PBR Spotlight game: No. 18 Lima Central Catholic vs. No. 10 Bloom-Carroll

ELIDA-Nick Watkins threw a four-hit shutout to help No. 18 Lima Central Catholic reach the state tournament for the first time in 15 years with a 1-0 victory over No. 10 Bloom-Carroll in Division III regional final action.

The junior right-hander fanned four and walked one in pushing his record to 6-2. Making the performance more impressive, it came against a Bloom-Carroll team that had scored 41 runs in four previous tournament games.

The hard-luck loser was Sam Kerr, who threw a three-hitter and fanned four for Bloom-Carroll (23-3), which came in off a 16-6 victory over Millbury Lake in the regional semifinals. Billy Taflinger then hit a liner that just got by the Bloom-Carroll shortstop for an RBI single.

The only run of the game was scored in the top of the sixth inning. With one out Sam Huffman hit a single to left. But the ball got by the left fielder for a two-base error allowing Huffman to reach third base.

Bloom-Carroll's biggest threat in the game off Watkins came in the fifth, but the Lima Central Catholic pitcher got out of a one-out runner on third situation.

The Thunderbirds (21-8), which have never won a state tournament game participating only in 1997, will play Orwell Grand Valley (30-1) on Friday at 1 p.m. in the Division III semifinals at Huntington Park in Columbus.