After falling to Goreville 15-1 the day before, the Trico Pioneers needed a big game from one of its players in the Black Diamond Conference opener Thursday against Chester.
Trico junior Dylan Witthoft stepped up to carry his team to the victory with an impressive performance on the mound and with the bat.
Witthoft pitched seven scoreless innings allowing just three hits, while striking out 13. Offensively, Witthoft was 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.
“Dylan really wasn’t himself in his last outing,” said Trico coach Josh Higgerson. “We really wanted this first conference game bad, and Dylan took it upon himself to make sure we got the win.”
After three and a half scoreless innings, Witthoft put the Pioneers ahead for good with a solo blast to lead off the fourth inning against Chester starting pitcher Justin Eggemeyer.
Trico added to its slim lead in the fifth inning scoring five runs on six hits for a commanding 6-0 lead. The fifth started with a single by sophomore George Kuhlman. Tyler Coleman followed with a hard driven double to put two runners in scoring position. Dennis Froemling was able to drive a pitch deep enough to score Kuhlman on a sacrifice fly. After a single by Bradley Goetting, Klayton Bunselmeyer drove home two with a single. A double by Witthoft and an intentional walk to Matt Bunselmeyer loaded the bases for senior Pat Heller.
Heller came through in the clutch with a single scoring two runs for the 6-0 advantage.
Goetting’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth gave Witthoft and the Pioneers all the offense they would need for the win.
“We were able to put the ball in play early in the game but they were at the defense,” added Higgerson. “As the game went on, our hits were able to find some gaps.”
Eggemeyer got the loss for the Yellow Jackets, while Caleb Arbeiter finished with two of the team’s three hits.
With the win, Trico improved to 5-7 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The loss was just Chester’s second in the last eight games. Chester’s record dropped to 7-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.