Vikings Beat Manchester For First TRC Baseball Win
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
In an 11-6 Three Rivers Conference road win, Valley was struck out 12 times by Manchester junior Evan Milam, but also pounded out 15 hits, including four home runs and two doubles.
“It seemed like part of our lineup couldn’t get anything going and the other part was just all over him,” Valley coach Brandon Cody said.
Setting the tone early, Valley senior Isaac Shewman hit a one-out single, which was followed by a two-run homer by senior Tanner Andrews. Following a flyout, sophomore Luke Helton hit a sole home run, putting the Vikings on top 3-0 five batters into the game.
Valley went on to go in front 5-0, then load the bases, prompting Manchester skipper Jack Rupley to pay Milam a visit on the mound.
“It was one of those things where I said, ‘Listen, they’ve got two wind-aided home runs. There’s nothing you can do about it. Just battle back and keep fighting,’” Rupley said. “He did OK. They hit a couple more dingers, but it’s just one of those things where they hit the ball and hit it pretty well.”
After the chit-chat, Milam struck out eight of the next 10 batters he faced.
The talk also appeared to slow an inevitable five-inning game, but Andrews, the Valley ace, struggled in the bottom of the first, walking two of the first three batters he faced, with the other reaching on a catcher’s interference call.
With the bases loaded, Manchester junior Branden Scott cut the Valley lead to 5-1 after scoring on a wild pitch, then senior Jake Semler and sophomore Bailey Ness hit back-to-back RBI singles.
Sophomore Zach Hill cut the deficit down to 5-4 with an RBI-double, then scored on another wild pitch, knotting the game at 5-5.
Andrews got out of the inning with a strikeout, but the Purdue University-bound player was less than enthusiastic with the performance, but made up for it at the plate.
Reaching his first three times, Andrews finished the game 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base.
“He was very unhappy with his pitching performance in the first inning,” Cody said. “I think that drove him at the plate to want to succeed and send a message to his teammates that he was still in the game mentally.”
While Milam was fanning Viking after Viking, it was Andrews that was the thorn in his side.
After Milam got out of the first inning with a strikeout, Andrews opened the second inning with a leadoff single, then stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw to get him out.
After advancing to third, Andrews gave his team a 6-5 lead after scoring on a wild pitch.
Milam went on to strikeout two and get a groundout, but Andrews alone worked his way around the bases for the go-ahead run.
Milam shook off that Andrews hit to retire the next eight batters, striking out seven, including the first two of the fourth inning, but then Andrews came to the dish.
With two outs, Andrews hit a double, which was followed by an RBI-double from junior Drake Hyden and an RBI-single by Helton, pushing the lead to 8-5.
Just as Milam settled in, so too did Andrews, getting the win by pitching four innings, allowing five runs, three earned, and four hits, while striking out seven.
Freshman Alec Craig entered the game for Valley after the offense put up another three runs in the top of the fifth, as senior pinch-hitter Tommy Alexander hit a two-run home run and Shewman hit a solo homer of his own, pushing the lead to 11-5.
In two innings, Craig allowed one unearned run and sophomore Eric Hammer closed the game out in the seventh, getting the Vikings their first TRC win of the year.
At 1-3 in the TRC, Cody is still holding onto hope that his team can get a share of the conference crown, with Rochester, Northfield and Southwood all sitting at 3-1.
“Right now, I still think the conference is a toss up,” Cody said. “Everyone’s had a loss, and on any given night anybody can lose. I told the boys that tonight. We need some help, but I still think we have a shot at being up there in the TRC. We just have to do our part and win out, then get some help from some other teams.”
The Vikings may be trying to make a late run in the TRC, but the Squires are just looking for wins, as it hasn't won a conference game in the last two seasons and is 1-15 after going 4-18 a year ago.
Instead of seeing his guys be negative, Rupley has been encouraging them and looking for his team to peak in time for a nice postseason run.
“I keep telling the kids that we show stretches where we can be really good,” he said. “We just can’t quite get over that hump. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how we can get away from that bad inning or a two bad-inning stretch. We’re going to figure it out at some point.”
Valley hosts Triton today in a makeup game from earlier this season, then travels to Southwood for a TRC contest, Wednesday. Up next for Manchester is a trip to Four Winds Field in South Bend, formerly Coveleski Stadium, to face Rochester in a TRC contest Wednesday.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 11, MANCHESTER 6
TV 510 230 0 – 11 15 3
M 500 001 0 – 6 6 3
Valley – Tanner Andrews (W, 4IP, 5R, 3ER, 4H, 7K, 4BB), Alec Craig (5, 2IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 2K, 2BB), Eric Hammer (7, 1IP, 0R, 0H, 1K, 0BB) and Garrett Bell.
Manchester – Evan Milam (L, 7IP, 11R, 10ER, 15H, 12K, 0BB, 1HB, 4HR) and Thad Miller.
2B – Andrews (TV), Drake Hyden (TV), Phoenix Goad (M), Zach Hill (M).
HR – Andrews (TV), Isaac Shewman (TV), Tommy Alexander (TV), Luke Helton (TV).
