Warsaw's softball team went 2-0 in sectional games Saturday, thanks to timely hitting, solid defense and Rachel Liebsch's right arm.

The Tigers won both games by 5-1 scores. They beat Rochester (11-10) in the morning, then beat Tippecanoe Valley (7-15) in the second round in the afternoon. Wawasee squeezed out a 6-5 eight-inning win over NorthWood between those two games, as a tripleheader was played at Lady Tiger Field.

Wawasee (8-15), the defending champion, and Warsaw (15-12) will meet in the sectional championship at Lady Tiger Field at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Liebsch pitched a combined 11 2/3 innings in the two games, allowing just three hits and one unearned run. She struck out 10 while walking one.

She had help - the Tiger defense committed only two errors in the two seven-inning games.

Liebsch dominated as a starter.

She baffled the Zebras for seven innings, allowing three singles and one run. She struck out five and walked one. Rochester hit only four balls to the outfield in seven innings.

She dominated as a reliever.

Right-hander Shanna Smith started against Tippecanoe Valley. She allowed the first Viking hitter of the game, Kara Tucker, to score on a wild pitch. She worked a quick second inning but ran into trouble in the third.

With runners on second and third and one out in the third, Warsaw coach Rod Yoder had seen enough. He called on Liebsch to bail out the Tigers and shut the Vikings down.

Did she ever.

She stranded both runners, a sign of things to come. She worked the last 4 2/3 innings against Valley, allowing no hits and no walks. She struck out five.

The Tigers needed good pitching, because their batters weren't doing much damage against Valley. After facing Rochester fireballer Kristy Sheets in the morning, the Tiger batters dug in against Valley soft-tosser Sabrina Newsome.

In a major-league game, this was the equivalent of seeing Randy Johnson's 98 mph fastball one night, then seeing Jamie Moyer and his 74 mph changeup the next.

Newsome finessed her way through the Tiger lineup for five innings, keeping the batters off-balance with her off-speed offerings. They managed just two hits. Newsome, with the help of Valley's airtight defense, nursed a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning.

"Your (hitting) technique has to change so much," Yoder explained. "It's all patience and timing. You have to do more thinking when Sabrina's on the mound, rather than against a pitcher who throws fastballs.

"She throws the ball with enough rotation so that it moves and dances. The ball is never in the same place twice."

It turned out that one good inning offensively was all Warsaw needed to beat Valley.

The Tigers pounced for five runs in the sixth, as Valley's defense wilted.

Jill Schlotterback, who was 0 for 6 on the day, led off the inning with a hit. Tyson Reber laid down a bunt that Valley catcher Brooke Fisher fielded - and threw into right field. Her throw to first base was wild, putting Schlotterback on third and Reber on second.

One out later, Liebsch delivered with her bat.

Liebsch scorched a ball down the first base line. The ball hit the bag and ricocheted in the air and on down the right field line. Liebsch drove in both runs and cruised into third with a triple to put Warsaw up 2-1.

Smith then singled to drive in Liebsch. Amy Whitley singled, and Winnie Hake reached on an error by shortstop Brandi Fisher. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alyssa Raphael lashed a single past Brandi Fisher to drive in two more runs to make it 5-1.

Like the ball that hit the first-base bag, the gremlins again seemed intent on tweaking Valley. Brandi Fisher lost her footing and slipped right before she could get to Raphael's ball.

The sixth-inning uprising allowed Yoder to breathe easier. Liebsch mowed down the Vikings in the seventh to secure the win.

"Yeah, I was panicked," he said. "Down 1-0 in the sixth inning is not where we want to be."

At the same time, he was confident.

"Our record is 15-12, but seven are two-run losses," he said. "The bottom line is, we've been in a lot of games. We've been there at the end.

"All I ask of them is to give us a chance to win. They did that."

The Tigers did what all good teams do - they took advantage when other teams tried to help them.

Against Rochester, the Tigers scored a run in the top of the fifth and a run in the seventh - without the benefit of a base hit. Sheets lost the strike zone in the fifth, walking three. One scored on a fielder's choice.

