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 Derrick Webb, Reporter11:02 p.m. EDT July 20, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - A mixed bag of results led to a summer baseball season ending Wednesday evening.

After beating Hillsboro Post 129 early in the day to advance in the 2016 Region V American Legion Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium, Chillicothe Post 757 fell 17-7 to Waverly Post 142 in the nightcap, effectively ending their 2016 campaign.

"This week is always a grind," Chillicothe Post 757 coach Tom Barr said. "Win, lose or draw, you have to tip your cap to both Jacob Chester and JD Blevins. Both of those guys manned up for us and threw well on short rest. They're both competitors. That's the kind of mentality they have."

As Barr eluded to, Chester carried the Colts (15-21) to a victory against Hillsboro earlier in the day. In a 4-3 win, Chester was handed a no-decision but threw 8 1/3 innings before getting the hook. His final line included 104 pitches, seven hits allowed, a single earned run and three strikeouts.

"We probably could have done a better job as a coaching staff of moving some guys around a little more but at this point in the season, you've got to go with who you think your best is and Jacob was that," Barr said.

With the game scoreless, 757 took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Trenton Harris scored on an RBI triple off the bat of Blevins. Hillsboro answered in the fifth on an RBI groundout to make it 1-1.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Colts retook the lead thanks to RBI doubles from Anthony Sipple and Zack Stapleton. That 3-1 edge lasted until the top of the seventh when 129 cut the deficit to 3-2 on an RBI single. Hillsboro forced a 3-3 stalemate in the ninth before 757 came up with some late inning heroics.

Brian Smith drew a walk and immediately stole second base to put himself in scoring position. Stapleton laid down a bunt to move Smith to third and with Eli Kunkel standing at the plate, Smith scored on a passed ball to hand the Colts a 4-3 walk-off win.

"I thought our guys came out and fought hard to get that first win today," Barr said. "That's not an easy thing to do after playing in 90-degree heat most of the week. When (Smith) got to third, we knew we had a pretty good shot."

Blevins was credited with the win after pitching 2/3 of an inning of relief. The southpaw then started the next contest, nearly three hours later, and gave up just three earned runs to Waverly in five innings of work.

The Shockers (16-13) fell to Circleville Post 134 to begin the day by a 14-4 final. They were then pitted against 757 in the losers' bracket championship.

With Waverly leading 4-3 heading into the fifth inning, 757 strung together four runs on three hits, three walks and a passed ball to seize a 7-4 advantage. 142 answered with three runs in the sixth to force a 7-7 tie. The Shockers pounded out 10 runs in the next two innings to win by the run-rule.

"We did what we had to do to get to the championship," Waverly coach Johnathan Teeters said. "Give our team credit for bouncing back after that first game and coming out ready to play. We really started to hit the ball. Hopefully, that will carry over until tomorrow. Our guys will be ready to go."

On the day, Waverly's Logan Shoupe was 4-for-7 with an RBI and five runs scored. Jared Alley followed by finishing 3-for-7 with a double, four runs and a pair of RBIs. Logan Kottenbrook was also productive with a 3-for-8 day including two runs, two doubles and an RBI.

For 757, Sipple led the offense by going 5-for-8 with three RBIs, two doubles and two runs. Hayden Henness helped out by finishing 3-for-7 with an RBI and a run as Stapleton was 2-for-7 with an RBI, a double and a run.

As the Colts look towards 2017, Waverly will meet with Circleville 134 in the Region V district championship at 4 p.m. Thursday, back at VA Memorial Stadium.

"The guys who are wanting to come back are going to have to tryout just like everyone else," Barr said. "We're going to take the guys who are willing to come in and do what they need to do, what we expect them to do. We have guys in our program who donate hundreds of hours and they deserve the best product we can put on the field. That's the goal."

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

CHILLICOTHE - Both Chillicothe Post 757's Jacob Chester and Chillicothe Post 62's Tanner Popp dealt gems Sunday morning in the first round of the American Legion Region V Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium.

And, thanks to their offenses, both picked up wins on the mound to help their teams advance further into the winners' bracket.

Behind Chester, the Colts (13-19) topped Hillsboro 129 by a 12-1 final in seven innings as the Riverbats (12-10), behind Popp, beat Portsmouth 23 by a 7-1 count.

In the early contest, 757 put up a run in the bottom of the first inning after Chester struck out the side. That set the tone for the rest of the day's action.

