ZANESVILLE ― After losses to Licking Valley and Northridge, Watkins Memorial’s baseball team got back to what it does best on April 24 at Zanesville.
The Warriors manufactured five runs without benefit of a hit, backing the solid pitching of senior Cody Burt in an 11-5 Licking County League-Buckeye Division win at Jay Payton Field.
The top of the lineup delivered for Watkins (8-5, 6-3) as it successfully opened the second half of conference play. Leadoff man Burt was 2 for 3 with two stolen bases and three runs scored, while second hitter Kaden Barrows went 3 for 5, and No. 3 batter Dylan Gray was 4 for 4, stole three bases and scored three times.
Burt, Gray and Patrick Shroyer delivered sacrifice flies, while Shroyer and Jax Dotson each drove in runs on groundouts.
“In every practice, we work on situational, sacrifice flies, bunts and hit and runs,” said Gray, a senior catcher. “It produces runs.”
Said Burt: “It’s a lot of small ball, knowing the situation and what to do when we hit the ball.”
Coach Donnie Schone has always prided his teams on being unselfish and executing the little details and having solid pitching. In his first start of the season, the left-handed Burt allowed one earned run and two hits over 4⅔ innings with seven strikeouts. Right-hander Cooper Lang finished up.
“I can’t complain,” Burt said. “It was a lot off-speed and let the defense work. It was a good way to come back (from the losses) and gets us ready for St. Charles (on April 25).”
Gray said Burt threw well.
“A lot of finesse, curves, sliders and a nice tail on his fastball,” he said.
Schone called Burt’s pitching effective and efficient. He normally comes out of the bullpen.
“We have three pitchers/outfielders, and they’ve all had knee injuries,” he said. “Cooper Lang is one of those guys and we’re trying to work him back in. It’s nice depth to have, and we’re trying to get them all back and healthy.”
Burt and losing pitcher Noah Darnes scored on wild pitches in the first inning as the teams went to the third inning tied 1-1. But Barrows had an RBI double and Shroyer a sac fly in the third, while T.J. Griffith scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, and Burt’s sac fly had the Warriors in control 6-1.
But the Blue Devils (7-8, 3-6) did not quit, slicing it to 6-3 on three consecutive hits from Tyson Kimble, Darnes and Solomon Norris.
Watkins took advantage of two Zanesville errors in the seventh, including a throwing error on Burt’s bunt single that sent home two runs, as it went back up 11-3. Again, the Blue Devils came back, with Darnes, Norris and Mahki Murray stringing three hits together to plate two more runs.
“We’re definitely a seasoned team, some players who have been thrown into the fire the last three seasons,” coach Jason Smith said. “It makes us a competitive team, one that’s not going to back down and will keep on coming.”
Zanesville will be hampered the rest of the season by the loss of Caleb Hollins and Kayson Hoff due to the transfer.
“They’ve been carrying us offensively and have been real stats-eaters for us,” Smith said. “But we’re going to constantly battle. We’ve only been mercied once and been in about every game. Sometimes the baseball gods smile upon you, and sometimes they don’t.”
Smith pointed out that according to a recent analysis, only eight times since 1986 has a Licking County League team not been in a baseball or softball state final.
“It’s a real meat grinder,” he said. “They (Watkins) are real good. They understand coach Schone’s system and what the game is.”
The Warriors are hoping to force themselves back into the Buckeye Division title picture (first-place Licking Valley just lost to Mount Vernon) and set themselves up for a tournament run.
“We have to take it game by game and try to go 1-0 every day,” Gray said. “Stay level, treat every game the same and not look ahead.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Burt, Watkins baseball manufacture LCL win against feisty Zanesville
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