Smith walked in the seventh. A hit batsman, a wild pitch and an error later, she scored Warsaw's fifth and final run.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead against Rochester when a Liebsch triple drove in Shannon Barger in the third inning. Warsaw then added one run in each inning the rest of the way.

While Warsaw finished the day with two errors, its opponents combined for eight. Rochester had five, and Valley had three.

Despite the numbers - 11 2/3 out of 14 innings pitched, three hits and one walk allowed, and despite the hook he gave Smith in the third inning to bring her in, Yoder tried to keep Liebsch from looking like a savior by downplaying her performance.

"She's throwing well, but she's still not on top of things yet," he said. "I thought she worked too deep in some counts in the first game. She threw better and wasn't behind as much this (second) game."

Wawasee 6, NorthWood 5 eight innings

Wawasee continued its mastery over NorthWood with the sectional win.

Wawasee improved to 8-15, while NorthWood ended the season at 12-11. Three of Wawasee's wins have come against NorthWood.

"We beat them twice in the regular season, so that was a very scary thought coming into the sectional," Wawasee coach Bo O'Dell said, "because you know NorthWood comes into this game with something to prove."

NorthWood right-hander Natalie Will started and worked all eight innings. She scattered six hits, allowing only one from the fifth inning on.

Problem was, she also walked eight.

Three of those walks came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Carly Beer led off the inning with a walk. Wawasee loaded the bases with two outs. Beer stood on third, and she scored the winning run when Will walked Sonya Beer.

Wawasee led 3-0 after three innings, the big blow a single by starting pitcher Jaime Conn that drove in two runs. NorthWood scored two runs in the fourth then took the 4-3 lead with two more in the top of the fifth, thanks to a Heidi Collins single that drove in two runs.

Wawasee reclaimed a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Conn was thrown out trying to steal second. While that was happening, Sara Frantz, who was on third, broke for home and scored the go-ahead run.

NorthWood manufactured the tying run in the seventh. Wawasee reliever Angie Hoover walked Will. Will stole second then went to third on a wild pitch. One out later, she scored on Stacy Will's single to tie the game at 5-5 and send it to extra innings.

Conn pitched the first five innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. Hoover worked the last three, allowing three hits and one earned run.

NorthWood hit several towering blasts to the outfield - more than any other team Saturday - but Wawasee's outfielders were always positioned right, and they always caught the ball.

"I think we played great defense," O'Dell said. "If we're not in position to make those plays, NorthWood scores 10 or so runs and runs the score up on us."

Wawasee 6, NorthWood 5, eight innings

Wawasee continued its mastery over NorthWood with the sectional win.

Wawasee improved to 8-15, while NorthWood ended the season at 12-11. Three of Wawasee's wins have come against NorthWood.

"We beat them twice in the regular season, so that was a very scary thought coming into the sectional," Wawasee coach Bo O'Dell said, "because you know NorthWood comes into this game with something to prove."

NorthWood right-hander Natalie Will started and worked all eight innings. She scattered six hits, allowing only one from the fifth inning on.

Problem was, she also walked eight.

Three of those walks came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Carly Beer led off the inning with a walk. Wawasee loaded the bases with two outs. Beer stood on third, and she scored the winning run when Will walked Sonya Beer.

Wawasee led 3-0 after three innings, the big blow a single by starting pitcher Jaime Conn that drove in two runs. NorthWood scored two runs in the fourth then took the 4-3 lead with two more in the top of the fifth, thanks to a Heidi Collins single that drove in two runs.

Wawasee reclaimed a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Conn was thrown out trying to steal second. While that was happening, Sara Frantz, who was on third, broke for home and scored the go-ahead run.

NorthWood manufactured the tying run in the seventh. Wawasee reliever Angie Hoover walked Will. Will stole second then went to third on a wild pitch. One out later, she scored on Stacy Will's single to send tie the game at 5-5 and send it to extra innings.

Conn pitched the first five innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. Hoover worked the last three, allowing three hits and one earned run.

NorthWood hit several towering blasts to the outfield - more than any other team Saturday - but Wawasee's outfielders were always positioned right, and they always caught the ball.

"I think we played great defense," O'Dell said. "If we're not in position to make those plays, NorthWood scores 10 or so runs and runs the score up on us." [[In-content Ad]]