"Jacob was solid all day and he worked ahead all day," 757 coach Tom Barr said. "He had a couple of games where he got roughed up pretty good, especially on our Carolina trip. But he's been a solid starter for us for three years now. He knows how to get better and he's gotten better every outing. Not many teams are going to hit the ball against him when he works like he did today. He was zoned in and that's what we expect."

Brian Smith came around to score the game's first run on a Hillsboro fielding error, making it 1-0. In the second, Trenton Harris tripled and scored on a passed ball before Smith reached third, after walking, and stole home to give the Colts a 3-0 edge.

Hillsboro (13-25) went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, making way for 757 to tack on four more, making it 7-0 thanks to a passed ball, a two-run double from Harris and an RBI triple from Hayden Henness.

In the fifth, the Colts scored two more on a two-run single from Eli Kunkel before scoring three in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly and an RBI fielder's choice. Post 129 scored its only run — unearned — in the top of the inning.

"We had 12 hits and 12 runs today. What it really came down to was timely hitting," Barr said. "We want to go out and string some things together. That's what we were able to do. It's a game changer and we saw that today."

Chester threw all seven frames, allowing three hits and striking out nine in 93 pitches. Harris led the Colts' offense, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs and two RBIs. Smith followed by going 1-for-2 with three runs and an RBI while Kunkel finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.

After 757 exited its dugout, the Riverbats took to theirs and quickly found out Popp was taking no prisoners.

The right-hander out of Southeastern High School continued to mow down Portsmouth's lineup, allowing his team to figure out how to put runs on the board. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, 62's offense finally broke through.

Gage Jones started the party with a one-out double before scoring on a fielder's choice to force a tie. After right fielder Jeremy Brooks nailed a runner trying to score at home plate to end the top of the fifth, 62 took a lead and kept it.

Russell Throckmorton doubled with one out, making way for Brooks to single up the gut. With runners on the corners and one out, Jones tripled to deep center field, giving the Riverbats a 3-1 advantage. Jones then scored on an RBI single from Owen Diehl, stretching the lead to 4-1.

In the seventh, Jones drove in Popp to make it 5-1 before both Josh McCorkle and Izak Diehl crossed home plate in the eighth to produce the game's final tally.

Popp got the victory in six innings of work. He allowed five hits and did not surrender an earned run. Josh George threw three innings of relief, allowing two hits.

At the dish, Jones was 2-for-5 with a double, triple, two runs and three RBIs. Popp finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI while Throckmorton was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

The Riverbats will now face Waverly 142 at 9 a.m. Monday as the Colts take on top-seeded Circleville 134 at 3 p.m. Both games will be played at VA Memorial Stadium in the championship quarterfinals portion of the winners' bracket.

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

Follow Along

The Gazette will have live coverage, Monday, of the American Legion Region V Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. Follow @dw1509 on Twitter for updates throughout the event and visit chillicothegazette.com for full details.

Gazette Staff 8:48 p.m. EDT July 5, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - In their first two contests this summer, Waverly Post 142 outscored Chillicothe Post 757 by a total of 18-6.

Tuesday night, however, the Colts (9-14) turned the tables on the Shockers (9-10), beating Waverly 11-5.

Chillicothe’s Jacob Chester picked up the win on the hill, throwing four innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, and striking out four.

Behind Chester was a powerful offensive surge that included 16 hits.

The Colts scored seven in the bottom of the first and three more in the second to take a quick 10-0 lead, chasing Waverly starter Hayden Baker from the mound without recording an out.

Chillicothe’s offense was led by Cody Hendershot and Anthony Sipple, who combined to go 6-for-8 with six RBIs, three doubles, and four runs. Brian Smith was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Tommy Preston was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Bo Dratwa finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.

At the plate for Waverly, Derek Burke went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Jared Alley finished 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs.

Waverly will be back in action Wednesday night, traveling to Portstmouth, while Chillicothe travels to Jackson Thursday night.

 Derrick Webb, Reporter 10:54 p.m. EDT June 16, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Chillicothe Post 757's Brian Smith came through with a two-out, two-run single to give the Colts a 2-1 lead.

They never looked back.

Post 757 (6-5) opened this weekend's fifth annual Jim Jadwin Memorial Tournament with a 6-2 win over rival Chillicothe Post 62 on Thursday night at VA Memorial Stadium.

"Tonight was a little different than our normal thing," Post 757 coach Tom Barr said. "We're in pool play (of the Jadwin Memorial Tournament) right now so it's nice to start the weekend off with a win. The top four are the only ones that get to advance to Sunday. That's only a third of the teams competing. So it's good to start off on the right foot."