Records: Valley 12-8 (1-3 TRC), Manchester 1-15 (0-4 TRC).[[In-content Ad]]
In an 11-6 Three Rivers Conference road win, Valley was struck out 12 times by Manchester junior Evan Milam, but also pounded out 15 hits, including four home runs and two doubles.
“It seemed like part of our lineup couldn’t get anything going and the other part was just all over him,” Valley coach Brandon Cody said.
Setting the tone early, Valley senior Isaac Shewman hit a one-out single, which was followed by a two-run homer by senior Tanner Andrews. Following a flyout, sophomore Luke Helton hit a sole home run, putting the Vikings on top 3-0 five batters into the game.
Valley went on to go in front 5-0, then load the bases, prompting Manchester skipper Jack Rupley to pay Milam a visit on the mound.
“It was one of those things where I said, ‘Listen, they’ve got two wind-aided home runs. There’s nothing you can do about it. Just battle back and keep fighting,’” Rupley said. “He did OK. They hit a couple more dingers, but it’s just one of those things where they hit the ball and hit it pretty well.”
After the chit-chat, Milam struck out eight of the next 10 batters he faced.
The talk also appeared to slow an inevitable five-inning game, but Andrews, the Valley ace, struggled in the bottom of the first, walking two of the first three batters he faced, with the other reaching on a catcher’s interference call.
With the bases loaded, Manchester junior Branden Scott cut the Valley lead to 5-1 after scoring on a wild pitch, then senior Jake Semler and sophomore Bailey Ness hit back-to-back RBI singles.
Sophomore Zach Hill cut the deficit down to 5-4 with an RBI-double, then scored on another wild pitch, knotting the game at 5-5.
Andrews got out of the inning with a strikeout, but the Purdue University-bound player was less than enthusiastic with the performance, but made up for it at the plate.
Reaching his first three times, Andrews finished the game 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base.
“He was very unhappy with his pitching performance in the first inning,” Cody said. “I think that drove him at the plate to want to succeed and send a message to his teammates that he was still in the game mentally.”
While Milam was fanning Viking after Viking, it was Andrews that was the thorn in his side.
After Milam got out of the first inning with a strikeout, Andrews opened the second inning with a leadoff single, then stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw to get him out.
After advancing to third, Andrews gave his team a 6-5 lead after scoring on a wild pitch.
Milam went on to strikeout two and get a groundout, but Andrews alone worked his way around the bases for the go-ahead run.
Milam shook off that Andrews hit to retire the next eight batters, striking out seven, including the first two of the fourth inning, but then Andrews came to the dish.
With two outs, Andrews hit a double, which was followed by an RBI-double from junior Drake Hyden and an RBI-single by Helton, pushing the lead to 8-5.
Just as Milam settled in, so too did Andrews, getting the win by pitching four innings, allowing five runs, three earned, and four hits, while striking out seven.
Freshman Alec Craig entered the game for Valley after the offense put up another three runs in the top of the fifth, as senior pinch-hitter Tommy Alexander hit a two-run home run and Shewman hit a solo homer of his own, pushing the lead to 11-5.
In two innings, Craig allowed one unearned run and sophomore Eric Hammer closed the game out in the seventh, getting the Vikings their first TRC win of the year.
At 1-3 in the TRC, Cody is still holding onto hope that his team can get a share of the conference crown, with Rochester, Northfield and Southwood all sitting at 3-1.
“Right now, I still think the conference is a toss up,” Cody said. “Everyone’s had a loss, and on any given night anybody can lose. I told the boys that tonight. We need some help, but I still think we have a shot at being up there in the TRC. We just have to do our part and win out, then get some help from some other teams.”
The Vikings may be trying to make a late run in the TRC, but the Squires are just looking for wins, as it hasn't won a conference game in the last two seasons and is 1-15 after going 4-18 a year ago.
Instead of seeing his guys be negative, Rupley has been encouraging them and looking for his team to peak in time for a nice postseason run.
“I keep telling the kids that we show stretches where we can be really good,” he said. “We just can’t quite get over that hump. I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how we can get away from that bad inning or a two bad-inning stretch. We’re going to figure it out at some point.”
Valley hosts Triton today in a makeup game from earlier this season, then travels to Southwood for a TRC contest, Wednesday. Up next for Manchester is a trip to Four Winds Field in South Bend, formerly Coveleski Stadium, to face Rochester in a TRC contest Wednesday.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 11, MANCHESTER 6
TV 510 230 0 – 11 15 3
M 500 001 0 – 6 6 3
Valley – Tanner Andrews (W, 4IP, 5R, 3ER, 4H, 7K, 4BB), Alec Craig (5, 2IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 2K, 2BB), Eric Hammer (7, 1IP, 0R, 0H, 1K, 0BB) and Garrett Bell.
Manchester – Evan Milam (L, 7IP, 11R, 10ER, 15H, 12K, 0BB, 1HB, 4HR) and Thad Miller.
2B – Andrews (TV), Drake Hyden (TV), Phoenix Goad (M), Zach Hill (M).
HR – Andrews (TV), Isaac Shewman (TV), Tommy Alexander (TV), Luke Helton (TV).
Records: Valley 12-8 (1-3 TRC), Manchester 1-15 (0-4 TRC).[[In-content Ad]]
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