Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — It’s fair to say that Unioto’s Blake Sanders has pitched in his teammate, KB Perkins’, shadow all season.
Perkins, the SVC Player of the Year, has been dominant and his career resume speaks for itself — he’s 21-1 on the hill in the past four seasons.
But on Thursday afternoon, if nothing else, Sanders proved he belonged in the same conversation.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
The sophomore was masterful, mixing pitches to perfection and keeping hitters off-balance, powering a 2-0 win over Indian Creek in a Division IV regional championship game.
The win marks the Shermans’ third-ever state semifinal berth and first since 1994.
“Unreal. This is unreal,” Unioto coach Tony Taylor said. “All year long, these guys have done the little things. It has won us so many games this year. You gotta believe in that and if you don’t believe in it, it’s not going to happen.”
Unioto (24-6) is headed to Akron.
There’s still magic left in the run.
The game’s first break went the Shermans’ way.
Indian Creek appeared to score in the top half of the third inning. But Unioto argued that the runner didn’t touch third base.
Umpires agreed and the run was erased.
That momentum shift carried over into the bottom half of the frame.
Nine-hole hitter Caden Cutright started a rally, reaching base after getting hit by a pitch.
Jaxon Zickafoose then worked a walk, putting runners on first and second and setting the scene for Jack Welch.
Welch laid down a picture-perfect bunt and Cutright, sprinting the whole way, used his speed to score from second.
On the same play, a throw that tried to nab Zickafoose at third went into left field, allowing the Shermans’ shortstop to cross home plate and push the lead to 2-0.
“I figured that we had to scratch to get something,” Taylor said. “We weren’t hitting well. We messed up one time and didn’t get a bunt down but we got it down when we needed to. [Indian Creek] made a mistake and we won the game.”
All the while, Sanders continued to hang zeroes.
“He’s been there all year long for us and he’s been an anchor for us,” Taylor said. “People don’t understand something about baseball. You don’t get your best stuff every night. It’s tough. Early, [Sanders] was a little nervous. And you should be. So he struggled a little bit. But about the fourth inning, he started to get stronger. He worked in stressful situations, too.”
Statistically, Sanders went the distance, holding Indian Creek (22-7) to seven hits and striking out three. He left eight Redskin base runners stranded.
At the plate, Unioto had one base hit — belonging to Callaway Ratliff. But Cutright, Zickafoose and Welch negated any naysayers with their surge in the third inning.
The Shermans now advance to a Division IV state semifinal and will meet with Mentor Lake Catholic of Canfield.
That game will be played at 4 p.m., Friday at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.
“I know it’s possible,” Taylor said. “When you have a pitcher like KB [Perkins], and you’re good up the middle, which we are, it’s possible to win. And our defense is just tough. We don’t have a weak spot. We don’t have to hide anybody.
“We’ve got a whole week of practice to work on some things and we’ll try to find a ball game on Monday or Tuesday to play, so we can sharpen up. But we’ll be ready.”
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