McGriff's Single Bails Out Tigers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Pitching and defense carried Warsaw to a 19-8 regular-season record, and pitching and defense again were carrying Warsaw in Monday's first-round sectional game against Wawasee.
But all the pitching and all the defense in the world can't win games if a team doesn't score runs, and through seven innings, Wawasee and Warsaw were at the same place they started: 0-0.
The Tigers had to play an extra inning on their home field to beat a 15-13 Wawasee team, but they escaped with a 1-0 win in eight innings.
The unlikely heroine had played the fewest varsity games and had the fewest at bats of anyone in Warsaw's starting lineup. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Holly McGriff, hitting out of the No. 8 spot, singled into left field to drive in Warsaw's winning run.
McGriff entered 2 for 15 (.133) in six varsity games. The RBI was her first.
"That was a JV hitter who came through," Warsaw coach Craig Helfrich said. "She played hardly any games on varsity.
"You need to hit the ball to score runs. We got the big hit."
The tough-luck loser was senior right-hander Andrea Gingerich (15-13), who all but matched Warsaw junior starter Michelle Liebsch (10-5) pitch for pitch.
Liebsch, boasting a 0.53 ERA, threw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 13 and walking two.
The lone hit she gave up came with one out in the seventh, a shot deep into the shortstop hole that glanced off Amie Poling's glove. The Warriors hit but two balls into the outfield. Her rising fastball overwhelmed Wawasee hitters early, as she struck out six of the first eight hitters she faced.
For the first few innings the Warriors expanded their strike zones by flailing away at pitches at eye level, and while they quit chasing the high pitch later in the game, they still found it tough to connect off Liebsch.
"(Michelle) is one of the top three pitchers we've faced this year," Wawasee coach Bo O'Dell said, "and is the best in the NLC, because of how hard she can throw and the way she mixes her pitches."
Gingerich wasn't as overpowering, but she was just as effective through seven innings. She allowed two hits, struck out three and walked none in the first seven innings.
"I knew this game would be low-scoring, because (Andrea) has pitched well all year," Helfrich said. "Wawasee played a great game."
Given an opening in the eighth, Warsaw barged through.
Senior Melissa Himes started the bottom of the eighth by hitting a screaming line drive back through the middle that missed Gingerich's right side by inches. Laura Overton delivered a sacrifice bunt to move Himes to second.
With one out, Gingerich struck out senior Ryann Jones.
But the ball popped out of catcher Dusty Krull's glove and rolled in front of Warsaw's third-base dugout, allowing Himes to go to third and Jones to reach first on the passed ball. McGriff then brought Himes home with her single.
"I couldn't see what happened on the play," O'Dell said. "Dusty has been there all year for us and made a lot of great stops."
"We came, we competed. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It's hard to see the season end."
The Tigers won their sectional last year, and after losing only one senior to graduation, they are favored again. But as Wawasee proved, a team with one good pitcher can level the playing field.
Helfrich can only hope his hitters begin taking pressure off his pitchers by scoring more runs.
"We have good pitching and good defense," he said. "Whichever team hits the ball the best will win this tournament."
Notes: The game was the last for O'Dell as Wawasee softball coach. Citing a desire to spend more time with his family, O'Dell announced his resignation to his players before the first game of the season.
"You saw the reason, the two munchkins of mine," he said, referring to daughters Brianne, 4, and Bailey, 2, who greeted their father after his loss. "I see all the time when coaches leave they say they want to spend more time with their family. I'm going to do that. I'm going to be there to see them grow up, be there to coach them in T-ball." ...
Two other Warsaw Sectional games were played Monday. Elkhart Central (8-18) upset Elkhart Memorial (18-10) 2-1, and Steph Hoover tossed a two-hitter as Concord downed East Noble 4-0. In the next round, Goshen plays Elkhart Central at 5 p.m. Thursday, while Warsaw plays Concord at 7 p.m. Thursday. The championship game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday.
WARSAW 1, WAWASEE 0
8 innings
Wawasee 000 000 00 - 0 1 0
Warsaw 000 000 01 - 1 4 1
Wawasee ab r h rbi
Krull c 2 0 0 0
Ramseyer 2b 3 0 0 0
Gingerich p 3 0 0 0
Likens ss 3 0 1 0
Hymer 1b 3 0 0 0
Morgan 3b 2 0 0 0
Mason rf 3 0 0 0
Weybright lf 3 0 0 0
Karns cf 2 0 0 0
Totals 24 0 1 0
Warsaw ab r h rbi
Kurosky cf 3 0 0 0
Fribley rf 3 0 0 0
Poling ss 3 0 1 0
Burns 3b 3 0 0 0
Himes 2b 3 1 1 0
Overton lf 2 0 1 0
Jones 1b 3 0 0 0
Keirn pr 0 0 0 0
McGriff dh 3 0 1 1
Liebsch p 0 0 0 0
Colt c 2 0 0 0
Totals 25 1 4 1
E-Himes. LOB-Warsaw 3, Wawasee 2. 2B-Poling. CS-Krull, Likens, Overton.
S-Overton.
Warsaw ip h r er bb so
Liebsch W, 10-5 8 1 0 0 2 13
Wawasee ip h r er bb so
Gingerich L, 15-13 7 1-3 4 1 1 0 4
PB-Krull. [[In-content Ad]]
Pitching and defense carried Warsaw to a 19-8 regular-season record, and pitching and defense again were carrying Warsaw in Monday's first-round sectional game against Wawasee.
