BASEBALL TOURNEY ROUNDUP: Who’s advancing, who’s reached the end

SOSA Staff Report

NOTE: Recaps from Unioto at Waverly and South Webster at Paint Valley can be found on our website.

Take a look at scores and statistics from this past week’s sectional tournament results.

Division II

Hillsboro 2, Jackson 1

In the pair’s third matchup this season, Hillsboro finally topped Jackson in a sectional final on Thursday.

The Indians (21-6) rode a pitching gem from Ryan Scott to the win. Scott threw all seven innings, allowing an earned run on five hits and striking out 11 hitters. He was also 1-for-3 at the dish with a run scored.

Coltin Hunter gave Hillsboro’s offense a needed boost, finishing 1-for-3 with a solo home run while Spencer Wyckoff went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Zach Humphries was 3-for-4, Brayden Kisling was 2-for-3, and Quintin Captain and Korbin Adams also collected base hits.

Jackson (21-3-1) was led offensively by Ty Broermann, who was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Cade Wolford was 2-for-3, Isaac Kuhn was 1-for-4 with a run, and Caelab McGraw and Boston Campbell each had base hits.

On the hill, Bryson Brown took the tough-luck loss, throwing four innings and surrendering an earned run on four hits while whiffing a trio. Drew Bragg also pitched three scoreless innings and struck out one.

Hillsboro will now face Sheridan in a Division II district semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.

Miami Trace 4, Athens 1

The state’s top-ranked team in Division II continued to roll on Thursday, claiming a sectional crown with a victory over Athens.

The Panthers (23-1) received a magnificent pitching performance from Dylan Bernard, who threw six innings of one-hit baseball. The right-hander struck out 12 and allowed a single earned run.

Offensively, Miami Trace was led by Connor Bucher, who was 3-for-4 with a run, followed by Braden Osborne, who was 2-for-3 with a run. Josh Gilmore also helped out, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs while Luke Henry was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

The Panthers will now host Unioto in a Division II district semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.

Division III

Meigs 1, Westfall 0

The SVC champion Mustangs (21-7) saw their season come to an end at the hands of Meigs in a sectional final on Saturday afternoon.

Lucas Blackburn suffered the tough-luck loss for Westfall. The senior didn’t allow an earned run in seven innings while striking out 11.

Offensively, Westfall scratched out just four hits. Titan Williams was 1-for-3 with a double, Ashton Nunemaker was 2-for-3, and Trent Walters finished 1-for-3.

Adena 11, West 0

Behind the left arm of Nate Throckmorton, Adena claimed a sectional crown with a win over West (13-13) on Saturday.

Throckmorton led the Warriors (14-11) with a five-inning, five-hit shutout alongside five strikeouts. He was also 1-for-4 at the dish with an RBI.

The southpaw had plenty of help offensively. Jarrett Garrison was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, Mason Dyer went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, Andrew Vickers finished 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs, and Kole Williams was 1-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI. Will Dratwa and Carter Glandon also had hits while Gladon drove in a run.

Adena will now travel to Minford for a Division III district semifinal matchup at 5 p.m., Monday.

Minford 2, Oak Hill 0

Elijah Vogelsong was … well … Elijah Vogelsong on Saturday.

The Falcons’ ace lefty beat the Oaks with a complete game, four-hit, seven-strikeout shutout on Saturday while finishing 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, a run scored and an RBI.

Vogelsong received some assistance from Adam Crank, who went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run, and Matthew Risner, who finished 1-for-2.

Oak Hill (10-14) was led by pitcher Rylan Sams, who went the distance while allowing two earned runs on four hits. Sams struck out eight and walked four. The Oaks’ offense was led by Flint Barger, who was 2-for-3.

Minford (21-2) will now host Adena in a Division III district semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.

Wheelersburg 10, Crooksville 0

Ethan Ison was straight money on Saturday for Wheelersburg (19-7), who ousted Crooksville in a sectional final.

Ison threw six innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine, while going 3-for-4 at the dish with two doubles, a run and two RBIs.

