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CHILLICOTHE — Winning district championships isn’t a hope for Wheelersburg’s baseball program. It’s the absolute standard.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
So when the Pirates missed an opportunity to do that last spring, a two-year wait to reach their standard felt like a lifetime.
However, the wait ended on Friday with a 9-3 win over Ironton in a Division III district final at VA Memorial Stadium — a victory that was powered by a fast start and a gritty pitching performance from Jake Darling.
“The first thing that comes to mind is resiliency,” Wheelersburg coach Derek Moore said. “We were lucky enough to win our league, we win the sectional and now we win the district. It’s been a very taxing year on our players and coaches. But these guys never stopped showing up. That’s what happened tonight. 2022 felt like a really long year. But we’re glad to be back here and hopefully, we can create some more damage down the road.”
After a scoreless first inning, Wheelersburg (20-7) seized a chance to score in the second.
With the bases loaded following a pair of singles and a walk, Rowdy Watkins stepped up and placed a two-run single into right field to put the Pirates ahead 2-0.
Later in the inning, with two ducks on the pond, an error allowed both runners to score, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Tigers (15-6) fought back, though, in the top of the third when Ian Ginger smacked an RBI triple into center field before scoring off an RBI single from Brady Moatz, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
“We jumped on them early and they bounced back and threw another punch,” Moore said. “We didn’t panic at all. We stayed resilient, put together great swings and I’m just super proud of our guys.”
But that was as close as Ironton got to getting back into the ballgame all night long.
Wheelersburg got assistance from Ironton in the fourth. With two runners on, a wild pitch allowed both Pirate runners to cross the dish and push the lead to 6-2.
With momentum their side, the Pirates added two more runs in the fifth off back-to-back RBI doubles from Darling and Kolton Salyers, extending their edge to 8-2.
Ironton got a run back in the sixth with an RBI single from Tanner Moore, but Wheelersburg answered with a run in the bottom half, thanks to an errant throw to close the game with a district title firmly in hand.
Darling earned the win in a complete game effort, allowing three earned runs on six hits and striking out four batters. He also was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI at the plate.
“Super proud. In the start, after the first inning, I was kind of like, ‘Eh, I’m not sure if he has his best stuff tonight.’ But he kept getting stronger and stronger,” Moore said. “After the fourth inning, he came into the dugout and said, ‘I’m finishing this game.’ For a guy who’s our best catcher to say that, and want to be that guy, you can’t ask for anything else.”
Watkins finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Salyers and Connor Estep added an RBI each.
For Ironton, Tanner Kleinman suffered the pitching loss. He went the distance, allowing four earned runs and striking out six Pirates. Offensively, Ginger, Boatz and Moore each added a hit and an RBI.
Wheelersburg now advances to meet with Lucasville Valley in a Division III regional semifinal at 11 a.m., Thursday at VA Memorial Stadium. That time and date could be subject to change.
“I think it’s going to come down to what Pirate baseball has been successful at and that’s throw strikes, play great defense and move ’em on, move ’em over, move ’em in,” Moore said. “It’s probably going to be a low-scoring game. Caden [Conn] has been great for us on the hill and [Valley’s] George [Arnett] … I swear every time he pitches and you get two runs, you’re lucky. It’ll be a great regional semifinal game.”
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