Tiger Baseball Team Back On Winning Track
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - It wasn't pretty, but Warsaw got back on the winning track with a 17-7 Northern Lakes Conference baseball win over host Wawasee in five innings.
The Tigers looked downright lethargic at times, committing five errors, but had enough offensive pop to avoid an upset.
The Tigers got things started early as they put three runs on the board in the first inning. Starting pitcher and cleanup hitter Mark Sudhoff, who struggled at the plate as of late, got things going with a two-run single.
Junior first baseman Hans Sale then drove Sudhoff home with a sacrifice fly.
Warsaw then put a five spot up in the second inning to extend its lead to 8-0.
Sophomore catcher Braden Kline lifted a solo homerun to left field to get things started in the second. Four batters later, sophomore Derek Freds hit a towering shot to left field for a three-run homer.
On the day, Warsaw's 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 9 for 11 with eight runs and eight RBI.
That sort of production out of the middle of the Tiger lineup gives Warsaw coach Mike Hepler hope for some gaudy offensive numbers for the rest of the season.
"It's what we've been waiting for all year," said Hepler of the production out of the middle of his lineup. "Hopefully we can take that momentum into the second half of the NLC season."
While the Tigers looked like a well-oiled machine on offense, their defense was akin to a jalopy.
Warsaw's five errors opened the door at times to a Wawasee squad that has struggled to stay in ballgames this year.
The Warriors scored four runs in the second inning after a throwing error by Sudhoff and a fielding miscue by Freds that cut Warsaw's lead to 8-4.
"We had some chances," said Wawasee coach Mike Headman. "We just left too many guys on base early."
Sudhoff exited after 1-1/3 innings and sophomore Daniel Conrad came in relief. Conrad allowed just one run and struck out two but struggled with his control at times.
Sudhoff had a hard time locating the strike zone as he walked four batters and hit Wawasee left fielder Dan Dingledein in his short time on the mound.
Despite the pitching woes, Warsaw pulled away with a six-run fourth inning that extended their lead to 17-5. The Tigers racked up seven hits in the inning and three stolen bases.
And it was those three stolen bases that provided some sparks after the game, as Headman took issue with Hepler's aggressive style.
"It's a 14-5 ballgame and they're stealing every chance they get," said Headman. It's bush league. But if that's (Hepler's) philosophy, hey, if we get that chance next time we'll try and do the same thing."
Hepler declined comment concerning Headman's comments after the game.
While Headman may have taken issue with Warsaw's tactics, one thing he couldn't take issue with was the production he got out of the bottom of his lineup.
The Warriors scored five of their seven runs at the bottom third of their lineup.
Heath Shock and Matt Granger each scored two runs for the Warriors. Shock and Granger are two of the four seniors on a very young Warrior squad.
Wawasee has started four freshmen this season and have had the subsequent growing pains. The Warriors have struggled both at the plate and on the field but the future does look up for Wawasee.
"The future looks decent for us," said Headman. "We have a very good freshmen class and a good sophomore class. Hopefully they get things turned around here."
Trent Crabtree, a transfer from Muncie South, earned the loss for Wawasee after going two innings and giving up eight runs.
Freshman Mike Milligan gave up nine runs in relief of Crabtree.
Conrad earned the win for Warsaw while Freds worked the fifth inning and gave up two runs.
Wawasee had a chance to extend the game to the sixth inning but Steve Hoover struck out looking with two runners on base.
Warsaw, 8-7 on the year and 5-3 in the NLC, hosts Goshen Friday at 4:45 p.m.
Wawasee, 2-15 overall and 1-7 in the NLC, hosts Elkhart Memorial Friday at 4:45 p.m.
WARSAW 17, WAWASEE 7
Warsaw
AB R H RBI
Mylin cf 3 3 2 0
Hanons lf 3 2 2 1
Freds 2b/p 4 3 3 4
Sudhoff p/ss 4 4 4 4
Kistler dh 3 1 2 0
Sale 1b 3 0 1 2
Conrad ss/p 4 1 3 2
Kline c 4 1 1 1
Brumbaugh 3b 2 2 1 1
Ransbottom ph 1 0 1 0
Totals 31 17 20 11
Wawasee
AB R H RBI
Beer rf 4 1 1 2
Sorensen ss 3 0 0 0
Rodriguez c 3 0 1 1
Dingledein lf 1 0 0 0
Brown ph 0 0 0 0
Hoover 1b 3 0 1 1
Bailey ph 1 0 0 0
Sommers dh 1 1 0 0
Milligan p 1 0 1 0
Shell 3b 2 1 0 0
Shock cf 3 2 0 0
Granger 2b 2 2 1 0
Totals 24 7 5 4
Warsaw (8-7, 5-3) 353 60 - 17 20 5
Wawasee (#2-15, 1-7) 041 02 - 7 5 1
2B - Conrad (2), Sudhoff, Freds. 3B - Sudhoff. HR -ÊKline, Freds
IP H R BB SO
Warsaw
Sudhoff 1.1 0 4 4 2
Conrad (W) 2.2 3 1 1 2
Freds (5) 1 0 2 1 1
Wawasee
Crabtree (L) 2 10 8 1 2
Milligan (3) 1.2 2 9 0 0
Shock 1.1 3 0 1 1 [[In-content Ad]]
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SYRACUSE - It wasn't pretty, but Warsaw got back on the winning track with a 17-7 Northern Lakes Conference baseball win over host Wawasee in five innings.
