Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Thanks to a masterful pitching performance from Coleton Jones and five-run sixth inning, Waterford is headed to a district championship game.
The Wildcats grabbed early momentum and slammed the door shut late, handing Eastern Brown an 8-0 loss in a Division VI district semifinal at VA Memorial Stadium.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“We scouted [Eastern Brown starter Pryce Murphy] and we know he’s a big strikeout guy,” Waterford coach Chris Schmitt said. “So we wanted to look for the fastball early in the count, be aggressive and we got to him eventually in the later innings, helping to put it away.”
While his offense went to work from the start, so did Jones on the bump.
The right-hander went the distance, allowing just two hits while striking out five. He threw just 83 pitches in the shutout.
“He throws strikes and that was the approach today,” Schmitt said. “We had a game plan to just go after hitters. We scouted [Eastern Brown] as much as we could and we followed our game plan to perfection. We have seven guys who have thrown over 15 innings this year. But Colten is our guy and we know he’s our guy. He pitched in a big game last year for us against Whiteoak. He’s just a great kid, a hard-worker and he earned it today.”
PHOTOS: Images from Waterford’s district semifinal win over Eastern Brown
Waterford (16-10) got on the board early, thanks to an RBI single from Avery Pottmeyer in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 score.
The Wildcats added to that lead in the third when Braun Doak logged a sacrifice fly to score Hayden Jones, who had reached on error earlier in the inning, making it 2-0.
In the fifth, Doak added another tally with an RBI single that scored Colten Jones for a 3-0 count.
That advantage would swell to 8-0, essentially ending the game, in the bottom of the sixth.
Pottmeyer started the party with a single before Mullenix drew a walk. They’d both score when Hayden Jones singled into left field, making it 5-0.
Colten Jones would then single, knocking in another run, before the inning’s final two scores came on a two-run single from Wade Brooker to put a cap on the day and send the Wildcats into a district final matchup.
“We went down to Glenville State earlier in the year and won the tournament on turf, so that was sort of our wake-up call,” Schmitt said. “We’ve played some big schools and the TVC is tough. Those games add up to help you see what you see today.”
Statistically, Doak led Waterford’s offensive efforts, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs while Brooker was 1-for-3 with a run and a pair of RBIs. Colten Jones finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Pottmeyer helped out with a 2-for-3 effort alongside a run and an RBI.
As for the Warriors (11-8), Murphy and Payden McCarthy each collected a base hit.
As Eastern Brown’s season comes to a close, Waterford will match up with Southeastern in a Division VI district championship game at 5 p.m. on Sunday at VA Memorial Stadium.
The Wildcats will be looking for their first district title since 2017.
“These guys have been working their tails off,” Schmitt said. “They deserved this and they’ve earned it. They know what’s at stake tomorrow and we’ve had to give up some things to play tomorrow. But they know what’s at stake and it’s a big deal for our community.”
SPONSORED BY PAR MAR STORES
