Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Growing up, every player dreams of being at the plate with runners on and a chance to win in the bottom of the final inning.
Dylan Chilcote found himself in that scenario on Tuesday.
And when opportunity knocked, he answered the door immediately.
Chilcote delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth to lift Fairfield Union to a 2-1 victory over Gallia Academy in a Division IV district final at Ohio University.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
“Previously, I had some of the hardest hits I’d had all year, but Gallia has a pretty good outfield and made the outs,” Chilcote said. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t think I was going to hit at all that inning. But I took a couple deep breaths approaching the plate and he gave me a curveball away, so I threw my hands out there and blooped it over first base. I had to do it for the seniors. I know they aren’t ready to be done just like we, as a team, weren’t ready either. So I did it for them.”
The victory marks the program’s first district championship since 1999.
“This is so special. I was an assistant on that 1999 team, and this is the first time as head coach we’ve been in this spot. So it’s very sweet,” Fairfield Union coach Scott Burke said. “John Nelson held such a high standard when he was the head coach and winning district titles, and I’ve tried to just follow his example and uphold the same standard. It’s been a slow process, but I couldn’t be more proud of the guys for never giving up and earning it.”
Not to be overshadowed, the pitching standoff between the Falcons’ duo of Joe Blankenship and Cameron Silcott against Gallia Academy’s Maddux Dulaney was masterful.
The Blue Devils rode Delaney’s right arm until the final pitch. He routinely got out of jams and kept the Falcons off-balance while allowing just five hits and striking out 10 batters.
However, Blankenship and Silcott were just as dynamic. Blankenship tossed five innings, allowing two hits and striking out three, while Silcott earned the win over the final three innings, striking out three batters.
“Defense. That’s all I need,” Blankenship said. ”Those guys work so hard behind me and I know that as long as I throw strikes, they’ll make the plays behind me whether it’s a ground ball, pop up or a line drive. I can always count on them.”
Fairfield Union (21-6) got on the board immediately in the bottom of the first. Garrett Dilcher ripped a two-out triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat to make it 1-0.
Gallia Academy (21-9) responded in the top of the third when Heath Champlin smoked a one-out triple before scoring on an RBI groundout via Jaxon Myers, tying the game at 1-1.
For the next four innings, it was all about pitching and defense.
Fairfield Union managed to get two base runners aboard in the fifth, but flew out to end the threat, which was the closest either team got to scoring.
Gallia Academy led off with a single in the top of the eighth, but the Falcons rolled a double play to take momentum into the final at-bat.
“My catcher [Brady Andrews] deserves a lot of credit for the way he builds us up,” Silcott said. “He trusts us, as we do with him, and that translates to the rest of the defense. They’ve made plays all season.”
A one-out walk was followed by a strikeout and back-to-back hit-by-pitches to load the bases. That brought Chilcote to the dish and with a first-pitch swing, he sent the Falcon faithful into a frenzy and started a celebration 27 years in the making.
“We had three goals in the beginning of the season. Win the league, win 20 games and win a district championship,” Chilcote said. “This was the last thing that we needed to accomplish, and it’s such an amazing feeling to have the district plaque. We’ve all played together since little league, so for it all to come together in this moment is incredible.”
Chilcote finished 1-for-3 with an RBI for the Falcons, while Champlin finished 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored for Gallia Academy.
Fairfield Union advances to a Division IV regional semifinal at 3 p.m. on Tuesday against Logan Elm, who defeated Wheelersburg to advance.
That game will be played at Ohio University.
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