Shermans pull away from Cavs
CHILLICOTHE – Winning isn't always pretty, but that's OK: Winning ugly is better than losing gracefully.
On a gusty, fall-like Tuesday night, Unioto traveled to Chillicothe and handed the Cavaliers an 8-3 loss in their 2015 home opener.
The Shermans (2-0) overcame multiple obstacles including numerous baserunning blunders, an opposing pitcher — Chillicothe's Mary-Lee Winfield — that they had never faced before and Mother Nature herself in the process.
"Everybody wants to get off to a quick start, and we're no different," Unioto coach Brad Jadwin said. "But to be honest with you, I didn't think we played very well tonight. Our baserunning tonight was pathetic. But sometimes, when you play teams like Chillicothe, each team wants to beat the other so bad that you make mistakes out there because your head isn't in the game."
One player who did have her head in the game was Unioto junior Brooke Blevins, who took the win in the pitcher's circle.
Blevins (2-0) had another successful night as she kept the Cavaliers' lineup off balance, giving up two earned runs and striking out 11 batters in seven innings of work.
"Brooke is a very nice pitcher," Chillicothe coach Bud Lytle said. "I don't know that we'll see a better pitcher than her during our league schedule. She threw a great game tonight, and Unioto played really well as a whole."
Winfield, a freshman, (0-1) started the game for Chillicothe (0-2) and pieced together a solid effort as well, especially for her first appearance in a varsity contest.
Winfield's final line consisted of six innings of work, allowing eight hits, five earned runs and three strikeouts.
"Mary-Lee's performance was indicative of what I want our team to do the rest of this season," Lytle said. "She gutted it out tonight. It wasn't perfect, and I told her that. It wasn't by any means a perfect performance. But for a freshman to come in that situation, in a big spot, and perform like that, I'm extremely proud."
Unioto took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a two-run triple off left fielder McKenna Jones' bat. They would score their third run thanks to a Chillicothe fielding error.
Chillicothe scored its first run in the bottom of the second, making it a 3-1 ballgame, via an RBI single from freshman Audrey Corzine.
However, Unioto would quickly get the run back in the top of the third, taking a 4-1 lead before Chillicothe was able to cut the deficit back to two runs in the bottom of the fourth off yet another RBI single from Corzine, making it 4-2.
Each team would trade runs again in both halves of the fifth inning before Unioto's Summer Sigman broke the game open in the top of the sixth with a two-run double, followed by an RBI single from Blevins.
Blevins would then force the Cavs to go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, sealing the 8-3 victory.
"I'm not saying anything negative about (Chillicothe's) pitching at all but it was a little slower than we're used to seeing so our timing was off a tick tonight," Jadwin said. "It takes a little while to get used to that. But we're going to figure out a way to win. If our timing is off and we'll have to bunt or slap hit our way on, that's what we'll do. Our kids aren't afraid to do that"
Blevins led the Shermans at the plate, going 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Jones finished 1-3 with a triple and two RBI while Sigman went 1-4 with two RBI.
For the Cavaliers, Corzine led the way going 2-3 on the night with 2 RBI while Hayley Woodbridge also went 2-3 with a double and an RBI.
Chillicothe will be back in action tomorrow night at Miami Trace while Unioto takes the diamond next, Thursday, also at Miami Trace.
Derrick Webb is a Gazette sportswriter and can be reached at dwebb@chillicothegazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @dw1509.