DISTRICT CHAMPS!
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — There was more than enough school history being made Monday for the Whiteoak Wildcats baseball team.
WHS was dominant, patient and just plain better than their opponent in the Division IV SE District final, and for the first time in school history, the Wildcats left the field as district champions, defeating Portsmouth Notre Dame, 11-0 in a five-inning run-rule at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
Where to start for the Wildcats' performance?
In the first inning alone, the No. 1 seeded Wildcats scored seven runs. Then there was the pitching of senior Gage Carraher, playing under heavy emotions following a family emergency the previous night, throwing a three-hit shutout. Not to mention the Wildcat batters who forced eight walks in the first three innings, as they improved to 21-7 overall, tying the school record in wins for a season.
The game was Whiteoak's following the first pitch as Carraher zipped a fastball to the mitt of catcher Jason Jones for a strike … and the rest was history.
"As a coach, you have to be a tad touched to do this," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. "There were anxieties before this, but with that first inning, that all went away.
"To be the first time winning a district baseball championship in school history, and to tie the school record with our 21st win, that doesn't happen often, and I hope, like with the perfect league season, the guys understand how special this is."
Last year, Veidt said the Wildcats were just "an inch away," and this year, he said, "we closed the gap."
"This group of players has put in the necessary work to get that extra inch we needed one year ago at this time," he said. "The team used last year as motivation."
Following the top of the first, WHS sealed the game for the most part with the aforementioned seven runs, with it all beginning with a single to centerfield by leadoff hitter Luke Taggert, who went 1-for-2 with two walks. From there, fellow senior Zach Docter (2-for-2) walked and Carraher (1-for-2), on a 2-1 count, rocketed the ball through the infield into right field, scoring Taggert for a 1-0 lead.
That was all the runs needed by the reigning Division II Southern Hills Athletic Conference champions, with Tyler Williams (1-for-1, sacrifice, walk) scoring Docter on a base hit, followed by Kyle Marler drawing a one-out walk. Marler forced two walks in the game.
From there, with the bases loaded, Jason Jones walked in a run, scoring Carraher, then another walk occurred for a run as Tyler Roberts, with the count full, walked in Williams for a four-run advantage with one out.
Justin Emery took first on a fielder's choice with Marler being forced out at home, then Taggert, in his second at-bat of the inning, walked in Jones following a pitching change one batter earlier. Docter, in his second at-bat of the inning, singled to left field to score Roberts and Emery for the 7-0 lead.
In the 12-batter first inning, the Wildcats collected their seven runs on four hits and five walks, as they caused the Notre Dame starting pitcher to throw 32 pitches with just 11 strikes.
If the first inning wasn't enough, WHS added one run in the second and three more in the third, adding up for their 11 total runs.
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In the second, Williams, who walked after drawing a full count, scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Roberts, who also forced a full count.
Then came the three-run third, where Emery, Taggert and Docter, in the words of the late Joe Nuxhall, "Rounded third and headed for home." Emery singled to left field to lead off the third, followed by a full-count, seven-pitch walk by Taggert. Both runners scored on a double to the centerfield wall by Docter with a 2-1 count. Williams made it an 11-0 lead when he hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Docter.
"We talked about being more patient at the plate, and we made the necessary adjustments from Saturday's game," Veidt said.
WHS left five runners on the bases, as their offense also forced eight walks and were hit by pitches three times, including Jesse Bradds on two occasions.
As for Carraher on the mound, the senior lowered his season ERA to 0.56 as he has allowed just three earned runs all season in 48.2 innings. On Monday, he pitched five innings, allowing no runs on three hits and one walk. Carraher struck out nine, making his season total 79 strikeouts.
"Gage was pitching with his grandpa on his mind, as he is still in the hospital," Veidt said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him right now, and he's pulling through.
"For Gage to do what he did on the mound (Monday) after the night he and his family went through … he came off the bus with a 'Superman' cape and pitched a great game. After the game, he can take off the cape, and that's what he did."
Of his five innings pitched, Carraher had two or more strikeouts in three of those innings, including three in the second, two in the fourth and two in the fifth, with a strikeout to the end the game the way it began.
Carraher also tied his own mark for wins in a season with eight, improving to 8-0 overall, 2-0 this postseason.
Now WHS will have a 10-day wait for the Division IV Regional Finals on Thursday, May 30 at Beavers Field in Lancaster, which is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. WHS will face the Cambridge district winner who have not yet determined their district champion.
In the Cambridge district semifinals, Berlin Hiland faced Toronto Monday, and on Tuesday, May 21, Steubenville Catholic Central faces New Philadelphia Tuscarawas.
Veidt spoke about the upcoming layoff.
"It won't be a problem at all," he said. "It will give the guys a chance to rest up, and we'll practice too. We can work with the guys on certain situations, and our pitchers can pitch on the side.
"The regional situation with the layoff is basically how we entered the tournament in the sectionals with a layoff. We are a veteran team and will work with this layoff."
