The South Walton Seahawks raced past Wolfson 13-0 on Saturday night behind a dominant two-way performance from Coleman Borthwick and a breakthrough moment from Nathan Whitney, sending the Seahawks into the Sweet 16.
South Walton jumped out to an early lead in the second inning. Justin Didier drew a walk, Parker Granse doubled and Carter Hawk followed with a double that scored both runners. Jace Cunningham singled, Hudson Quinn laid down a bunt, Coleman Borthwick was walked to load the bases and Nathan Whitney was hit by a pitch to make it 3-0.
The fourth inning is where everything came alive for the Seahawks in what proved to be their most dominant inning of the year.
After two straight walks by Wolfpack pitcher Amil Ayoub, Coleman Borthwick doubled to score Cunningham and Quinn. Whitney followed with a towering shot to left field — his first career home run — scoring Borthwick to put South Walton up 7-0.
“Nathan chokes me up every time I think about his growth and progression,” South Walton Head Coach Nick Borthwick said. “I saw this kid grow up, and I’ve seen him make huge steps, and nobody works harder than Nathan, so it’s really rewarding to see it pay off for him. He works harder than anybody on our team.”
- “It was great. I’ve been waiting for it, and to finally see it happen, I’m glad,” Whitney said.
“I grew up with Nathan. Ten years ago, I’d have never thought he’d have done that, but now it’s special. He’s an awesome player,” Coleman Borthwick added.
The Seahawks weren’t done. Vaughn Howard and Granse drew walks, and Hawk singled to score both, making it 9-0. An error scored Hawk for a 10-0 lead. Cunningham added an RBI single before Coleman Borthwick capped the inning with a two-run home run to make it 13-0.
Coleman Borthwick’s day on the mound matched his work at the plate. In addition to the two-run double and home run, he threw a no-hitter.
- “It’s just what I do,” Coleman Borthwick said. “I want to give my best performance every time I step on the mound.”
South Walton will host West Florida Tech in the Sweet 16 in a rematch of the district championship. West Florida Tech advanced with a 1-0 win over Baldwin.
“West Florida’s a great team. They’re very disciplined and well-coached, they’re scrappy, and it’s going to be a very competitive matchup,” Nick Borthwick said.
“They’re a battle-tested program, but the odds are in our favor,” Whitney said.
“We’re going to get after it and do our best,” Coleman Borthwick added.
