Flannery Powers Wawasee Past Lakeland
March 27, 2018 at 2:35 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Only one of them was an extra-base hit, and boy was it a big one, as Wawasee improved to 2-0 on the season with a 3-1 win over the hosts.
With her team trailing 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning, Wawasee junior Bethany Flannery blasted a two-run homer to centerfield off Lakeland’s Elise Edwards.
The shot, which also scored junior Faith Swihart, helped Flannery’s own cause, as she picked up the pitching win as well.
Flannery scattered six hits, struck out four, didn’t issue a walk, and gave up just one run in seven innings of work.
“She was big today,” Wawasee coach Mike Barger said of Flannery.
“Offensively, I think the only shine today was the two-run homer, but that’s what mattered the most. In the circle, she threw strikes and made them put the ball in play. That’s what we’ve asked from our pitchers ... we don’t have the blessed girls that throw 60 or 65 (mph) right now. We’ve got girls that throw strikes, and we’re gonna play defense behind it.
“We’ve made some mistakes, but hopefully we’re clicking on all cylinders in May.”
Flannery struck out Lakeland’s Grace Arend to get the third out and get the Lady Warriors out of bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, and then retired the Lakers in order in the seventh – all three on ground balls – to secure the win.
Lakeland, now 0-3, had six hits in the game, but was hampered by four errors.
Kylee Palmer had two hits for the Lakers and scored the home team’s only run.
Edwards took the loss in the circle after striking out 10, walking two and giving up just four hits.
One of her strikeouts actually proved costly, as Swihart struck out to lead off the fourth inning but reached on a dropped third strike.
Flannery then stepped to the plate and hit her home run.
To go with Flannery’s shot to centerfield, Swihart, junior Graceanne Kerlin and freshman Delaney Hare hit one single each in the win.
The last time Wawasee stepped off the field at Lakeland before Monday, the Lady Warriors won the sectional championship with a senior-laden team.
Wawasee advanced to the semistate and finished last season with a 25-4 record in Barger’s first year at the helm.
The Lady Warriors’ roster is vastly different now – with just two seniors on a varsity team that includes seven freshmen, four of whom were in the starting lineup Monday night.
The common theme in the first two games of the season has been that the young Lady Warriors overcame some early-season mistakes and deficits and found a way to win.
In the season opener Friday, a 4-3 win over Westview, Wawasee rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning.
“I talked last Friday when we played, it’s the mix that we have,” Barger said of his team. “We’ve got a couple seniors out here, we’ve got a couple juniors, a couple sophomores, and then some freshmen.
“It’s just a good mix of leadership from our senior class, and the junior class just kind of taking these girls under their wings and saying, ‘listen girls, you guys have played the game, you just gotta play it his way.’
“They’re starting to learn, and I think that’s what it’s going to be, every game is going to be a learning curve. I told them just now, ‘if you continue to play these games this close, I’m not gonna be around for the whole season, I’ll have a heart attack by then.’
“We’ve got to start off aggressive right off the bus, not wait until we’re down.”
The Lady Warriors are in action again today at West Noble, and then host Elkhart Central Thursday before taking time off for spring break.
Both games are slated for a 5 p.m. start.
WAWASEE 3, LAKELAND 1
W 000 200 1 – 3 4 2
L 100 000 0 – 1 6 4
Wawasee – Beth Flannery (W, 7IP, 6H, 1R, 0BB, 4K); Lakeland – Elise Edwards (L, 7IP, 4H, 3R, 2BB, 10K)
HR – Flannery (Wawa)
Records: Wawasee 2-0, Lakeland 0-3
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Only one of them was an extra-base hit, and boy was it a big one, as Wawasee improved to 2-0 on the season with a 3-1 win over the hosts.
With her team trailing 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning, Wawasee junior Bethany Flannery blasted a two-run homer to centerfield off Lakeland’s Elise Edwards.
The shot, which also scored junior Faith Swihart, helped Flannery’s own cause, as she picked up the pitching win as well.
Flannery scattered six hits, struck out four, didn’t issue a walk, and gave up just one run in seven innings of work.
“She was big today,” Wawasee coach Mike Barger said of Flannery.
“Offensively, I think the only shine today was the two-run homer, but that’s what mattered the most. In the circle, she threw strikes and made them put the ball in play. That’s what we’ve asked from our pitchers ... we don’t have the blessed girls that throw 60 or 65 (mph) right now. We’ve got girls that throw strikes, and we’re gonna play defense behind it.
“We’ve made some mistakes, but hopefully we’re clicking on all cylinders in May.”
Flannery struck out Lakeland’s Grace Arend to get the third out and get the Lady Warriors out of bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, and then retired the Lakers in order in the seventh – all three on ground balls – to secure the win.
Lakeland, now 0-3, had six hits in the game, but was hampered by four errors.
Kylee Palmer had two hits for the Lakers and scored the home team’s only run.
Edwards took the loss in the circle after striking out 10, walking two and giving up just four hits.
One of her strikeouts actually proved costly, as Swihart struck out to lead off the fourth inning but reached on a dropped third strike.
Flannery then stepped to the plate and hit her home run.
To go with Flannery’s shot to centerfield, Swihart, junior Graceanne Kerlin and freshman Delaney Hare hit one single each in the win.
The last time Wawasee stepped off the field at Lakeland before Monday, the Lady Warriors won the sectional championship with a senior-laden team.
Wawasee advanced to the semistate and finished last season with a 25-4 record in Barger’s first year at the helm.
The Lady Warriors’ roster is vastly different now – with just two seniors on a varsity team that includes seven freshmen, four of whom were in the starting lineup Monday night.
The common theme in the first two games of the season has been that the young Lady Warriors overcame some early-season mistakes and deficits and found a way to win.
In the season opener Friday, a 4-3 win over Westview, Wawasee rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning.
“I talked last Friday when we played, it’s the mix that we have,” Barger said of his team. “We’ve got a couple seniors out here, we’ve got a couple juniors, a couple sophomores, and then some freshmen.
“It’s just a good mix of leadership from our senior class, and the junior class just kind of taking these girls under their wings and saying, ‘listen girls, you guys have played the game, you just gotta play it his way.’
“They’re starting to learn, and I think that’s what it’s going to be, every game is going to be a learning curve. I told them just now, ‘if you continue to play these games this close, I’m not gonna be around for the whole season, I’ll have a heart attack by then.’
“We’ve got to start off aggressive right off the bus, not wait until we’re down.”
The Lady Warriors are in action again today at West Noble, and then host Elkhart Central Thursday before taking time off for spring break.
Both games are slated for a 5 p.m. start.
WAWASEE 3, LAKELAND 1
W 000 200 1 – 3 4 2
L 100 000 0 – 1 6 4
Wawasee – Beth Flannery (W, 7IP, 6H, 1R, 0BB, 4K); Lakeland – Elise Edwards (L, 7IP, 4H, 3R, 2BB, 10K)
HR – Flannery (Wawa)
Records: Wawasee 2-0, Lakeland 0-3
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