Things got away from the Adams Central Jets Saturday in their regional championship game at Oak Hill against the Westview Warriors. While AC did not get the chance to play seven innings in the title game, it will not diminish the accomplishments of coach Foster’s team when they look back at 2025.
After flipping the script against Bluffton to win their seventh game in a row and the sectional trophy, the Jets faced a good hitting Westview team that got on the board with two runs in the first inning off AC ace Cade Van De Weg.
Hayden Bluhm answered for the Jets with a double in the second, scoring on an RBI grounder to make it a 2-1 game.
The Jets looked like they were in contention to tie the game, but they failed to execute a double steal and made the second out of the inning at third base.
The Warriors built on that play and came back to the plate in the bottom of the third, scoring four more times thanks to four hits. Van De Weg was able to shut the door and strike out the final two batters to avoid any more damage.
Bluhm got another base hit to lead off the fourth, but he was left stranded there as the Jets struggled to hit Westview starter Max Engle.
Still trailing 6-1, Van De Weg set down Westview 1-2-3 in the fourth, but Engle did the same to the Jets in the top of the fifth.
Adams Central likely did not expect to only get one more out in their season, but that’s exactly what happened. Van De Weg got the first batter and the wheels fell off the Jets’ bus, ending the game. Westview took advantage of two costly AC drops, mixed in a few hits, and Van De Weg exited the game after hitting a batter to score a run.
A reliever came to the mound for the Jets, issued two walks, and the game-ending run scored, giving the Warriors an anti-climactic ending for their third consecutive regional championship.
Van De Weg ended his senior season with a .316 batting average and an ERA of 1.43 while picking up nine victories.
Carson Ross, the only other senior on the team, provided valuable innings in relief over the course of the season, along with ten hits, nine runs and eight RBI.
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