Whiteoak loses lead in late innings; fall in district semifinals
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — After having their game pushed back by just over two hours due to a scheduling conflict, the Whiteoak Wildcats were able to get onto the field at VA Memorial Stadium and nearly upset the No. 7 state-ranked team in Division IV on a sub-40 degree evening.
Though the score was close, a win wasn’t meant to be for Whiteoak, as the Wildcats lost their two-run lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning, eventually falling to the Trimble Tomcats by a 5-3 score Saturday evening in the Division IV SE District Semifinals at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
“That’s baseball … it happens a lot,” WHS head coach Chris Veidt said of the one big inning by Trimble. “A lot of times the team that wins scores more runs in one inning than the team they defeat the entire game. We played well, played solid defensively, got a great pitched game and we had some great at-bats.
“We took the seventh-ranked team in the state to the limit, and minus a few hits, I think we outplayed them, but I obviously would rather be on the other side of being outplayed, winning this time of the year. I’m proud of the kids, proud of their effort, proud of their enthusiasm and what do you say?”
The Wildcats (16-13) didn’t trail in the game until the bottom of the sixth with a 1-0 lead after the top half of the first was completed, and it was a 1-1 score after the second inning was completed.
WHS took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth and later added another run in the top part of the sixth, but the Tomcats clawed their way back into the lead in their half of the sixth inning with a few big hits, and with that a four-run inning to take what was the final 5-3 lead, sending WHS to a heartbreaking defeat.
For the Wildcats, in the top of the first they got started with a two-out walk by Trevor Martin. He stole second and took third on the throw to second that sailed into centerfield. Martin scored on a base hit to right-centerfield by Chase Carraher for the one-run advantage.
Trimble (18-4) tied the score at 1-1 with their leadoff batter reaching via error, eventually scoring a run off a base hit with two outs.
WHS gave themselves a 2-1 advantage in the top of the fourth, beginning with a lead-off hit-by-pitch by Trever Yeager, who stole second base and went to third on a sacrifice fly to right field by Evan Brill. Yeager crossed home plate with a one-out RBI single to right field off the bat of Traeten Hamilton.
[[In-content Ad]]
That score stayed on the VA Memorial scoreboard until the top of the sixth inning when WHS added another run for a 3-1 score. The run came when Hamilton was walked with one out. From there, he stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out back to the pitcher and scored the run on a passed ball at the plate with two outs.
The insurance run by Whiteoak just wasn’t enough for them to seal the victory with the Tomcats scoring four runs in their half of the sixth inning, including a double that allowed the batter to take what was by then a 3-3 tied score into a 5-3 lead as he rounded the bases after an error in the outfield on the two-base hit. In the inning, they collected six hits, including four consecutive that led to their four runs, withtwo two-run doubles.
The pitching loss went to Jacob Burns, who pitched a complete game for WHS, as he battled strong for the entire game.
This postseason, WHS went 1-1, as they won their sectional with a 10-0 win over Portsmouth Clay. WHS has four seniors graduating in Jacob Burns, Kyle Marler, Austin Lewis and Christian Hill.
“This team came so far in two ways for me since day one,” Veidt said. “As baseball players, they got so much better, and the leadership we got from our seniors was great. They turned into leaders, and the younger kids turned into baseball players. Our unity and the way we came together and formed a brotherhood was fantastic.
“We showed up here expecting to win and almost pulled off an upset. It is a tough loss, but it was a great season. We had 16 wins, have almost everyone back, but it will be tough to replace the guys who are leaving. These kids work hard in the weight room, work hard in summer ball and keep believing, and we are going to be back. We’ll be back.”
Though the score was close, a win wasn’t meant to be for Whiteoak, as the Wildcats lost their two-run lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning, eventually falling to the Trimble Tomcats by a 5-3 score Saturday evening in the Division IV SE District Semifinals at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
“That’s baseball … it happens a lot,” WHS head coach Chris Veidt said of the one big inning by Trimble. “A lot of times the team that wins scores more runs in one inning than the team they defeat the entire game. We played well, played solid defensively, got a great pitched game and we had some great at-bats.
“We took the seventh-ranked team in the state to the limit, and minus a few hits, I think we outplayed them, but I obviously would rather be on the other side of being outplayed, winning this time of the year. I’m proud of the kids, proud of their effort, proud of their enthusiasm and what do you say?”
The Wildcats (16-13) didn’t trail in the game until the bottom of the sixth with a 1-0 lead after the top half of the first was completed, and it was a 1-1 score after the second inning was completed.
WHS took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth and later added another run in the top part of the sixth, but the Tomcats clawed their way back into the lead in their half of the sixth inning with a few big hits, and with that a four-run inning to take what was the final 5-3 lead, sending WHS to a heartbreaking defeat.
For the Wildcats, in the top of the first they got started with a two-out walk by Trevor Martin. He stole second and took third on the throw to second that sailed into centerfield. Martin scored on a base hit to right-centerfield by Chase Carraher for the one-run advantage.
Trimble (18-4) tied the score at 1-1 with their leadoff batter reaching via error, eventually scoring a run off a base hit with two outs.
WHS gave themselves a 2-1 advantage in the top of the fourth, beginning with a lead-off hit-by-pitch by Trever Yeager, who stole second base and went to third on a sacrifice fly to right field by Evan Brill. Yeager crossed home plate with a one-out RBI single to right field off the bat of Traeten Hamilton.
[[In-content Ad]]
That score stayed on the VA Memorial scoreboard until the top of the sixth inning when WHS added another run for a 3-1 score. The run came when Hamilton was walked with one out. From there, he stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out back to the pitcher and scored the run on a passed ball at the plate with two outs.
The insurance run by Whiteoak just wasn’t enough for them to seal the victory with the Tomcats scoring four runs in their half of the sixth inning, including a double that allowed the batter to take what was by then a 3-3 tied score into a 5-3 lead as he rounded the bases after an error in the outfield on the two-base hit. In the inning, they collected six hits, including four consecutive that led to their four runs, withtwo two-run doubles.
The pitching loss went to Jacob Burns, who pitched a complete game for WHS, as he battled strong for the entire game.
This postseason, WHS went 1-1, as they won their sectional with a 10-0 win over Portsmouth Clay. WHS has four seniors graduating in Jacob Burns, Kyle Marler, Austin Lewis and Christian Hill.
“This team came so far in two ways for me since day one,” Veidt said. “As baseball players, they got so much better, and the leadership we got from our seniors was great. They turned into leaders, and the younger kids turned into baseball players. Our unity and the way we came together and formed a brotherhood was fantastic.
“We showed up here expecting to win and almost pulled off an upset. It is a tough loss, but it was a great season. We had 16 wins, have almost everyone back, but it will be tough to replace the guys who are leaving. These kids work hard in the weight room, work hard in summer ball and keep believing, and we are going to be back. We’ll be back.”