Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
*Cover Photo Credit: Ruth Boll/Scioto Voice
WHEELERSBURG — Second chances to win a game don’t come around too often. But on Monday, the baseball Gods smiled on Jack Picklesimer.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, and with two outs, the senior shortstop had a chance to win but struck out to send the game into extra innings.
Three innings later, he got another chance and wasn’t going to miss twice.
Sitting on a 2-0 fastball, he smoked a walkoff single down the left field line to give his Pirates (9-4, 3-2 SOC III) an important 3-2 victory over Valley (7-2, 3-2 SOC III) in a 10-inning instant classic.
“Jack has been on varsity since he was a freshman. He’s primarily been on the mound, but he’s getting the chance to play the field, hitting in the four-hole and he’s not scared of the big moments,” Wheelersburg coach Derek Moore said. “The seventh inning got away from him, but he mentally stayed with it until he got another chance. Valley went for a mound visit, and I told him that he’s worked four years for moments like this, so go and win it. That’s exactly what we did.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Picklesimer’s clutch hit was the bottom line, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Cooper Heimbach’s performance on the bump.
Going inning-for-inning against Valley’s Carson Powell, the pair of aces maxed out their pitch count and put on a show, despite both earning no-decisions.
Powell tossed nine innings, striking out 13 batters, while Heimbach also threw nine and fanned 11 Indians in the process.
“I’m a competitive guy and I bring the energy for the team, but hats off to Carson. If you ask anyone, he’s probably the best pitcher in the area,” Heimbach said. “It all comes down to doing my job and trying to be a dawg on the mound, doing what I can do and working really hard to help my team win this game.”
After a leadoff single from Picklesimer in the bottom of the second, he crossed the dish two batters later on an RBI single from Andrew Holland to put the Pirates ahead early.
Holland scored in the next at-bat when Dylan Bundy smoked an RBI single back up the middle to extend the lead to 2-0.
Valley managed to get a run back in the third off an RBI groundout by Tate Queen, and equalized in the fifth when Queen laced an RBI double into left field, tying the game at 2-2.
Wheelersburg had a chance to go ahead in the bottom of the sixth, but lined into a 4-3 double play that ended the threat. The Pirates got another chance in the seventh with a pair of runners on, but Powell notched his 10th strikeout to send the game into extra innings.
Heimbach and Powell continued to keep each other’s lineups at bay with the help of their defense behind them, cruising through the eighth and ninth innings unscathed.
Ean Conn took over on the bump for the Pirates in the 10th, and delivered masterfully as he notched a pair of strikeouts before Brady Doss threw a runner out at second to end the inning.
“What an effort from Ean. That’s such a big spot to come in, and he completely delivered,” Moore said. “Cooper did such an amazing job getting us to that point and pitched an absolute gem. We played with so much heart and it’s games like this really show not just how much we’ve grown, but how gritty we are as a team.”
That set the stage for Picklesimer to deliver the goods. Following back-to-back singles from Jake Clevenger and Doss, Picklesimer stepped up and sent the Pirates home with a walk-off hit to secure a conference victory.
“I practiced too hard and too long to let that moment slip by me twice. Once Carson went off the mound and I saw who they brought in, I knew what was coming at me,” Picklesimer said. “I was up 2-0 in the count, so I figured a fastball was coming next. I sat back, waited and drove it down the line for the win.”
Statistically, following Heimbach’s outing on the mound, Picklesimer and Bundy each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Holland added a hit and an RBI.
For Valley, Queen was 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Wheelersburg returns to action on Wednesday for SOC III play at Minford while Valley hosts South Webster in conference action the same night.
“We knew from the first time we played them that we left a lot to be desired. There was a feeling that we gave up a couple runs, and we can’t have that if we’re going to reach our goals,” Moore said. “This was a great baseball game, our guys deserve a ton of credit and so do Valley’s kids. They’re a great baseball team. Winning the conference was our first goal, and this win keeps us in the hunt so we have to keep growing and handling our business on a nightly basis.”
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