‘Ya Gotta Believe’: Williamstown rallies from 11-run deficit

Williamstown players run onto the field to celebrate with Ty Ott, left, after Ott delivered the game-winning hit in a 17-16 win over Wheeling Central in a regional matchup, Monday at Legion Field. (Photo by Aaron Lee)

WILLIAMSTOWN – Game one of the regional championship series between the No. 1 ranked Williamstown Yellowjackets and No. 2 ranked Wheeling Central Maroon Knights did not disappoint.

Only one of the top two teams in the state will have the opportunity to play on for a state title, and it was clear that both sides knew the stakes. Williamstown, facing a 14-3 deficit in the middle of the fourth, slowly chipped away at the massive lead and won 17-16 in walk-off fashion in the seventh inning thanks to a two-out single by Ty Ott.

The two powerhouses were tied at 3-3 after two innings. In the top of the third, the Maroon Knights got out in front thanks to a six-run inning. Central had four hits, including doubles by Zayne Rosnick and Gary Hatfield and singles by Braxton Billick and Eli Tucker, each of which brought home at least one runner.

Wheeling Central continued the onslaught in its next set of at-bats with an additional five runs. Three batters concluded their trip around the bases thanks to a pair of errors. Later, Hatfield and Rosnick each tacked on a single to bring home a baserunner and give the Maroon Knights a whopping 14-3 lead.

The Yellowjackets quickly responded with a pair of runs to shrink the gap. A sacrifice by Ott and a double by Parker Schramm both batted runners in and made the score 14-5 after four.

Williamstown continued to hit its stride offensively in the next few innings, scoring two in the fifth and four in the sixth. Wyatt Powell knocked both runs home in the fifth on a double. In the sixth, Powell had another two runs batted in, this time on a single. Teammate Carson Hill also had a single that drove a runner home. An additional runner scored after Jenner Burge was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

With the score sitting at 16-11 with one inning remaining, the Yellowjackets were faced with an uphill battle despite scoring eight runs in the last three innings. Their defense came through and caught out three straight batters to give their bats a final chance at forcing extras or walking it off.

Williamstown chose the latter option. Burge started the scoring off with a single that scored two runners. Cooper Martin pitched in next with a single that scored Wyatt Siley. Maxwell Molessa then tied things at 16 for the ‘Jackets with a timely double.

With two men on and two men out, Ott hit a walk-off single to send Powell to home plate. On his celebratory trip around the bases, he was swarmed by teammates after completing the 11-run comeback.

Williamstown pitcher Tyler Coleman picked up the win with 3 1-3 innings of relief. Coleman allowed two runs on with one walk and one strikeout.

The two titans will clash again today, this time in Wheeling. With 33 runs scored in the first game, it should make for an entertaining series.