High School Baseball: Power rankings for Chillicothe-area teams after third week of action
CHILLICOTHE — Another week of high school baseball is in the books, and another round of impressive performances from area teams have come out of the woodwork.
Zane Trace stands as the lone undefeated team in the Scioto Valley Conference after a pair of major conference wins. Adena pulled out a pair of wins of its own over Huntington and Paint Valley. Piketon recorded its first conference win of the year, and Waverly put up an impressive showing in a nonconference bout with Miami Trace.
With another week in the books, it's time to see how every team in the area compares to one another. Here are power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe-area teams following another week of action:
Baseball Takeaways: What we learned from latest week of high school baseball and softball season
10. Piketon Redstreaks (3-6, 1-3 Scioto Valley Conference)
The Redstreaks got their first conference win under their belt after taking down Adena on Wednesday and in the process snapped a four-game losing streak. It's a start, and a solid one at that. Mason Roberts and Noah Ross both had solid nights on the mound, and Gabe Lamerson had a decent night at the plate after hitting a double and batting in a pair of runs.
9. Chillicothe Cavaliers (3-6, 2-2 Frontier Athletic Conference)
The Cavaliers have been on a three-game skid since last Saturday, dropping their last two FAC bouts with Miami Trace and a nonconference tilt against New Albany on Saturday. Still, they've picked up a solid 9-3 win over Hillsboro last week and have been able to maintain a .500 conference record. It's been a tough week, but the Cavaliers can bounce back.
8. Westfall Mustangs (3-3, 1-2 SVC)
After their three-game win streak the week before, the Mustangs have been downed twice in a row by Southeastern and Paint Valley. Those losses came by a combined three runs, however. Plus, Brenden Tuttle and Noah Stonerock combined for 17 strikeouts and one earned run over both games. If the Mustangs can get their offense moving again, things will slide back into place.
7. Paint Valley Bearcats (6-4, 1-2 SVC)
Aside from a 1-0 win over Westfall last Friday, Paint Valley has had a rough stretch. They've been shut out twice in the past week and gave up three runs in the seventh inning against Adena on Monday. Nothing it can't recover from, but the losses sting after climbing so high up the ladder in the SVC standings. Paint Valley's slate next week — including a rematch with Southeastern — might provide a chance to recover.
6. Adena Warriors (5-4, 2-2 SVC)
Adena started the weekend strong after upsetting Huntington and sticking out a 7-6 win over Paint Valley, but a loss to Piketon on Wednesday disrupted its momentum a bit. Still, it's hard to deny the Warriors have been rolling. Austin Magill's dominance on the mound played a massive part in their win over Huntington, while Christian Heath and Ethan Puckett have both been stellar at the plate.
5. Southeastern Panthers (5-4, 2-2 SVC)
A win over Westfall on Wednesday put the Panthers back on track after a three-game skid in which they were outscored 25-2. Wednesday also showcased a bit of Joey Pfeifer's skillset, as the junior clocked out with nine strikeouts and gave up just five hits in a complete game.
4. Huntington Huntsmen (4-3, 2-2 SVC)
Two conference losses is a tough pill to swallow with such a tight SVC race, but the Huntsmen played Adena down to the wire and their loss to Zane Trace was shortened to five innings by the rain. A comeback might have been possible. The Huntsmen were only down by three runs. On the bright side, they shut out Paint Valley the very next day, during which John Black and Matthew Jordan both hit home runs.
3. Waverly Tigers (6-3, 1-2 Southern Ohio Conference III)
Give and take for the Tigers this week. They blew out Miami Trace last Friday behind stellar performances from Quinton and Jase Hurd, but were taken back Wednesday with a loss to Minford. To the Tigers' credit, the Falcons are one of the top teams in the SOC III right now.
2. Unioto Shermans (5-3, 2-2 SVC)
A massive run differential has been the Shermans' biggest asset this year. Since last week's rankings, they've outscored opponents 43-13 over four games and have gone 3-1 in that span. If a 3-1 loss to Zane Trace was the only blemish on the week, then the Shermans are in good shape.
1. Zane Trace Pioneers (9-1, 4-0 SVC)
The Pioneers haven't been knocked down in two-and-a-half weeks and are playing some of their best ball right now. Over their last five games, they've allowed just five runs. Back-to-back wins over Unioto and Huntington this week buffed up their undefeated conference record and make the Pioneers look dominant in the SVC race.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: High School Baseball: Week three power rankings for Chillicothe-area teams
