Indians shut out Chester, advance to regional final
DU QUOIN - Bryzn Witcher threw a complete-game shutout and the Du Quoin Indians baseball team advanced to the championship game of its own Du Quoin 2A Regional with a 7-0 win over Chester on Wednesday.
The Indians (17-11) will play either Benton or Waltonville for the title. Those teams were scheduled to meet Thursday in the other semifinal. Du Quoin owns two wins over Benton this season but did not play Waltonville.
Witcher gave up just five hits, with two coming in the seventh inning, and collected six strikeouts. The righthander didn't walk anybody and used just 92 pitches.
"Bryzn threw strikes," said Du Quoin coach Kyle Geiger. "He pitched to contact and got hitters to swing. I've said all year that our defense is good enough to play with anybody."
Du Quoin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Kyle Donoghue, Alex Zimmerman and Tevin Lee started the frame with consecutive singles. Another run was gifted in the second inning after Will Woodside drew a walk and Zimmerman hit a fly ball that was dropped.
Hank Stewart singled and Ashton Smith doubled to produce another run in the third inning, after a key moment came in the top half of the frame.
Chester's Nick Meyer singled, then Curtis Meyer hit a ball to the gap in right-center field. Du Quoin outfielder Ryan Myers threw in a relay that was missed by second baseman Brian Winters, but shortstop Zimmerman caught it and gunned a strike to catcher Smith, who tagged out Nick Meyer for the third out.
"That was a huge, huge play," Geiger said. "We had good communication and Ashton held on. That was a big momentum booster."
Zimmerman made another highlight-reel play in the fifth on a ball hit deep in the hole. After third baseman Stewart tried to reel it in, Zimmerman tracked it down a step into the outfield grass and still whipped a strike to first baseman Tevin Lee for a putout.
And in the bottom half, Charley Mercier delivered a two-run homer to make it 6-0.
"That gave us a little more comfortable feel," Geiger said.
Smith and Zimmerman both had two hits for the Indians.
Chester finished with a 7-15 record.