Whitko Spoils Wawasee Home Opener With 9-8 Victory
April 12, 2023 at 1:32 a.m.
Whitko Spoils Wawasee Home Opener With 9-8 Victory
By Connor McCann-
With the wind blowing out, offense seemed to be on the menu for both clubs. It didn’t start that way though, as both starting pitchers, Ty Brooks for Wawasee and Isaiah Cripe for Whitko, were locked in to start the game. Both starts got through relatively drama-free first innings, striking out two hitters a piece in the process.
The visitors would get onto the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. After a leadoff single, Wildcat catcher Breyden Kirkdorffer would steal second and third before eventually making it home on a wild pitch. Not long after, first baseman Brent Bowers would rope an RBI single to put Whitko up 2-0.
It wouldn’t take long for the Warriors to come up with an answer. A leadoff walk to Dylan Stump would come back to bite Cripe two batters later when Gavin Malone would drive him in. A nice double play from the Whitko infield would end the inning and prevent further damage.
Wawasee would not have to take long to take its first lead of the game, taking advantage of Wildcat miscues to do so. With Kane Dukes and Brooks starting the inning on second and third with no outs after a couple of hits, both were brought home on a sacrifice fly from Hunter Fiedeke. The second run was able to score after a throwing error caused the ball to get away from the Whitko infield.
In the fourth, the control began to escape Brooks a bit, as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Bowers would drive in another run after both runners got themselves into scoring position. After an odd sequence that saw Brooks attempt to pick off the runner on first seven times in a row, Logan Hoffman would add to the lead with a bunt single.
Cripe would strike out the side in the bottom of the fourth inning but gave up some damage in between punchouts. The Wildcats held on to a one-run lead and extended it in the top of the fifth after Max Platt reached on an error and came around to score on a wild pitch. It would be the last inning Brooks would pitch, ending his day with five earned runs allowed to go with eight strikeouts.
Cripe would exit the game in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a couple of hits to lead off the inning. It would turn into the biggest frame of the game for Wawasee, as the Warriors would go on to plate three to retake the lead. Each team would score a run in the sixth, allowing Wawasee to hold onto its one run advantage.
In the final inning, trailing by a run, Kirkdorffer would be hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a couple of deliveries from new-Warrior pitcher Kaleb Salazar reached the backstop, Kirkdorffer stood on third base, just feet away from tying the game. Salazar would get the next two batters out before walking David Ousley and giving the intentional walk to Bowers to load the bases. With Cody Adkins pinch-hitting and the bases loaded, Salazar’s third pitch of the at-bat would stray just a little too far inside, hitting Adkins and allowing the run to come home.
The Wildcats weren’t done. In the next at bat, Hoffman would reach first on a bunt single for the second time in the game and bring home the go-ahead run for his second RBI of the day.
Wawasee’s Ryan Menzie reached on a single as the first batter in the bottom of the seventh but was unable to advance. Along with his stellar pitching line, Brooks hit two doubles and scored two runs for the Warriors. Stump reached base three times, scoring all three.
Whitko (3-1) plays its next game Thursday at Lakewood Park Christian while the Warriors (0-2) continue their home stand Thursday night against Columbia City.
With the wind blowing out, offense seemed to be on the menu for both clubs. It didn’t start that way though, as both starting pitchers, Ty Brooks for Wawasee and Isaiah Cripe for Whitko, were locked in to start the game. Both starts got through relatively drama-free first innings, striking out two hitters a piece in the process.
The visitors would get onto the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. After a leadoff single, Wildcat catcher Breyden Kirkdorffer would steal second and third before eventually making it home on a wild pitch. Not long after, first baseman Brent Bowers would rope an RBI single to put Whitko up 2-0.
It wouldn’t take long for the Warriors to come up with an answer. A leadoff walk to Dylan Stump would come back to bite Cripe two batters later when Gavin Malone would drive him in. A nice double play from the Whitko infield would end the inning and prevent further damage.
Wawasee would not have to take long to take its first lead of the game, taking advantage of Wildcat miscues to do so. With Kane Dukes and Brooks starting the inning on second and third with no outs after a couple of hits, both were brought home on a sacrifice fly from Hunter Fiedeke. The second run was able to score after a throwing error caused the ball to get away from the Whitko infield.
In the fourth, the control began to escape Brooks a bit, as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Bowers would drive in another run after both runners got themselves into scoring position. After an odd sequence that saw Brooks attempt to pick off the runner on first seven times in a row, Logan Hoffman would add to the lead with a bunt single.
Cripe would strike out the side in the bottom of the fourth inning but gave up some damage in between punchouts. The Wildcats held on to a one-run lead and extended it in the top of the fifth after Max Platt reached on an error and came around to score on a wild pitch. It would be the last inning Brooks would pitch, ending his day with five earned runs allowed to go with eight strikeouts.
Cripe would exit the game in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a couple of hits to lead off the inning. It would turn into the biggest frame of the game for Wawasee, as the Warriors would go on to plate three to retake the lead. Each team would score a run in the sixth, allowing Wawasee to hold onto its one run advantage.
In the final inning, trailing by a run, Kirkdorffer would be hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a couple of deliveries from new-Warrior pitcher Kaleb Salazar reached the backstop, Kirkdorffer stood on third base, just feet away from tying the game. Salazar would get the next two batters out before walking David Ousley and giving the intentional walk to Bowers to load the bases. With Cody Adkins pinch-hitting and the bases loaded, Salazar’s third pitch of the at-bat would stray just a little too far inside, hitting Adkins and allowing the run to come home.
The Wildcats weren’t done. In the next at bat, Hoffman would reach first on a bunt single for the second time in the game and bring home the go-ahead run for his second RBI of the day.
Wawasee’s Ryan Menzie reached on a single as the first batter in the bottom of the seventh but was unable to advance. Along with his stellar pitching line, Brooks hit two doubles and scored two runs for the Warriors. Stump reached base three times, scoring all three.
Whitko (3-1) plays its next game Thursday at Lakewood Park Christian while the Warriors (0-2) continue their home stand Thursday night against Columbia City.
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