic League Blue victory over the host Celtics.
Tommy Ulatowski went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs for St. Rita (6-5-1, 2-1). Eddie Rowe allowed one run over three innings of relief to earn the win and Miguel Cantu threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the save.
Gavin Gomez hit a home run for Providence (6-3, 3-2), while Ryan Mrozek and Tyler Young each had two hits and an RBI.
Jones singled in each of his first three at-bats, knocking in a run in the fifth inning.
In the sixth, he came up with runners on second and third and two outs with St. Rita trailing 7-6.
Jones crushed his first varsity homer well over the left field fence to put the Mustangs on top for good.
“I was just looking to put something in play and score a run,” Jones said. “Thank God I caught a piece of one and it was a blessing. I wasn’t expecting it.
“I’ve been in a little bit of a struggle, and that was really good for me to see and know I’m still here and can help my team win. It felt great. Running around the bases, I was super ecstatic.”
Jones acknowledged he’s had a tough time early adjusting in his first varsity season.
“It’s been a struggle and I’m just working through it,” he said. “A great coaching staff is helping me through adversity. I’m really stressing putting in the extra work to get through it.”
St. Rita coach John Nee sees Jones giving that added effort.
“He has special ability,” Nee said of Jones. “He has a long way to go as a baseball player as a sophomore, but he’s a guy who wants to get better every day. He works at it every single day.
“He absorbs everything we’re trying to teach him, and that’s how we know he’s going to be really good. Everyone sees the physical tools.”
The Celtics led 7-2 after a six-run third inning, but St. Rita fought back. Ulatowski and Jones both had RBI singles in a three-run fifth that cut the deficit to 7-5.
In the sixth, St. Rita took advantage of two errors and another RBI single by Ulatowski made it 7-6, setting the stage for Jones.
“We’re never out of a game,” Ulatowski said. “We’ve just been trying to get over that hump. We’ve put ourselves in spots to win, and we just need to finish the job.
“We did (Monday) against a really good team.”
Kent State recruit Alex Alberico threw a strong four innings for Providence, striking out nine and allowing just one earned run.
The Celtics, though, were done in by three key errors.
“One, we have to learn how to put teams away,” Providence coach Mark Smith said. “Two, we have to learn how to make the routine play. If we do that, it’s an 8-2 or 8-3 game.
“We gave them life and they took advantage of it. If you want to be a good team, you have to be able to put teams away.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.