ELKHART -ÊUnder the magnified lens of what is called postseason play, the Warsaw Tigers saw their 2000 baseball season come to a disappointing end under a cornucopia of errors. The Elkhart Central Blue Blazers avenged last season's Elkhart Memorial Sectional loss to Warsaw by upending the Tigers 6-4.

A season ago, Warsaw beat Central on a 10th-inning homer off of losing pitcher Greg Kloosterman to win 7-6. This year it was Kloosterman's turn to advance farther into sectional play.

With the Elkhart Air Show hovering overhead, it was Warsaw's failure to execute a ground ball which led to the first runs of the ballgame tallied by Central.

Nate Martin led off with a routine "two-hopper" to namesake Trent Martin, which he bobbled. A base hit, sacrifice, and another hit later, Central took a 2-0 lead heading to the fifth.

Warsaw scored two runs in its half of the fifth abetted by a throwing error by Blue Blazer shortstop Nate Montiel allowing two runs to cross the plate, tying up the score at two a side.

The sixth inning would prove to be one Warsaw coach Will Shepherd would like to forget.Ê

Warsaw first baseman Zach Nelson's inability to record the putout on a sacrifice attempt, and Adam Augustine's throwing error on a would-be third out opened the flood gates for three Blue Blazer runs.

Shepherd lamented, "Playing defense like that, you just don't deserve to win. Adam's (error) was a mental one. He should have 'crow-hopped' and just threw it to first (and not worry about the runner on third with two outs)."

Warsaw's season still had a pulse. The Tigers struck back in their half of the sixth trailing 5-2.Ê

With the bases loaded and no one out, Steve Siebenmorgan hit a one-hop smash which turned into a double play. Warsaw scored two runs in all, but not enough to prevent their season from coming to an end as Central relief pitcher Tim Kinzie shut the door on the rest of the Tigers, saving the game for Kloosterman.

Elkhart coach Steve Stutsman echoed the fine performance by Kinzie saying, "Kinzie came in and did a super job."Ê

As for the close of another season, Shepherd confidently stated, "We were the better team here and that is not a knock against Central. . . we're better than we showed."

But errors and sectional play can be a lethal combination. Stutsman felt relieved to advance past Warsaw. Asked if he thought Elkhart would beat Warsaw after being out hit 12 to 6, Stutsman replied, "I would have thought that they were nuts. But this was a total team effort."

A footnote to Stutsman's team effort philosophy, several of the Blue Blazers sported the "Jay Buhner Look" by shaving their heads as a sign of solidarity.

Shaved heads and all, Elkhart Central next faces Goshen, which was an eight-inning 6-5 winner over East Noble. The four remaining teams give the sectional an Elkhart County look. Thursday, Goshen will play Central while Elkhart Memorial tangles with Concord.

The loss ends the Tiger season at 18-11.

"We're disappointed to be going home but that's what happens when you don't field," said Shepherd.

Elk. Central 6, Warsaw 4

Elkhart Central 000 203 1 - 6 6 1

Warsaw 000 022 0 - 4 12 3ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ

Elkhart Central AB H R BI

Montiel ss 4 1 1 0

Martin rf 3 1 2 0

Kloosterman p/1b 3 1 1 0

Kinzie 2b/p 0 0 0 1

Taylor 3b 3 1 1 2

Lovely 1b/2b 3 1 0 1

Walker c 3 0 0 0

Stutsman dh 2 0 0 0

Duddy cf/ph 1 0 0 0

Wagner lf 3 1 1 0

Ê

Warsaw AB H R BI

Golden lf 4 1 0 1

Walmer ss 4 2 1 0

Richardson pr 0 0 0 0

Siebenmorgan c 4 1 0 0

Milton pr 0 0 0 0

Lankford dh/p 3 0 0 0

Himes pr 0 0 1 0

Nelson 1b 4 3 0 0

G. Walmer pr 0 0 0 0

Martin 3b 4 1 0 0

Stogsdill cf 3 0 0 0

Grubbs 2b 4 2 1 0

Koser rf 2 1 1 0

Barger ph 1 0 0 0

2B Siebenmorgan, Nelson, Grubbs; E Nelson, T. Martin, Augustine, Montiel; CS Taylor; SAC- Taylor, N. Martin, Kinzie (2); DP Elkhart Central (Montiel, Lovely, Kloosterman); LOB Elkhart Central (5), Warsaw (10)

IP H R ER K BB

Elkhart Central

Kloosterman (W) 5 10 4 2 5 1

Kinzie (S) 2 2 0 0 2 0

Warsaw

Augustine (L) 5 2/3 3 5 2 6 1

Lankford 1 1/3 3 1 1 0 1

WP- Augustine; HPB Lankford; PB Walker

GOSHEN 6, EAST NOBLE 5,

8 Innings

Goshen 030 010 11 - 6 13 2

East Noble 000 201 20 - 5 9 7

Ê

Sac Je. Miller (G), Diggins (EN); Sac Fly Holbrook (EN); 2B Hamlin (EN), Keister (G); SB- Edwards (EN); CS- Yoder (G), Hughes (G) (2); E Kline (EN) (2), Gokenbach (EN), Sparkman (EN) (4), Latham (G), Hughes (G); HBP- Spencer (EN)

IP H R ER K BB

Goshen

Yoder 6 1/3 9 5 4 4 1

Keister (W) 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1

East Noble

Treesh 5 7 4 2 4 2

Mast 2 3 1 1 1 0

RiceÊ (L) 1 3 1 1 0 1 [[In-content Ad]]