Daniel Hanson
DALEVILLE – There’s a list of goals written on a white board in one of Daleville baseball’s locker rooms.
On it is written, “Win 20 games,” Win county” and “Win sectionals.”
When Bronco right fielder Spencer Horsley’s glove closed on a high, arching ball in shallow right field, the final of those three was accomplished.
Daleville defeated Cowan 6-4 in the Class A Daleville Sectional Championship Monday, earning a spot in the Carroll (Flora) Regional.
And facing a bitter rival that swept them earlier this year, the win couldn’t be sweeter for Bronco Brandon Vermillion.
“We were more focused, and we got even more focused when Luke (Miller) came into pitch, we wanted revenge from that first game,” Vermillion said.
Neither team wasted time early, as Cowan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Kole Kramer hit a single that deflected off Daleville starting pitcher Elliott Jackson’s foot, allowing Brady Harris to score. Moments later, Kyle Oxley doubled, bringing Harris home.
Daleville responded quickly, Caleb Maddox scoring off a Jackson double, Jackson scoring off a Chris Kinnick double, and Kinnick scoring off a Vermillion double to take a 3-2 lead going into the second inning.
Jackson lasted just one more inning and was pulled with runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the third for Vermillion. Cowan’s Miller scored on a wild pitch after the bases were loaded, but Vermillion escaped what could have been a catastrophe. He finished the game throwing five innings, giving up one earned run and striking out three.
One inning later, Cowan’s Brady Harris connected on a solo shot to left-center, giving the Blackhawks a 4-3 lead.
“Brady Harris hit a home run, next batter, I threw a strike,” Vermillion said. “I don’t care what the previous pitch was, I focus on that next pitch.”
Harris had the only home run of the day for Cowan. Miller, Cowan’s biggest home run threat, finished the game 0-for-1 with three intentional walks in his final three at-bats.
If Daleville didn’t win, it wasn’t going to be because Miller beat them.
“I have to give it up to my teammates,” Vermillion said. “Luke’s a great hitter and a great player overall.”
The Broncos trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, a seemingly innocuous fly ball to left changed the game. With Broncos on second and third with two outs, T.J. Price hit a towering fly ball left, bouncing off the fielder’s glove, allowing two runs to score. After the inning ended, Blackhawk starting pitcher Casey Henderson was pulled for Miller.
Daleville never looked back, tacking on another run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.
But in the top of the seventh, Cowan put a man on first with Miller at the plate. Without hesitation, he was intentionally walked, not giving him a chance to do what he does best, add to his 14 home runs on the season. After all, he had already hit one against Daleville earlier in the season.
“We knew it would come down to the seventh inning, we knew every out was crucial, we knew every at-bat was crucial,” Daleville coach Daniel Hanson said. “They battled until the very end, until the final out.”
Vermillion got Oxley to strike out swinging, and when Stuart Brand flew out to left field, the celebration began. Daleville players piled on each other next to third base, its first sectional win since 2012.
“We’ve lost the first game of sectionals the last two years,” Vermillion said. “We just came out prepared and focused. We knew it was going to be a dog fight.”
Despite not reaching 20 wins and not winning county, Daleville (15-11) managed to achieve its final goal, winning sectionals.
And knocking off rival Cowan for the first time this season, doesn’t feel bad either.
Blue River wins
The Vikings won their second sectional title in program history behind yet another dominant day from Pete Wissel. He allowed only a single run as the Vikings toppled Seton Catholic 8-1 for the first title since 1982.
Noah Brown and D.J. Acton both knocked in first-inning runs for Blue River, and the Vikings made it 6-0 with a four-run second. That helped the team to 15-12, setting a new program record for wins.
“It’s a great day for Blue River,” said Vikings coach Greg Clone. “It’s our first sectional championship since 1982. We’ve focused on that all year. Our goal from Day One was to win the sectional. I knew we had the team to do it.
“There have been times during the season where we’ve struggled and had to kind of dial things back in, but we’ve figured it out at the right time.”