The Tigers looked downright lethargic at times, committing five errors, but had enough offensive pop to avoid an upset.
The Tigers got things started early as they put three runs on the board in the first inning. Starting pitcher and cleanup hitter Mark Sudhoff, who struggled at the plate as of late, got things going with a two-run single.
Junior first baseman Hans Sale then drove Sudhoff home with a sacrifice fly.
Warsaw then put a five spot up in the second inning to extend its lead to 8-0.
Sophomore catcher Braden Kline lifted a solo homerun to left field to get things started in the second. Four batters later, sophomore Derek Freds hit a towering shot to left field for a three-run homer.
On the day, Warsaw's 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 9 for 11 with eight runs and eight RBI.
That sort of production out of the middle of the Tiger lineup gives Warsaw coach Mike Hepler hope for some gaudy offensive numbers for the rest of the season.
"It's what we've been waiting for all year," said Hepler of the production out of the middle of his lineup. "Hopefully we can take that momentum into the second half of the NLC season."
While the Tigers looked like a well-oiled machine on offense, their defense was akin to a jalopy.
Warsaw's five errors opened the door at times to a Wawasee squad that has struggled to stay in ballgames this year.
The Warriors scored four runs in the second inning after a throwing error by Sudhoff and a fielding miscue by Freds that cut Warsaw's lead to 8-4.
"We had some chances," said Wawasee coach Mike Headman. "We just left too many guys on base early."
Sudhoff exited after 1-1/3 innings and sophomore Daniel Conrad came in relief. Conrad allowed just one run and struck out two but struggled with his control at times.
Sudhoff had a hard time locating the strike zone as he walked four batters and hit Wawasee left fielder Dan Dingledein in his short time on the mound.
Despite the pitching woes, Warsaw pulled away with a six-run fourth inning that extended their lead to 17-5. The Tigers racked up seven hits in the inning and three stolen bases.
And it was those three stolen bases that provided some sparks after the game, as Headman took issue with Hepler's aggressive style.
"It's a 14-5 ballgame and they're stealing every chance they get," said Headman. It's bush league. But if that's (Hepler's) philosophy, hey, if we get that chance next time we'll try and do the same thing."
Hepler declined comment concerning Headman's comments after the game.
While Headman may have taken issue with Warsaw's tactics, one thing he couldn't take issue with was the production he got out of the bottom of his lineup.
The Warriors scored five of their seven runs at the bottom third of their lineup.
Heath Shock and Matt Granger each scored two runs for the Warriors. Shock and Granger are two of the four seniors on a very young Warrior squad.
Wawasee has started four freshmen this season and have had the subsequent growing pains. The Warriors have struggled both at the plate and on the field but the future does look up for Wawasee.
"The future looks decent for us," said Headman. "We have a very good freshmen class and a good sophomore class. Hopefully they get things turned around here."
Trent Crabtree, a transfer from Muncie South, earned the loss for Wawasee after going two innings and giving up eight runs.
Freshman Mike Milligan gave up nine runs in relief of Crabtree.
Conrad earned the win for Warsaw while Freds worked the fifth inning and gave up two runs.
Wawasee had a chance to extend the game to the sixth inning but Steve Hoover struck out looking with two runners on base.
Warsaw, 8-7 on the year and 5-3 in the NLC, hosts Goshen Friday at 4:45 p.m.
Wawasee, 2-15 overall and 1-7 in the NLC, hosts Elkhart Memorial Friday at 4:45 p.m.
WARSAW 17, WAWASEE 7
Warsaw
AB R H RBI
Mylin cf 3 3 2 0
Hanons lf 3 2 2 1
Freds 2b/p 4 3 3 4
Sudhoff p/ss 4 4 4 4
Kistler dh 3 1 2 0
Sale 1b 3 0 1 2
Conrad ss/p 4 1 3 2
Kline c 4 1 1 1
Brumbaugh 3b 2 2 1 1
Ransbottom ph 1 0 1 0
Totals 31 17 20 11
Wawasee
AB R H RBI
Beer rf 4 1 1 2
Sorensen ss 3 0 0 0
Rodriguez c 3 0 1 1
Dingledein lf 1 0 0 0
Brown ph 0 0 0 0
Hoover 1b 3 0 1 1
Bailey ph 1 0 0 0
Sommers dh 1 1 0 0
Milligan p 1 0 1 0
Shell 3b 2 1 0 0
Shock cf 3 2 0 0
Granger 2b 2 2 1 0
Totals 24 7 5 4
Warsaw (8-7, 5-3) 353 60 - 17 20 5
Wawasee (#2-15, 1-7) 041 02 - 7 5 1
2B - Conrad (2), Sudhoff, Freds. 3B - Sudhoff. HR -ÊKline, Freds
IP H R BB SO
Warsaw
Sudhoff 1.1 0 4 4 2
Conrad (W) 2.2 3 1 1 2
Freds (5) 1 0 2 1 1
Wawasee
Crabtree (L) 2 10 8 1 2
Milligan (3) 1.2 2 9 0 0
Shock 1.1 3 0 1 1 [[In-content Ad]]