Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — For three innings on Friday, Unioto’s offense couldn’t figure out how to string together base hits.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
And then, something clicked.
Heading into bottom of the fourth, the Shermans trailed rival Zane Trace by a run in what was, up unto that point, a pitcher’s duel.
But four straight one-out hits, coming from Braxton Platt, KB Perkins, Andrew Lemaster and Ashton Crace gave Unioto its first lead of the evening — one they’d never relinquish in a decisive 12-2 six-inning win.
“[Zane Trace] had us off balance all night long,” Unioto coach Tony Taylor said. “But we finally stayed back, adjusted to what they were giving us and found hits. It’s a win. They’re all big.”
The victory not only handed the Pioneers their first conference loss this season but it separated Unioto (9-1, 5-0 SVC) from the rest of the pack. They now sit alone at the top of the standings.
However, as Taylor noted, for now, that means nothing. There’s still much work to be done.
“Last year, we beat [Zane Trace] the first time and they beat us the second time,” Taylor said. “So you just have to forget about this one, celebrate it tonight and start back up again next week.”
Zane Trace (7-5, 4-1 SVC) got on the board first with a run in the top of the first inning.
Rece Allen drew a four-pitch walk before Blake Phillips and Austen Ison each singled to load the bases. On the next pitch, Allen pranced home on a passed ball to make it 1-0.
The Shermans answered in the bottom half of the inning after Crace walked, advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly via Keegan Snyder.
The tally remained 1-1 until the top of the fourth when the Pioneers went ahead 2-1 with an RBI groundout from Allen, which scored Drew Lane and chased Unioto starter Maverick Frump from the mound.
PHOTOS: Images from Unioto’s win over Zane Trace
“You have to play well every night and [the parity at the top] tells you how tough the SVC is to play in,” Taylor said. “Every team can beat you. The worst team can beat the best team every night. It’s happened throughout history and it keeps happening.”
Unioto’s Landyn Patterson started the Tanks’ rally in the bottom of the fourth by reaching on error. Platt singled, Perkins logged a two-run triple, and Lemaster drove in a run to put the Shermans ahead — for good — at 4-2.
Perkins, who had taken over for Frump, then went back to work on the hill and proceeded to shift into cruise control.
The junior southpaw fired 2 ⅔ innings of one-hit baseball, striking out two en route to the win.
“He was outstanding,” Taylor said of Perkins. “He was throwing strikes, he was getting ahead of hitters and he wasn’t falling behind. He had them off balance and pitched outstandingly.”
In the fifth, the Shermans bought insurance and in the sixth, they opened the floodgates.
Perkins drove in another in the fifth, followed by an RBI single from Lemaster. Micah Geise then lined a two-run triple into the outfield green before scoring on an error, making it 9-2. Then, in the sixth, Unioto mounted a two-out rally to score three and call it an early night.
At the dish, Perkins finished 3-for-4 with a triple, three runs and four RBIs while Geise went 1-for-2 with a triple, a run and two RBIs. Lemaster was 3-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs, Patterson finished 2-for-4 with two runs, and Snyder was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
Ezra Rippeth led the Pioneers offensively, going 2-for-2 with a double while Allen went 0-for-2 with a run, a walk and an RBI.
Both teams are back in action on Monday in league play. While Zane Trace hosts Paint Valley, Unioto starts a busy week at Westfall.
The Mustangs enter that contest at 4-1 in the SVC, looking to force a tie at the top.
“It’s going to be cold and it’s always cold and windy in Williamsport it seems,” Taylor said. “We have to bring it. We have six games next week. So it’s a tough week and we play in a tough league. So we’ll have to play well.”
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