After reeling off four straight wins, Niceville’s momentum met its match Tuesday night at the Hill.
- No. 22-ranked South Walton rode a dominant outing from Coleman Borthwick — a projected top-10 MLB draft pick and Auburn commit — to blank the Eagles 3-0 in a game that played out as a pitchers’ duel from the first pitch.
Niceville sophomore Ethan Thomas matched Borthwick nearly pitch for pitch, but the Seahawks scratched across just enough runs to make it hold up.
South Walton struck first in the opening inning when Nathan Whitney singled and came around to score on a hit from Vaughn Howard, giving the Seahawks a 1-0 lead.
The score stayed there until the third, when Borthwick singled, Whitney doubled and Howard singled to push the lead to 3-0. Howard was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double, but not before Borthwick and Whitney had crossed the plate.
- “Big-time at-bats. He was ready to swing the bat,” South Walton Head Coach Nick Borthwick said of Howard. “Vaughn works as hard as any player I ever had.”
From there, Thomas and the Niceville defense kept the Eagles within striking distance. Colton Cook ripped a double in the fourth, and the Eagles threatened again in the sixth when Jake Buis singled and Remington Crum drew a walk. But South Walton’s pitching held firm to preserve the shutout.
“Anytime you play Niceville at the Hill, you better be ready for a dogfight,” Coach Borthwick said. “I’m proud of my guys. I’m really proud of how they fought. We pitched very well, and I liked our defense and I liked our intensity. I love the fact that this team embraces the fight. Niceville’s a great team, much respect to Coach Bruce and his staff.”
South Walton (17-4) travels to Bozeman on Friday.
Niceville (14-6) heads to Arnold on Thursday.
