Warriors Win Softball Invitational
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
In a 10-4 win over the Rochester Zebras, the Warriors didn't only capture their own invitational championship, but also evened their season record at 6-6, winning their third-straight game.[[In-content Ad]]"We come back (today) with Northridge, and they're a good, strong team," Wawasee coach Cory Schutz said. "So, it's going to be tough, but it's nice to be back at .500. Hopefully we can take this and keep running with it."
Following their 6-5 win over the Whitko Lady Wildcats in the day's early game, the Warriors captured the Wawasee Invitational title thanks to a six-run fifth inning against the Lady Zebras.
After allowing Rochester to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs, Wawasee's Jonna Wiggs and Ashley Truman opened the bottom of the frame with back-to-back walks.
With senior Taylor Goshert letting each batter know how many straight balls Rochester senior pitcher Bailey Quick had thrown, she yelled the count from five all the way to 10.
"She does a really good job of leading our girls, and may get in the heads of the opposition a little bit - which is okay too," Schutz said of Goshert's yells from the dugout. "I love her enthusiasm, and she keeps the girls aware of what's going on."
Eventually throwing a strike to Shelby Newhard, Quick did go on to give up five runs on five hits, before freshman pitcher Abbie Malchow relieved her with two outs, but she also gave up one score, running the score to 10-4.
With the big lead, Wawasee pitcher Aubrey Mroz completed the game, going seven innings striking out eight, while also walking seven.
"Both my pitchers did a nice job today," Schutz said of Mroz, and freshman Gabi Routson, who picked up the win against Whitko in the first round. "In these conditions (with the wind blowing), it's hard to know what the ball is going to do. It moves when they don't want it to, then it doesn't move when you want it to. They did a nice job of fighting through that."
At the dish, senior Ashley Sharp went 2 for 2, including a three-run triple in the third, giving Wawasee a 4-1 lead at the time.
"That was a real big hit," Schutz said. "She's only been back (from an ankle injury) for a couple games, and she's been making really good contact. (Rochester) was in a little short, and she was able to get the ball over them at the right time."
In the championship game, Wiggs went 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI, while Goshert had a 2 for 4 game, scoring two runs and driving in another.
The Wawasee-Northridge Northern Lakes Conference game begins at 5 p.m. today.
WAWASEE 10, ROCHESTER 4
(Championship)
R 001 120 0 - 4 6 0
W 103 060 x - 10 10 1
Mroz (W, 7IP, 4R, 4ER, 6H, 8K, 7BB, 1HB) and Wiggs; Quick (L, 4-2/3IP, 10R, 10ER, 9H, 7K, 6BB), Malchow (5, 1-1/3IP, 1H, 3K, 1BB) and Sroufe
2B - Quick (R), Malchow (R), Starkey (R)
3B - Sharp (W)
Wawasee Record: 6-6
Warriors Win Wild One
In the first round of the Wawasee Invitational, the Whitko Lady Wildcats looked poise to pick up their second win of the year, but the hosting Lady Warriors had other ideas.
After staving off defeat with a run in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats (1-7) suffered the tough 6-5 loss when Wawasee (5-6) scored on passed ball in the bottom of the inning.
"It's a tough loss," Whitko coach Jamilyn Pegan said.
"It was just a bad break," she added. "I'm very proud of the team. They just kept battling against a good ball team."
Tied at 5-5, Wawasee sophomore Ashley Truman opened the seventh with a single, then was moved over on a sacrifice-bunt by sophomore Shelby Newhard.
Following a single by senior Ashley Sharp, sophomore Aubrey Mroz reached base when the Whitko defense allowed her to get to first, instead of allowing Sharp and Mroz to advance.
With one out, Whitko senior pitcher Kylee Boardman struck out freshman Amber Yoder, but the pitch got away, allowing Truman to score the game-winning run.
"We did a good job of executing and getting done what we had to get done," Wawasee coach Cory Schutz said.
