The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Andrew Postle, The Quill
West Central baseball overcame deficits in both their regional and sectional championship games to punch their ticket to the state tournament in East Peoria this weekend.
“We strive to be ELITE in everything we do. Not just in results, but in effort, love, and respect. Through hard work, we earn success, and through resilience, we rise stronger each time we are tested,” said Head Coach EJ Santos.
The Heat entered the postseason with a 12-3 record, earning them a top seed in the Annawan Regional. They cruised to an 8-0 victory over host Annawan-Wethersfield on September 13 to advance to the Regional Championship on September 17, facing a United team that had previously defeated the Heat earlier in the season.
An error in the first inning came back to bite the Heat, as a two-out RBI single plated the first run of the game for the Red Storm, giving them a 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
The Heat took their first lead in the bottom of the third. With one out, Kyle Meyer was hit by a pitch, Nathan Good smacked a double, and Jacob Ford worked a walk to load the bases for Tucker Corzatt.
Corzatt came through with a single to right to plate Meyer. Tanner Burrell worked a walk to score Good, giving the Heat a 2-1 lead. A Red Storm two-out error plated the third and final run of the inning, as Ford scored to make it 3-1 Heat after three.
United regained the lead by plating five runs in the top of the fourth, putting the Heat down 6-3.
The Heat responded in the bottom of the fourth. Ford reached on a leadoff single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. He scored on a Burrell groundout, cutting the Red Storm lead to 6-4.
The Red Storm built their largest lead of the game in the top of the sixth. A two-out single and a Heat error allowed two runs to score, making it 8-4 with one and a half innings left to play.
West Central battled back in the bottom of the sixth. Meyer and Good reached via hit-by-pitch to start the inning. A Ford single to left field, coupled with an error by the fielder, plated Meyer and allowed Good to reach third and Ford to reach second.
United retired the next two batters, but Tyler Ricketts delivered a clutch two-out double to center, scoring Good and Ford. Liam Winters followed with a two-out hit of his own to plate Ricketts and tie the game at 8-8. Mason Crum worked a walk, and Wyatt Goff gave the Heat the lead with a well-placed bunt single.
In the top of the seventh, the first Red Storm batter reached on an error but was caught stealing by catcher Crum. Winters recorded the final two outs via strikeout, clinching the regional title for the Heat.
Ricketts finished 1-4 with 2 RBIs and a double, Ford went 2-2 with 3 runs scored, and Burrell recorded 2 RBIs in three plate appearances.
On the mound, Brady Gregg started, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing no earned runs on three hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Ricketts came in relief, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Winters earned the win, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, striking out three, and walking one.
With the victory over the Red Storm, the Heat returned to Annawan on Saturday, September 20, to face the Chillicothe Mustangs in the Sectional Championship.
West Central found themselves in an early hole as the Mustangs plated two runs in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly and a two-out double.
The Heat responded quickly with two runs in the bottom of the first. Burrell reached on an error to start the inning and scored on a Ricketts triple. Winters tied the game with a single, making it 2-2 after one.
Following a scoreless second inning, the Mustangs regained the lead with two runs in the third. Their lead swelled to six runs with four more in the top of the fourth, making it 8-2.
The Heat answered with a big bottom of the fourth. Ford reached on a Mustang error to start the inning. Burrell worked a one-out walk, and Ricketts hit his second triple of the game to score two runs. Winters followed with a triple of his own to cut the deficit to three.
Crum plated Winters on a sacrifice fly, and Goff sparked a two-out rally with a single. Goff scored on a Meyer single, and Meyer raced home to tie the game at 8-8 on a Good triple.
The Heat took their first lead in the fifth with a two-out single by Crum, scoring Corzatt, who had reached on an error and stolen second base.
West Central piled on insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Meyer reached on a hit-by-pitch, and Good singled. The Heat capitalized on a Mustang error on a Ford sacrifice, as Meyer raced home. Burrell drove in two more with a single to left but was thrown out trying to advance to second. Ricketts followed with his third triple of the game and scored on a Mustang error, making it 13-8 Heat.
After a Winters single and a Crum walk, both runners scored on a Goff single, capping the Heat’s second six-run inning of the game.
The Mustangs plated two runs in the top of the seventh, but Winters closed out the game, securing the Sectional Championship for the Heat.
Ricketts finished 3-3 with three triples, three RBIs, and two walks. Winters went 3-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Crum and Goff each recorded two hits and two RBIs, and Burrell finished 1-3 with two RBIs.
On the mound, Meyer started, pitching 3.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Winters finished the game, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on three hits, striking out two, and walking five.
The Heat (15-3) will face Staunton (12-9) in the quarterfinals of the IESA 2A tournament at EastSide Centre in East Peoria on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
The bus will depart from Stronghurst at 11:00 am, and the community is encouraged to line up along Broadway and Main Street to send them off. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for Saturday in East Peoria.
Back Row (L to R): Coach EJ Santos, Brody Pullen, Wyatt Goff, Liam Sullivan, Nathan Good, Roland Armitage, Mason Crum, Brady Gregg, Kyle Meyer, Coach Greg Link, Carter Johnson, and Tucker Corzatt.
Front Row (L to R): Coach Eric Vancil, Jacob Chockley, Liam Salyers, Grady Corzatt, Jacob Ford, Preston Link, Paxton Link. Middle row: Oliver Walters, Casen Gibb, Tanner Burrell, Tyler Ricketts, Liam Winters, and Caden Reighard