The Simon Kenton Pioneers defeated Walton-Verona 10-7 in Tuesday's 32nd District championship game, securing their second straight district trophy and 12th since 2010.
After falling behind 7-4, the Pioneers scored six unanswered runs, including three in the bottom of the sixth to secure the victory. Tuesday's game was a microcosm of the district rivalry and an encapsulation of the Pioneers' season.
"It's just one of those, 'Who's got the last blow to deliver?' when we play them, and thankfully today, that was us," Simon Kenton head coach Troy Roberts said.
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Since 2016, Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona have matched up in six of the last seven district championship games; the Pioneers have won five of those games.
The Pioneers are 12-6 in games this season decided by three runs or less and are 8-1 in one-run results, including a 3-2 win over Walton-Verona on April 4. They went 12-5 in the first half of the season and are now 13-5 in the second half. They have a plus-94 run differential that showcases their abilities at the plate and on the mound.
"What we preach to them is we're never out of it," Roberts said.
Led by Logan Cones, the pitching staff has a 3.19 earned run average. Besides Cones, Noah Hinton, Anthony Procaccino and Ben Stephens each have four wins. At the plate, Simon Kenton has a .286 team average and score 6.75 runs per game.
Junior Evan Sheridan is fourth in the state with 34 walks, and 22nd in the state with 44 runs scored. But on Tuesday night, he created the go-ahead run by laying down a squeeze bunt, scoring Colton Brown to give Simon Kenton an 8-7 lead.
"We have a fast guy on third and if I can get it down on the ground in front of the pitcher, he can score," Sheridan said.
A major key to the Pioneers' success is versatility. Cones is the team's workhorse on the mound with a 5-4 record and 3.73 earned run average in 50.2 innings pitched, but he also has a .252 batting average with 26 RBIs. Dakota Brown leads the team with a .416 average, 35 RBIs and three home runs, but he also has a 2-1 record in six appearances as a pitcher.
"We have guys who can do everything on this team," Sheridan said.
Despite the Pioneers' success in the district, they have only two Eighth Region titles (2014 and 2017). But they have capitalized on each of those titles, advancing to the state championship game in both years.
Now that the season has entered the win-or-go-home phase, the Pioneers have a simple mindset: win for the seniors and stay focused on the goal.
"We're not going to play to win one game, we're going to play to win three," Roberts said.
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