But all the pitching and all the defense in the world can't win games if a team doesn't score runs, and through seven innings, Wawasee and Warsaw were at the same place they started: 0-0.
The Tigers had to play an extra inning on their home field to beat a 15-13 Wawasee team, but they escaped with a 1-0 win in eight innings.
The unlikely heroine had played the fewest varsity games and had the fewest at bats of anyone in Warsaw's starting lineup. With one out in the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Holly McGriff, hitting out of the No. 8 spot, singled into left field to drive in Warsaw's winning run.
McGriff entered 2 for 15 (.133) in six varsity games. The RBI was her first.
"That was a JV hitter who came through," Warsaw coach Craig Helfrich said. "She played hardly any games on varsity.
"You need to hit the ball to score runs. We got the big hit."
The tough-luck loser was senior right-hander Andrea Gingerich (15-13), who all but matched Warsaw junior starter Michelle Liebsch (10-5) pitch for pitch.
Liebsch, boasting a 0.53 ERA, threw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 13 and walking two.
The lone hit she gave up came with one out in the seventh, a shot deep into the shortstop hole that glanced off Amie Poling's glove. The Warriors hit but two balls into the outfield. Her rising fastball overwhelmed Wawasee hitters early, as she struck out six of the first eight hitters she faced.
For the first few innings the Warriors expanded their strike zones by flailing away at pitches at eye level, and while they quit chasing the high pitch later in the game, they still found it tough to connect off Liebsch.
"(Michelle) is one of the top three pitchers we've faced this year," Wawasee coach Bo O'Dell said, "and is the best in the NLC, because of how hard she can throw and the way she mixes her pitches."
Gingerich wasn't as overpowering, but she was just as effective through seven innings. She allowed two hits, struck out three and walked none in the first seven innings.
"I knew this game would be low-scoring, because (Andrea) has pitched well all year," Helfrich said. "Wawasee played a great game."
Given an opening in the eighth, Warsaw barged through.
Senior Melissa Himes started the bottom of the eighth by hitting a screaming line drive back through the middle that missed Gingerich's right side by inches. Laura Overton delivered a sacrifice bunt to move Himes to second.
With one out, Gingerich struck out senior Ryann Jones.
But the ball popped out of catcher Dusty Krull's glove and rolled in front of Warsaw's third-base dugout, allowing Himes to go to third and Jones to reach first on the passed ball. McGriff then brought Himes home with her single.
"I couldn't see what happened on the play," O'Dell said. "Dusty has been there all year for us and made a lot of great stops."
"We came, we competed. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It's hard to see the season end."
The Tigers won their sectional last year, and after losing only one senior to graduation, they are favored again. But as Wawasee proved, a team with one good pitcher can level the playing field.
Helfrich can only hope his hitters begin taking pressure off his pitchers by scoring more runs.
"We have good pitching and good defense," he said. "Whichever team hits the ball the best will win this tournament."
Notes: The game was the last for O'Dell as Wawasee softball coach. Citing a desire to spend more time with his family, O'Dell announced his resignation to his players before the first game of the season.
"You saw the reason, the two munchkins of mine," he said, referring to daughters Brianne, 4, and Bailey, 2, who greeted their father after his loss. "I see all the time when coaches leave they say they want to spend more time with their family. I'm going to do that. I'm going to be there to see them grow up, be there to coach them in T-ball." ...
Two other Warsaw Sectional games were played Monday. Elkhart Central (8-18) upset Elkhart Memorial (18-10) 2-1, and Steph Hoover tossed a two-hitter as Concord downed East Noble 4-0. In the next round, Goshen plays Elkhart Central at 5 p.m. Thursday, while Warsaw plays Concord at 7 p.m. Thursday. The championship game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday.
WARSAW 1, WAWASEE 0
8 innings
Wawasee 000 000 00 - 0 1 0
Warsaw 000 000 01 - 1 4 1
Wawasee ab r h rbi
Krull c 2 0 0 0
Ramseyer 2b 3 0 0 0
Gingerich p 3 0 0 0
Likens ss 3 0 1 0
Hymer 1b 3 0 0 0
Morgan 3b 2 0 0 0
Mason rf 3 0 0 0
Weybright lf 3 0 0 0
Karns cf 2 0 0 0
Totals 24 0 1 0
Warsaw ab r h rbi
Kurosky cf 3 0 0 0
Fribley rf 3 0 0 0
Poling ss 3 0 1 0
Burns 3b 3 0 0 0
Himes 2b 3 1 1 0
Overton lf 2 0 1 0
Jones 1b 3 0 0 0
Keirn pr 0 0 0 0
McGriff dh 3 0 1 1
Liebsch p 0 0 0 0
Colt c 2 0 0 0
Totals 25 1 4 1
E-Himes. LOB-Warsaw 3, Wawasee 2. 2B-Poling. CS-Krull, Likens, Overton.
S-Overton.
Warsaw ip h r er bb so
Liebsch W, 10-5 8 1 0 0 2 13
Wawasee ip h r er bb so
Gingerich L, 15-13 7 1-3 4 1 1 0 4
PB-Krull. [[In-content Ad]]