Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Unioto had one goal on Friday night: make sure Zane Trace doesn’t get a Gold Ball.
Ashton Crace was the driving force behind making the goal a reality.
The Shermans’ senior hurler tossed a complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out 11 batters, as his Shermans earned a massive 4-1 victory over the Pioneers in SVC action.
“Zane Trace has a really good lineup, but I started the game strong and mixed a few things up from the beginning,” Crace said of his pitching. “One thing I really noticed early was the umpire’s zone was a little wider than usual, so I used that to my advantage and kept painting things on the outside, high and low. Getting ahead in the count was a huge thing and once that happened, that’s where I mixed in the off-speed pitches to get them chasing.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Despite the victory, Zane Trace keeps possession of a one-game lead in the SVC standings. Unioto still has a chance to clinch a share, though it’ll need some help in doing so.
But the most important thing was that the Shermans did their job on Friday.
“We knew coming in that they were on pace for the Gold Ball, and we still had an outside chance at the SVC so we had to handle our business,” Crace said. “With football, basketball and everything else in the past, this was one we weren’t going to let them have. We focused on playing our game the best we could and it led to the result we wanted.”
After two scoreless innings to open the game, Unioto (15-3, 9-2 SVC) managed to draw first blood in the bottom of the third.
With two runners on, Keegan Snyder worked a full count before connecting and smoking a two-run single down the left field line to put the Shermans ahead 2-0.
“To be honest, he had me guessing a little bit during the entire at-bat. He threw me two curveballs on a 3-1 count,” Snyder said. “That second one on the 3-2 count, I was able to sit back on it and put it down the line to score those two runs in a big spot where we needed some run support.”
In the next inning, with a runner on second, Owen Link stepped to the dish and roped an RBI double into center field to add another run. Crace then helped his own cause, smacking an RBI single through the right side, scoring Link and extending the lead to 4-0.
From that point, all eyes were on Crace as he continued his dominance on the bump.
He notched two strikeouts in the fifth and two more in the sixth, completing his total his 11 on the night.
Zane Trace (17-3, 11-1 SVC) attempted to mount a rally in the seventh but it was short-lived.
With two runners on, ZT’s Brooks Hodson laced an RBI single up the middle to score a run and cut the lead to 4-1. However, the next batter flew out to end the game and keep the Shermans alive in the race for the conference crown.
“A win like this definitely boosts our ego a little bit and gets us a little bit more ready for when the tournament comes,” Snyder said. “We have to keep the energy up in the dugout. That’s what leads to runs and winning baseball games for us.”
In addition to Crace’s day on the mound and at the plate, Snyder finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Link was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI.
For Zane Trace, Dylan Hoover suffered the loss in six innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out a pair. Hodson went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
“Moving forward, we really have to do a better job of picking each other up. We’ve gotten better at it, but we can always be better,” Crace said. “We have quite a few seniors on this team and a lot of leaders. The most important thing is always the next play, so we have to continue picking one another up. If we do those little things, we’ll continue winning games.”
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