WHS was dominant, patient and just plain better than their opponent in the Division IV SE District final, and for the first time in school history, the Wildcats left the field as district champions, defeating Portsmouth Notre Dame, 11-0 in a five-inning run-rule at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
Where to start for the Wildcats' performance?
In the first inning alone, the No. 1 seeded Wildcats scored seven runs. Then there was the pitching of senior Gage Carraher, playing under heavy emotions following a family emergency the previous night, throwing a three-hit shutout. Not to mention the Wildcat batters who forced eight walks in the first three innings, as they improved to 21-7 overall, tying the school record in wins for a season.
The game was Whiteoak's following the first pitch as Carraher zipped a fastball to the mitt of catcher Jason Jones for a strike … and the rest was history.
"As a coach, you have to be a tad touched to do this," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. "There were anxieties before this, but with that first inning, that all went away.
"To be the first time winning a district baseball championship in school history, and to tie the school record with our 21st win, that doesn't happen often, and I hope, like with the perfect league season, the guys understand how special this is."
Last year, Veidt said the Wildcats were just "an inch away," and this year, he said, "we closed the gap."
"This group of players has put in the necessary work to get that extra inch we needed one year ago at this time," he said. "The team used last year as motivation."
Following the top of the first, WHS sealed the game for the most part with the aforementioned seven runs, with it all beginning with a single to centerfield by leadoff hitter Luke Taggert, who went 1-for-2 with two walks. From there, fellow senior Zach Docter (2-for-2) walked and Carraher (1-for-2), on a 2-1 count, rocketed the ball through the infield into right field, scoring Taggert for a 1-0 lead.
That was all the runs needed by the reigning Division II Southern Hills Athletic Conference champions, with Tyler Williams (1-for-1, sacrifice, walk) scoring Docter on a base hit, followed by Kyle Marler drawing a one-out walk. Marler forced two walks in the game.
From there, with the bases loaded, Jason Jones walked in a run, scoring Carraher, then another walk occurred for a run as Tyler Roberts, with the count full, walked in Williams for a four-run advantage with one out.
Justin Emery took first on a fielder's choice with Marler being forced out at home, then Taggert, in his second at-bat of the inning, walked in Jones following a pitching change one batter earlier. Docter, in his second at-bat of the inning, singled to left field to score Roberts and Emery for the 7-0 lead.
In the 12-batter first inning, the Wildcats collected their seven runs on four hits and five walks, as they caused the Notre Dame starting pitcher to throw 32 pitches with just 11 strikes.
If the first inning wasn't enough, WHS added one run in the second and three more in the third, adding up for their 11 total runs.
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In the second, Williams, who walked after drawing a full count, scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Roberts, who also forced a full count.
Then came the three-run third, where Emery, Taggert and Docter, in the words of the late Joe Nuxhall, "Rounded third and headed for home." Emery singled to left field to lead off the third, followed by a full-count, seven-pitch walk by Taggert. Both runners scored on a double to the centerfield wall by Docter with a 2-1 count. Williams made it an 11-0 lead when he hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Docter.
"We talked about being more patient at the plate, and we made the necessary adjustments from Saturday's game," Veidt said.
WHS left five runners on the bases, as their offense also forced eight walks and were hit by pitches three times, including Jesse Bradds on two occasions.
As for Carraher on the mound, the senior lowered his season ERA to 0.56 as he has allowed just three earned runs all season in 48.2 innings. On Monday, he pitched five innings, allowing no runs on three hits and one walk. Carraher struck out nine, making his season total 79 strikeouts.
"Gage was pitching with his grandpa on his mind, as he is still in the hospital," Veidt said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him right now, and he's pulling through.
"For Gage to do what he did on the mound (Monday) after the night he and his family went through … he came off the bus with a 'Superman' cape and pitched a great game. After the game, he can take off the cape, and that's what he did."
Of his five innings pitched, Carraher had two or more strikeouts in three of those innings, including three in the second, two in the fourth and two in the fifth, with a strikeout to the end the game the way it began.
Carraher also tied his own mark for wins in a season with eight, improving to 8-0 overall, 2-0 this postseason.
Now WHS will have a 10-day wait for the Division IV Regional Finals on Thursday, May 30 at Beavers Field in Lancaster, which is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. WHS will face the Cambridge district winner who have not yet determined their district champion.
In the Cambridge district semifinals, Berlin Hiland faced Toronto Monday, and on Tuesday, May 21, Steubenville Catholic Central faces New Philadelphia Tuscarawas.
Veidt spoke about the upcoming layoff.
"It won't be a problem at all," he said. "It will give the guys a chance to rest up, and we'll practice too. We can work with the guys on certain situations, and our pitchers can pitch on the side.
"The regional situation with the layoff is basically how we entered the tournament in the sectionals with a layoff. We are a veteran team and will work with this layoff."