Waterford outlasts South Webster in regional semi
LANCASTER – Waterford earned an Elite 8 date.
The Wildcats are scheduled to play top-ranked Toronto today at 5 p.m. in a Division IV regional baseball championship game after defeating South Webster, 6-3, in a Sweet 16 tilt at Beavers Field Thursday night.
At stake in the regional final will be a berth in the Final 4 of the OHSAA state tournament at Huntington Park in Columbus June 1-3.
“It’s exciting,” said WHS winning sophomore pitcher Braden Bellville.
Added senior Cats’ shortstop Clay Hayes, “That’s been our goal since Day 1 to make it to the state tournament.”
The right-handed-throwing Bellville hurled a 7-inning compete game, striking out one, walking one, and hitting one batter.
“I was trying to throw them off with a first-pitch breaking ball to keep them honest,” Bellville said.
“Then, I just tried to work in my fastball, inside and outside. I just tried to work it off the plate and stuff.”
Offensively, Clay Hayes and younger brother Brock Hayes each drove in two runs as did senior Tyler McCutcheon.
“Oh, yeah, me and Brock,” said Clay Hayes, who is expected to toe the rubber in today’s showdown.
“We’re just putting the bat on the ball, making contact, and getting the ball through.”
Waterford improved its record to a program-best 24-6, while South Webster exited with a 14-14 mark.
“We’re scrappers,” said South Webster boss Ryan McClintic, who will be losing seven Jeep seniors to graduation. “We’ve kind of embraced that blue-collar approach, because we’re from a blue-collar village — and that’s just who these kids are.”
Jeep seniors’ Alek Blevins and Bradley Gee were the only multiple-hit batters with two knocks in the contest. The former also had a triple, while the latter, a double.
SW’s Matt Shonkwiler and Gabe Ruth drove in one run apiece.
“Truthfully, I did not expect them (Jeeps) to hit the ball as well as they did,” said Waterford skipper Doug Huffman. “But guess what? They executed in the batter’s box and put some balls in play.”
Gee, a senior righty and a Shawnee State University recruit, suffered the mound setback. He fanned three and walked five in five innings of work.
“That kid was a nice pitcher for them,” Huffman said. “He ended up throwing 104 pitches, and they pretty much had to bring him out. He was pretty gassed.”
Jeeps right-hander Trevor Coriell came in and threw one inning of relief.
Waterford got on the board in the bottom of the second with Riley Burns getting things started with a one-out walk. The Wildcat first baseman moved up a base when Bryce Hilverding singled to right. Both green and white baserunners advanced a base on a groundout, and came around to score on McCutcheon’s single to center.
The Cats stretched their advantage to 3-0 in the third when Isaac Huffman legged it home on Clay Hayes’ fielder’s choice.
In the top of third, South Webster capitalized on two Waterford miscues and plated three runs to even the count. Leading off the frame, Gee doubled to left. He then advanced to third on a groundout. After Troy Boggs was safe on an error, Gee scored on an errant throw.
Boggs later came around to score on Shonkwiler’s single. And, then Shonkwiler scored the tying run on Ruth’s single to right.
Bellville finally got out of the jam on two groundouts.
“They got some baserunners on in certain situations, and I had to bear down and throw some strikes,” Bellville said. “The defense helped me out greatly.”
Waterford snapped the deadlock in the fifth with a 3-run frame. Getting things going, Jordan Welch was safe on an error. After advancing to second, he legged it home on Clay Hayes’ RBI hit to make it 4-3. Burns followed with a single, and the two courtesy runners — Joseph Zimmer (for Hayes) and Zane Heiss (for Burns) — came around to score on Brock Hayes’ clutch two-out single to right. That gave the Cats a 6-3 lead.
“Brock’s come a long ways since last year,” Clay Hayes said. “He’s really improved as a hitter and as a fielder.”
In another semi played earlier at Beavers Field, Toronto edged Danville, 2-1.
“We know we’ve got our hands full,” said Clay Hayes of Toronto. “We’re just going to hit and pitch and field the ball.”