Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

WHEELERSBURG — How you start does matter.

Wheelersburg scored eight runs in the first inning and beat the Chesapeake Panthers 9-1 Saturday in the Division III sectional finals.

The Pirates had nine hits but five came in the first inning along with three walks and two errors as they took an 8-0 lead.

“We played six pretty strong innings. We just played one really bad one,” said Panthers’ coach Justin Davis. “They hit two balls hard in the first inning and then they were just bloops and we made some errors.”

“I was proud of how they fought back and didn’t quit. We had runners on in almost every inning but we couldn’t put a couple of hits together,” said Davis.

Chesapeake (10-13) got its run in the fourth inning when Pirates’ pitcher Chance Holbrook walked four straight batters in the fourth.

Wheelersburg will play Lynchburg-Clay at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the district semifinals at Chllicothe Paint Stadium.

Chesapeake 000 100 0 = 1 4 3

Wheelersburg 800 010 x = 9 9 0

Kolton Webb and Blake Ashworth. Chance Holbrook, Kaleb Coleman (5) and Xander Carmichael. W-Holbrook. L-Webb (K-3, BB-4). Hitting-CHS: Casey McComas 1-4, Dakota Blankenship 1-4, Dalton Nida 1-1, Blake Ashworth 1-2; WHS: Jordan Howard 1-2, Chance Holbrook 3-3, Kyle Davis 1-4, Kyle Jenkins 1-4, Kaleb Coleman 2-4, Cole Darnell 1-3, Cole Dyer 2-3, Trey Carter 0-3.