Wawasee Beats NLC Foe Concord
May 2, 2017 at 4:10 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
Jake Diver’s two-run homer staked Concord to a 4-1 lead in the third inning, but Wawasee answered with a four-run fourth frame and went on to beat the Minutemen 7-4.
The come-from-behind win in Northern Lakes Conference play was something Warrior coach Brent Doty has been looking for from his team.
“I told the boys ‘good resiliency,’” he said. “They get the two-run home run to go up 4-1 and we could have folded right there.
“But there was tremendous resiliency from our guys; they stayed very positive and had good at-bats the whole time. Then to come back with the big inning to take the lead, and build on it from there was a big lift for us.
The big hit for Wawasee was Gavin Barker’s two-run double, his second two-bagger of the game, giving the Warriors a 5-4 advantage.
“He’s been swinging the bat really well,” Doty said. “He’s a senior, and we can count on him. He’s been there, he’s battle-tested the last couple of years, and he’s locked in right now.
“I wouldn’t want any other guy in that spot right now.”
Josh Slabaugh was the winning pitcher in relief of Blake Norris. Slabaugh allowed four singles in 4-1/3 innings, and retired the last eight hitters he faced.
“(Slabaugh) does what he does. He comes in, pumps strikes, had a good secondary pitch, and when he’s getting it over he’s very, very effective,” said Doty. “He works quick counts, pitches to bats and hopefully our defense plays well behind him, which they did tonight. I can’t say enough about Josh.”
There were few errors on a day with a very strong wind blowing straight out to centerfield and a few sprinkles from time to time. Diver’s home run was helped along by the wind, eliminating any chance of a highlight-reel catch at the fence.
Outfielders for both teams played deeper than usual to try and cut off any wind-blown line drives. Doty said he felt his team played well defensively in spite of the conditions.
“It was a tough day out there, because anything hit weakly is going to be a hit, and anything hit hard could potentially be an out because you’re playing so far back. But our guys weren’t affected by it too much,” he said.
Wawasee improved to 2-4 in the NLC and 6-8 overall. The Warriors will play a conference game at Warsaw on Wednesday.
WAWASEE 7, CONCORD 4
C 103 000 0 – 4 9 2
W 101 410 x – 7 7 1
Concord – Jack Lietzan (L. 4IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, 3BB, 6K), Kaleb Sotebeer (1 IP, 1H. 1R, 1ER, 1BB 1K), Carson Kronemeyer (1 IP, 0H, 0R. 0ER, 0BB, 1K).
Wawasee – Blake Norris (2.2IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K). Josh Slabaugh (W, 4.1 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K).
2B – Quinn Miller (C), Gavin Barker 2 (W), Rylan Kuhn (W).
HR – Jake Diver (C)
Records – Concord 4-10 (1-6 NLC), Wawasee 6-8 (2-4 NLC)
Jake Diver’s two-run homer staked Concord to a 4-1 lead in the third inning, but Wawasee answered with a four-run fourth frame and went on to beat the Minutemen 7-4.
The come-from-behind win in Northern Lakes Conference play was something Warrior coach Brent Doty has been looking for from his team.
“I told the boys ‘good resiliency,’” he said. “They get the two-run home run to go up 4-1 and we could have folded right there.
“But there was tremendous resiliency from our guys; they stayed very positive and had good at-bats the whole time. Then to come back with the big inning to take the lead, and build on it from there was a big lift for us.
The big hit for Wawasee was Gavin Barker’s two-run double, his second two-bagger of the game, giving the Warriors a 5-4 advantage.
“He’s been swinging the bat really well,” Doty said. “He’s a senior, and we can count on him. He’s been there, he’s battle-tested the last couple of years, and he’s locked in right now.
“I wouldn’t want any other guy in that spot right now.”
Josh Slabaugh was the winning pitcher in relief of Blake Norris. Slabaugh allowed four singles in 4-1/3 innings, and retired the last eight hitters he faced.
“(Slabaugh) does what he does. He comes in, pumps strikes, had a good secondary pitch, and when he’s getting it over he’s very, very effective,” said Doty. “He works quick counts, pitches to bats and hopefully our defense plays well behind him, which they did tonight. I can’t say enough about Josh.”
There were few errors on a day with a very strong wind blowing straight out to centerfield and a few sprinkles from time to time. Diver’s home run was helped along by the wind, eliminating any chance of a highlight-reel catch at the fence.
Outfielders for both teams played deeper than usual to try and cut off any wind-blown line drives. Doty said he felt his team played well defensively in spite of the conditions.
“It was a tough day out there, because anything hit weakly is going to be a hit, and anything hit hard could potentially be an out because you’re playing so far back. But our guys weren’t affected by it too much,” he said.
Wawasee improved to 2-4 in the NLC and 6-8 overall. The Warriors will play a conference game at Warsaw on Wednesday.
WAWASEE 7, CONCORD 4
C 103 000 0 – 4 9 2
W 101 410 x – 7 7 1
Concord – Jack Lietzan (L. 4IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, 3BB, 6K), Kaleb Sotebeer (1 IP, 1H. 1R, 1ER, 1BB 1K), Carson Kronemeyer (1 IP, 0H, 0R. 0ER, 0BB, 1K).
Wawasee – Blake Norris (2.2IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K). Josh Slabaugh (W, 4.1 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K).
2B – Quinn Miller (C), Gavin Barker 2 (W), Rylan Kuhn (W).
HR – Jake Diver (C)
Records – Concord 4-10 (1-6 NLC), Wawasee 6-8 (2-4 NLC)
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