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Waterford bows out to top-ranked Toronto

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Waterford senior catcher Isaac Huffman gets the ball too late as Toronto’s Nick Sninchak (8) scores during D4 regional final baseball action in the fourth inning Friday at Beavers Field. The Wildcats lost 11-1.

LANCASTER — Waterford had a short-lived 1-0 lead.

In fact, the Wildcats never scored again after the opening inning as they dropped an 11-1 decision to top-ranked Toronto in an Ohio Division IV Regional championship baseball game at Beavers Field Friday night.

The 5-inning contest lasted approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

“Today didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” said WHS skipper Doug Huffman. “I give (Toronto) credit. They hit the ball all over, and we didn’t make a few plays.

“They’ve got a nice team, and I wish them the best.”

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Waterford seniors hold the Division IV regional runner-up plaque after a game against Toronto Friday in Lancaster. Pictured, from left to right, are Tyler McCutcheon, Isaac Huffman, Riley Burns, Clay Hayes and Jordan Welch.

Toronto (27-3) will be playing in next week’s OHSAA state tournament at Huntington Park in Columbus while the Wildcats bow out of tourney play with a school-best 24-7 mark.

“Boy did our kids show up today and come through for us,” said Red Knights boss Brian Perkins. “They were ready to play, and if we stay hot like that, we look forward to going on to Columbus.”

Toronto was led by sophomore second baseman Nick Sninchak, who was 3-for-3 with four runs-batted-in. Freshman left fielder Lucas Gulczynski added two triples and drove in two runs, while junior catcher Nolan Clegg, Zach Gulczynski, Cole Bodnar, and Nick Chetock each had one RBI.

Red Knights righty and Ashland University recruit Danny Zainak pitched a 5-inning complete game, fanning four, walking none, and allowing three hits.

Waterford senior Clay Hayes suffered the mound setback, and reliever Isaac Wagner also threw an inning.

Offensively, Isaac Huffman, Jordan Welch, and Riley Burns each had a hit.

Waterford staked itself to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first when a tripling Huffman scored on Welch’s single to left. The Wildcats had baserunners on first and third with one out, and were hoping for more runs. But Zainak got out of the jam on a 5-4-3 double play.

“We jumped on them and get a little bit of momentum,” Doug Huffman said. “We thought about running there in the first inning, and then they (Red Knights) turn a double play to get out of that. We can second-guess all day long.”

Said Perkins, “Waterford came out playing. I mean, you expect them to hit. That was a good ball team that we played.”

In the bottom half of the frame, Toronto did a little jumping of its own, and took a 2-1 lead on Clegg’s RBI double and Sninchak’ run-scoring single.

The Red Knights stretched their lead to 3-1 in the second when Bodnar legged it home on Lucas Gulczynski’s sacrifice fly to center.

Toronto got two more runs without the benefit of a hit in the third to make it 5-1. Bodnar and Chetock each was credited with an RBI.

Meanwhile, after a shaky first inning, Zainak retired the Wildcat side in order in the second and third, and got the first two outs in the fourth before giving up a double to Burns.

But Zainak got out of the inning unscathed as he picked off Waterford’s courtesy runner.

“Danny settled down (after the first inning),” Perkins said.

The Red Knights tacked on three more runs in the fourth, highlighted by Sninchak’s two-run single.

After Waterford went quietly in the fifth, 1-2-3, Toronto scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Gulczynski tripled home two runs, and Sninchak singled home the 11th and final run of the contest.

At the end of the game, Waterford’s five seniors — Tyler McCutcheon, Isaac Huffman, Burns, Hayes, and Welch were pictured with the regional runner-up plaque.

“What’s really nice about this group of seniors is that they just didn’t let things get ’em down,” Doug Huffman said. “I hope the underclassmen picked up on that.”

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