The run capped off a stellar game by Truman, who went 4 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and a run.
In the circle, freshman Gabi Routson got the win, pitching all seven innings, striking out 10.
For Whitko, Boardman was hit with the loss, entering the game in the third inning, giving up nine hits and five runs, although only one run was earned.
"She battled," Pegan said of Boardman. "She's still fighting some back injuries and things like that, so she hasn't pitched much this year. She came in in a tough spot, because my other pitcher (Kaylee Arnold) is hurting too."
Whitko senior Meagan Smith went 3 for 3 in the game, scoring two runs while driving in another.
"She really sparked us today," Pegan said of Smith, who also had a sacrfice bunt. "She hit a nice line drive (to open the seventh inning), and really got the team to rally."
Whitko freshman Karissa Olinske also had a nice game, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
The game may have been closer than Schutz would have liked, as his Warriors hit into two double plays.
In the fifth inning, Wawasee appeared ready to score at least one run with runners at second and third with one out. However, when a bunt by Sharp popped up, Boardman caught the ball, then was able to pick off Newhard at first, abruptly ending the threat.
"Little things like that will drive you nuts, but the girls didn't get too down on themselves," Schutz said. "They were able to keep coming back.
"We made a few mistakes over the course of the game, but it was nice to come through in the end," he added. "And we took advantages of mistakes they made too. It wasn't a pretty game by either team in any way."
WAWASEE 6, WHITKO 5
(First Round)
Wh 001 030 1 - 5 11 4
Wa 101 102 1 - 6 12 4
Routson (W, 7IP, 5R, 4ER, 11H, 10K, 1BB) and Wiggs; Kay. Arnold (2IP, 1R, 1ER, 2H, 2BB), Boardman (3, L, 4-2/3IP, 5R, 1ER, 9H, 1K, 1BB) and Day
2B - Truman (Wa), Yoder (Wa)
Records: Wawasee 5-6, Whitko 1-7
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In a 10-4 win over the Rochester Zebras, the Warriors didn't only capture their own invitational championship, but also evened their season record at 6-6, winning their third-straight game.[[In-content Ad]]"We come back (today) with Northridge, and they're a good, strong team," Wawasee coach Cory Schutz said. "So, it's going to be tough, but it's nice to be back at .500. Hopefully we can take this and keep running with it."
Following their 6-5 win over the Whitko Lady Wildcats in the day's early game, the Warriors captured the Wawasee Invitational title thanks to a six-run fifth inning against the Lady Zebras.
After allowing Rochester to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs, Wawasee's Jonna Wiggs and Ashley Truman opened the bottom of the frame with back-to-back walks.
With senior Taylor Goshert letting each batter know how many straight balls Rochester senior pitcher Bailey Quick had thrown, she yelled the count from five all the way to 10.
"She does a really good job of leading our girls, and may get in the heads of the opposition a little bit - which is okay too," Schutz said of Goshert's yells from the dugout. "I love her enthusiasm, and she keeps the girls aware of what's going on."
Eventually throwing a strike to Shelby Newhard, Quick did go on to give up five runs on five hits, before freshman pitcher Abbie Malchow relieved her with two outs, but she also gave up one score, running the score to 10-4.
With the big lead, Wawasee pitcher Aubrey Mroz completed the game, going seven innings striking out eight, while also walking seven.
"Both my pitchers did a nice job today," Schutz said of Mroz, and freshman Gabi Routson, who picked up the win against Whitko in the first round. "In these conditions (with the wind blowing), it's hard to know what the ball is going to do. It moves when they don't want it to, then it doesn't move when you want it to. They did a nice job of fighting through that."
At the dish, senior Ashley Sharp went 2 for 2, including a three-run triple in the third, giving Wawasee a 4-1 lead at the time.