Post 757's JD Blevins (2-1) was knocked around a bit in the first inning. After dodging a couple bullets, the southpaw calmed down and threw gas the rest of the way. Blevins picked up the win in 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing just two hits and fanning 13.

"JD was a stud tonight," Barr said. "He started slow, but part of that was because of being out of rhythm a bit. But he stepped up after. I talked to him, and JD is his biggest critic. The first thing he commented about was his six walks. So he knows we can't have that. But he continued to battle and got the win."

The Riverbats (3-5) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Carson Stauffer stole home after reaching on a catcher's interference call.

That slight edge would last until the fifth, when Smith knocked in Corey Righman and Trenton Harris with a single up the middle, giving the Colts a 2-1 lead. Smith later scored on a Riverbats fielding error to extend the advantage to 3-1.

In the sixth, 757 got a leadoff hit from Anthony Sipple, who proceeded to swipe second base with no outs. Blevins followed with a single of his own to plate Sipple and make it a 4-1 ballgame. With Blevins standing on second after a stolen base, Bo Dratwa drew a two-out walk to set the stage for Harris.

On the first pitch he saw, Harris lined a ball into the left-center field gap for a bases-clearing triple, making it 6-1.

"Trenton is doing really well, and he's doing a really nice job at shortstop as well," Barr said. "He's just getting better and better and better. I've had him lower in the lineup, kind of treating him as a second leadoff guy. That's a nice thing to have."

Post 62 scored its second and final run in the top of the seventh after Blevins exited the ballgame. Stauffer crossed home plate on an RBI single off the bat of Gage Jones to round out the 6-2 final.

Jones finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Stauffer was 0-for-2 with two runs. Jeff Webb took the loss on the mound, throwing five innings, giving up five runs — just two earned — on eight hits and striking out one.

For 757, Harris led the offense with a 3-for-3 outing, including a triple, a run and a pair of RBIs. Cody Hendershot was 2-for-3; Smith was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs; and Blevins was 1-for-3 with a run, two stolen bags and an RBI.

 Derrick Webb, Reporter12:25 a.m. EDT May 11, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - The Scioto Valley Conference unveiled its 2016 spring all-conference teams Tuesday and both Zane Trace's Pierce Mowery and Unioto's Brooke Blevins walked away with the biggest pieces of hardware.

Mowery was named the 2016 Baseball Player of the Year while Blevins took home 2016 Softball Player of the Year honors. Mowery's Pioneers won the league with a mark of 12-2 and posted an overall record of 20-7. Blevins' Shermans also topped the conference at 12-2 while going 19-7 overall.

During his senior year — the first full season of baseball he's played since eighth grade — Mowery hit like a mad man. In 96 official at-bats, the shortstop collected 49 base knocks, hitting .510. He also scored a league-leading 45 runs and stole 18 bases. When called upon, he also saw success on the mound, throwing nine innings and allowing just one earned run; an ERA of 0.78.

Blevins, also a senior, did her damage in the pitcher's circle and at the plate. In the circle, Blevins was 18-5 with a 1.49 ERA. In 164 innings pitched, she struck out 178 hitters while walking just 13. At the plate, she was 33-for-77 on the year, a .429 average. Going alongside those numbers was a total of 14 runs scored, four stolen bases, and a team-high 27 RBIs.

Blevins' head coach Brad Jadwin was adorned with 2016 SVC Coach of the Year honors as Unioto won its first conference title since 2013.

Joining Mowery with first-team baseball selections was teammate Trey Davis, Paint Valley's Anthony McFadden, Adena's Collin Cory and Braden Wilburn, Unioto's Clay Edler and Ryan Sigler, Westfall's Dustin Kaiser and Southeastern's Tanner Popp.

Davis hit .427 with a league-high 42 RBIs while McFadden posted a 0.82 ERA on the hill, going 6-1 and striking out a league-high 78 batters. Cory hit .444 (36-for-81) as the leadoff spot for the Warriors while Wilburn led Adena with a .452 average (33-for-73). Edler was magnificent on the bump, going 7-1 and giving up just eight earned runs in 47 1/3 innings. Sigler was 4-3 on the hill and struck out 46 batters. Kaiser hit .493 for the Mustangs while collecting 34 hits and scoring 24 runs. Popp hit .377 and went 6-5 on the bump, pitching 65 innings for the Panthers.

