Waynedale wins pitching duel between Shane Coblentz and Seth Wyckoff

DALTON — There are a lot of important ingredients for a high school baseball tournament run.

None more important than pitching.

In that case, Dalton and Waynedale are in good shape heading into the postseason.

Dalton’s Seth Wyckoff and Waynedale’s Shane Coblentz both twirled gems on the mound for most of Tuesday’s matchup before Cameron Miller’s two-run single gave the Golden Bears the 3-1 win in 10 innings.

"It was a true pitcher's duel," Waynedale coach Lucas Daugherty said. "Wyckoff really threw it well today. He kept our guys off balance and made it a tough day for us. Shane had no choice but to match it and go nine innings. I'm definitely proud of him for competing."

If anyone knows the importance of pitching, it’s Waynedale. The Golden Bears counted on the arms of Otto Solorzano and Trey Barkman on their way to back-to-back state championships in 2022 and 2023, and they have two ace-caliber arms again heading into next week’s playoffs, with Solorzano back for more and Coblentz developing into one of the area’s best pitchers as a junior.

Coblentz was masterful against Dalton, allowing just four hits during a 15-strikeout, one-walk performance that lasted nine innings and 120 pitches. Jordan Miller picked up the save, pitching the 10th after freshman Cameron Miller's bases-loaded single gave the Bears the lead.

"Right now, we have three freshmen starting for us," Daugherty said. "They've had to be thrown into varsity and big-game situations. Logan Troyer, who's our freshman first baseman, he came up with a big hit to get things started and Cam drove a couple guys in. ... It's definitely a bigger stage for all of them and I'm impressed with how they're handling it and working hard to succeed and help the team."

Coblentz's big game on the mound came on the heels of a complete-game win over defending Division IV state champ Hiland last Friday, adding another highlight to a breakout year.

"It's been tough," Coblentz said of taking on a bigger responsibility as a pitcher this season. "But you try to embrace it and be patient. You just let the game play out."

The competitive streak in Coblentz was evident as he continued to mow down batters, showing extra emotion after a few big outs.

"I'm really competitive," said Coblentz, who also had two hits. "If someone gets a hit, I'm going to try really hard to make sure he doesn't even touch the ball next pitch."

Meanwhile, the senior Wyckoff has been Dalton’s ace for two straight seasons and gives them a chance going forward no matter who is in the other dugout.

"There's a complete difference in our kids when Seth is on the mound," Dalton coach Scott Huth said. "All of our kids believe we have a chance to win. Sometimes, like right now, I think we're putting a little too much pressure on ourselves. ... We're just a little bit different team with Seth pitching."

Wyckoff did everything he could against the Bears, allowing just two hits and one unearned run — Waynedale scored in the third after an error extended the inning — over 8⅓ innings, striking out nine and walking two.

"We've been struggling to hit a little bit and we almost have to be perfect on the mound," Huth said. "And Seth was pretty close to that today."

Still, Dalton is playing some of its best baseball of the season, winning five games in a row heading into this week. Playing in Div. IV, the 'Dawgs will be a tough out for anyone in a district headlined by Lake Center Christian and New Middletown Springfield.

After watching him pitch big games for his entire career, it was easy for Huth to articulate what makes Wyckoff such a nightmare for opposing hitters.

“He has that inner confidence, and I don't know if he throws a lot of balls that go straight," Huth said. "I don't think he could throw it straight if he wanted to. I think that makes him special. He's sneaky quick too. He'll hit mid-80s every once in a while, and that keeps people off balance."

Waynedale and Dalton aren’t alone with high-caliber pitching in the Wayne County Athletic League either.

Norwayne clinched a share of the league title Tuesday with Ashton Snyder on the mound tossing a two-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks in an 8-0 win over Northwestern. Other pitchers around the league like Smithville's Bryce Butcher and Northwestern's Aaron Hales have made every week a grind for even the best teams in the WCAL.

"Every school has somebody that we see nightly that prepares us for the tournament," Huth said. "... I think our league is a little underrated. We don't get enough credit for the baseball players and pitchers we develop here."

Brady Hignight, Will Carmichael, Talan Greegor and Cade Mullet had Dalton's four hits against Waynedale. Coblentz led Waynedale with two hits, with Tate Venables, Cameron Miller and Troyer all coming up with hits as well.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Baseball: Waynedale beats Dalton in 10-inning pitcher's duel