"That was a real big hit," Schutz said. "She's only been back (from an ankle injury) for a couple games, and she's been making really good contact. (Rochester) was in a little short, and she was able to get the ball over them at the right time."
In the championship game, Wiggs went 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI, while Goshert had a 2 for 4 game, scoring two runs and driving in another.
The Wawasee-Northridge Northern Lakes Conference game begins at 5 p.m. today.
WAWASEE 10, ROCHESTER 4
(Championship)
R 001 120 0 - 4 6 0
W 103 060 x - 10 10 1
Mroz (W, 7IP, 4R, 4ER, 6H, 8K, 7BB, 1HB) and Wiggs; Quick (L, 4-2/3IP, 10R, 10ER, 9H, 7K, 6BB), Malchow (5, 1-1/3IP, 1H, 3K, 1BB) and Sroufe
2B - Quick (R), Malchow (R), Starkey (R)
3B - Sharp (W)
Wawasee Record: 6-6
Warriors Win Wild One
In the first round of the Wawasee Invitational, the Whitko Lady Wildcats looked poise to pick up their second win of the year, but the hosting Lady Warriors had other ideas.
After staving off defeat with a run in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats (1-7) suffered the tough 6-5 loss when Wawasee (5-6) scored on passed ball in the bottom of the inning.
"It's a tough loss," Whitko coach Jamilyn Pegan said.
"It was just a bad break," she added. "I'm very proud of the team. They just kept battling against a good ball team."
Tied at 5-5, Wawasee sophomore Ashley Truman opened the seventh with a single, then was moved over on a sacrifice-bunt by sophomore Shelby Newhard.
Following a single by senior Ashley Sharp, sophomore Aubrey Mroz reached base when the Whitko defense allowed her to get to first, instead of allowing Sharp and Mroz to advance.
With one out, Whitko senior pitcher Kylee Boardman struck out freshman Amber Yoder, but the pitch got away, allowing Truman to score the game-winning run.
"We did a good job of executing and getting done what we had to get done," Wawasee coach Cory Schutz said.
The run capped off a stellar game by Truman, who went 4 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and a run.
In the circle, freshman Gabi Routson got the win, pitching all seven innings, striking out 10.
For Whitko, Boardman was hit with the loss, entering the game in the third inning, giving up nine hits and five runs, although only one run was earned.
"She battled," Pegan said of Boardman. "She's still fighting some back injuries and things like that, so she hasn't pitched much this year. She came in in a tough spot, because my other pitcher (Kaylee Arnold) is hurting too."
Whitko senior Meagan Smith went 3 for 3 in the game, scoring two runs while driving in another.
"She really sparked us today," Pegan said of Smith, who also had a sacrfice bunt. "She hit a nice line drive (to open the seventh inning), and really got the team to rally."
Whitko freshman Karissa Olinske also had a nice game, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
The game may have been closer than Schutz would have liked, as his Warriors hit into two double plays.
In the fifth inning, Wawasee appeared ready to score at least one run with runners at second and third with one out. However, when a bunt by Sharp popped up, Boardman caught the ball, then was able to pick off Newhard at first, abruptly ending the threat.
"Little things like that will drive you nuts, but the girls didn't get too down on themselves," Schutz said. "They were able to keep coming back.
"We made a few mistakes over the course of the game, but it was nice to come through in the end," he added. "And we took advantages of mistakes they made too. It wasn't a pretty game by either team in any way."
WAWASEE 6, WHITKO 5
(First Round)
Wh 001 030 1 - 5 11 4
Wa 101 102 1 - 6 12 4
Routson (W, 7IP, 5R, 4ER, 11H, 10K, 1BB) and Wiggs; Kay. Arnold (2IP, 1R, 1ER, 2H, 2BB), Boardman (3, L, 4-2/3IP, 5R, 1ER, 9H, 1K, 1BB) and Day
2B - Truman (Wa), Yoder (Wa)
Records: Wawasee 5-6, Whitko 1-7
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