Second-team baseball selections are as follows: Teagan McFadden (Sr., Paint Valley); Jeremy Brooks (Jr., Zane Trace); Brian Smith (Jr., Huntington); Casey White (Jr., Unioto); Alex Wolff (Sr., Zane Trace); Riley Harris (Sr., Piketon); Justin Dye (Sr., Southeastern); Owen Diehl (Sr., Southeastern); JD Blevins (So., Adena).

Honorable mention baseball selections are as follows: Hayden Henness and Jonathan Thomas (Adena); Devon Byrd and Merfel Conley (Huntington); Skyler Knisley and Drake Stanforth (Paint Valley); Jacob Chester and Ethan Crabtree (Piketon); Rex Hartman and Carson Stauffer (Southeastern); Ryan Burns and Gavin Ogan (Unioto); Tyler Armentrout and Corbin Ferrell (Westfall); Joel Dunkle and Josh George (Zane Trace).

Joining Blevins with first-team softball selections were teammates Jayla Campbell and Jordyn Pierce, Paint Valley's Mikayla Newland, Westfall's Regan Stonerock and Becca Brown, Southeastern's Lexy Cooper, Zane Trace's Katie Unger, and Huntington's Rikki Magill.

Campbell, a freshman, stole 25 bases, had a league-high 27 hits and scored a league-high 38 runs while Pierce hit .360 with three home runs in the heart of the Shermans' order. Newland was dominant in the circle, going 14-6 and striking out 313 batters with a 0.21 ERA. Cooper hit .371 and stole 26 bases for Southeastern while Unger led the league in round-trippers with five alongside 23 RBIs. Magill hit .391 and scored 19 times.

Second-team softball selections are as follows: Lea McFadden (Fr., Paint Valley); D'Lani Swackhammer (Sr., Zane Trace); Emily Robinson (So, Westfall); Cameryn Alexander (Fr., Piketon); Gracie Smith (So., Piketon); Makayla Carroll (Jr., Southeastern); Summer Sigman (So., Unioto); Carly Carroll (Jr., Adena); Kelsie Robinson (Sr., Westfall).

Honorable mention softball selections are as follows: Brooklyn Detty and Devon Putnam (Adena); Kennedy DeBord and Brookelyn Neighbors (Huntington); Savannah Johnson and Madison Smith (Paint Valley); Faith Pack and Erykah Scott (Piketon); Cindellynn Murta and Audrie Wheeler (Southeastern), Payge Arledge and McKenna Jones (Unioto); Makayla Terry and Holley Webb (Westfall); Morgan Arledge and Taylor Stacy (Zane Trace).

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

Adena 5, Zane Trace 3

The Warriors won on the road Thursday over the host Pioneers.

Adena was led by Collin Cory who got the win only allowing four hits and three runs but recorded nine strikeouts and went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Gunnar Free and Bo Dratwa both went 2-for-3 with an RBI each while Dratwa also had a run scored. Jonathan Thomas went 1-for-4 with an RBI alongside Tommy Preston, Jake Dawson and Hayden Henness who all were 1-for-3 with a run scored; Henness added two walks and a stolen base as well for the Warriors.

Pioneers’ Trey Davis (1-2) got the loss while teammate Pierce Mowery went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Clinton-Massie 7, Chillicothe 1

The Cavaliers lost in an away contest at Clinton-Massie on Thursday. Clinton-Massie had 10 hits to Chillicothe’s two hits.

Chillicothe’s Nick Haller pitched four innings allowing seven hits and five runs while taking the loss, he was relieved by Jason Benson who pitched the last two innings allowing three hits and two runs. Josh Nihiser went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Clinton-Massie’s Noah Greathouse pitched the complete game recording 10 strikeouts while allowing only two hits and a run; Greathouse also went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Max Murray went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored, Zack Dillow went 1-for-1 with an RBI and Dana Eickenhorst went 2-for-2 with a run scored.

Southeastern 12, Piketon 1

The Panthers won on the road Thursday over the host Redstreaks.

Southeastern’s Rex Hartman (2-0) got the win while allowing six hits. Owen Diehl went 3-for-4 with three RBIs alongside Hunter Hopkins who went 2-for-4. Dalton Chaffin went 2-for-2 at the plate followed by Carson Stauffer going 2-for-5.