He was assisted by Creed Warren, who was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, while Case Dyer finished 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Eric Green also helped out, going 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, while Braden Horr was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

The Pirates will now host Portsmouth in a Division III district semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.

Portsmouth 6, Rock Hill 3

The Trojans (17-12) are back in district competition after a sectional title win over Rock Hill on Saturday.

Portsmouth was led by pitcher Vinnie Lonardo, who threw 6 1/3 innings of seven-hit baseball while whiffing 10. He also helped himself by going 1-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI.

Christian Keys also helped out, finishing 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI while Drew Roe was 1-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI. Tyler Duncan went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Michael Duncan was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The Trojans will now travel to Wheelersburg for a district semifinal matchup at 5 p.m., Monday.

Piketon 9, Ironton 0

In what was thought to be a much-anticipated matchup, Piketon (15-14) had little trouble with Ironton on Saturday in a sectional final meeting.

Roger Woodruff led the Redstreaks to the win on the mound, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out 11.

Easton Lansing led the offensive charge, going 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Following Lansing was Tra Swayne, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI, as well as Jake Thornsberry, 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Brody Fuller, 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Piketon will now travel to Eastern Brown for a district semifinal at 5 p.m., Monday.

Eastern Brown 5, Chesapeake 1

A magnificent season continued for Eastern Brown’s baseball program on Saturday.

In a sectional title win, the SHAC champion Warriors (18-6) ousted Chesapeake and used a balanced pitching performance to do so.

Wyatt Haupt, Colton Vaughn and Andres Vargas all pitched two innings while Ethan Tracy was responsible for tossing one. That foursome combined to strikeout nine hittters.

Tracy was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, Haupt went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, Vaughn was 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Vargas was 1-for-2. Zach Gallant also helped out, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

The Warriors will now host Piketon in a district semifinal matchup at 5 p.m., Monday.

Division IV

Paint Valley 5, Clay 1

Brock Blanton continued to dominate opposing lineups with a masterful performance on Saturday.

Competing in a district semifinal at Clay, Blanton threw seven innings, allowed an earned run on eight hits and struck out 12. He also helped his own cause at the dish, finishing with a run scored and an RBI.

Paint Valley (17-11) also got offensive help from Trent Mettler, who was 2-for-3 with two runs, while Beau Blankenship finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Connor Free also chipped in, going 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

Clay (19-7) was led by Clay Cottle, who was 2-for-4 with a run, as well as Evan Woods, who was 2-for-3. Cottle took the loss on the mound, throwing six innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits and striking out nine.

The Bearcats will now face Eastern Meigs in a Division IV district championship at 6 p.m., Monday at VA Memorial Stadium.

Huntington 11, Manchester 1

DJ Crocker led the Huntsmen (13-12) to a district semifinal win on Saturday over Manchester.

Crocker threw seven innings, allowing five hits without surrendering an earned run. He struck out four, walked a single hitter and did so in just 71 pitches. He was also 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple, two runs and two RBIs.

Dalton Black lent a helping hand, going 1-for-3 with a double, a run and two RBIs, Braylon Leach went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, Emery Woods was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, Caleb Smith went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Darius Brown finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.

As for Manchester (16-11), Aaron Lucas was 1-for-2 with a double and Jackson Poole was 1-for-2 with an RBI.

The Huntsmen are back in action Monday, facing Valley in a district title game at 3 p.m. at VA Memorial Stadium.

Valley 6, Ironton St. Joe 1

The Indians (17-11) advanced into a district title game with a win over Ironton St. Joe on Saturday.

Valley was paced by Carter Nickel, who threw 4 1/3 innings of two-hit baseball while striking out five. George Arnett however, picked up the pitching win in 2 2/3 innings of work. Arnett didn’t give up a base hit and struck out a pair.

Jace Copley led Valley’s offense, going 2-for-2 with a run and three RBIs while Christopher Queen was 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Nickel also helped out, going 2-for-3, Andrew Andronis was 2-for-4, and Hunter Edwards drove in a run.

Ironton St. Joe (16-8) scratched out just two hits on the day.

Valley will now meet with Huntington in a district championship matchup at 3 p.m., Monday at VA Memorial Stadium.