Piketon’s Riley Harris (0-2) got the loss allowing 13 hits and striking out five. Shane Vulgamore went 2-for-2 while Ethan Crabtree went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Westfall 9, Huntington 5

The Mustangs won on the road Thursday over the host Huntsmen. Westfall had nine hits to Huntington’s six hits.

Westfall’s Kyle Greiner pitched the complete game and was awarded the win while striking out seven batters. Austin Nunemaker went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, Tyler Armentrout was 1-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored followed by Corbin Ferrell and Corey Wyman who both went 1-for-2 with an RBI each; Wyman added a run scored as well.

Huntington’s Merf Conley struck out five but got the loss; Conley also got an RBI. Elijah McCloskey went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored while Brian Smith and Jacob Pugh both went 1-for-4 with an RBI apiece. Evan Long was 1-for-2 with a run scored also for the Huntsmen.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Wilmington 6, Chillicothe 2

Chillicothe’s Josh Nihiser got the loss collecting three strikeouts while allowing six runs.

Unioto 14, Piketon 0

Piketon’s starting pitcher Shane Vulgamore (0-2) was awarded the loss while recording five strikeouts. 
 

Adena 12, Huntington 3

JD Blevins (A):  2-4, 3 RBI, R, BB 

Hayden Henness (A): 1-3

Bo Dratwa (A): 1-3, R, BB

Devon Byrd (H): 1-3, R 

Brian Smith (H): 1-4

10 to Comprehend: Hot Corners, Courtesy of  Derrick Webb, Reporter8:59 p.m. EDT April 9, 2016

Huntington's Devon Byrd may just be the hottest third baseman out there, especially with a bat in his hands. The senior team leader leads the Huntsmen with 12 RBIs and three doubles. He's hitting .450 (9-for-22) and has scored 10 times. For good measure, he's also 1-0 on the hill, with a 2.52 ERA. He's a jack of all trades. With Byrd leading the team, Huntington is currently 5-1, after a 2015 season where the team was mediocre at best.

For Chillicothe, in just five games, I'm convinced that junior third baseman Jordie Valentine has more than solidified his place as the everyday third baseman. In limited action, Valentine is just 2-for-8 at the plate with a double and three RBIs. However, during his time at the hot corner, he's been magnificent with his glove. For a Cavaliers' team that is riddled with errors, Valentine's defensive prowess has to be extremely valuable to the wins-losses category. Keep it up young man.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Adena (11) over Westfall (1) in 5 innings

JD Blevins(2-0) WP, 3 IP, 3 H, 5 BBs, 5 Ks, ER; 1-2 at the plate

Bo Dratwa 1-2, HBP, SB, RS

Hayden Henness, 3 BB, 3 RS

Paint Valley (10) over Southeastern (0) in 5 innings

Several games postponed including:

Unioto v Huntington

Zane Trace v Piketon
 

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Southeastern gives Huntington first loss of 2016, final 11-5

Devon Byrd, 3-3, 2 RBIs, RS

Hunter Henneberger, 2-4, RBI, 2 RS

Brian Smith, 2-4, 2 RS, 2 SB

Monday, April 4, 2016

Chillicothe with a big win over McClain, final score 14-3

Jordie Valentine, 2 RS

Huntington (15) all over Piketon (2) in 5 Innings

Jacob Chester 6 Ks, 2 BBs in the loss

Adena (3) over Southeastern (1)

JD Blevins, 2-3

Zane Trace (5) over Paint Valley (2)

Unioto (3) over Westfall (1)

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Huntington Huntsmen (4-0) take two from the Vinton County Vikings

Game 1: Huntsmen Win 12-2

Brian B Smith (1-0), WP, CG, 8 Ks, 2H, 2 ER

Game 2: Huntsmen Win 14-4

Devon Byrd (1-0), WP, CG, 2H, 4 Ks, 5 BBs; at the plate Byrd 2-4, 2 RBIs, RS

Hunter Henneberger, 3-5, 2 2Bs, 3 RBIs, RS

Adena Warriors (1-1) fall to Waverly 13-7

JD Blevins (0-0), 2 IP, 2Ks, 4 ER, 5 BBs

Bo Dratwa, 1-2 at the plate, HBP, RS

Chillicothe (0-4) falls to Lebanon, final score 8-3

Piketon Redstreaks (3-2) fall to Gallia Academy, final score 8-3

Ethan Crabtree, 2-3 at the plate

Friday, April 1, 2016

Huntington Huntsmen (3-0) Knock Off Amanda Clearcreek 7-3

Brian B Smith 4-4 at the plate 3 RS