Undefeated in Northern Lakes Conference play coming into Monday’s game against NorthWood, the Warsaw baseball team faced perhaps its biggest test of the season thus far. The Panthers were able to score three runs early and add a fourth late, which was just enough to take down the Tigers 4-2.
Starting the game on the mound for Warsaw was junior Zac Miller, who got down to business quickly in the top of the first. He’d start the game a little shaky, allowing his counterpart on the hill, NorthWood’s Mason Bogan, to get ahead with a 3-0 count, but he’d respond with three straight strikes for his first punch out of the game. He’d add another K in retiring the Panthers 1-2-3. Bogan would do the same in the bottom of the first, leading to a rather quick opening inning.
The top of the second proved to be a bit more of a challenge for Miller. NorthWood would load up the bases with just one out after an error, hit-by-pitch and a fielders’ choice juiced the bases without a hit being allowed. Oliver Nisen would make a nice play at first to get the second out, throwing home to Cohen Heady for the force, but a batter later, a wild pitch would allow NorthWood to put the first run of the game on the board.
Heady led off the bottom of the second with the game’s first hit, followed up by a walk to Hunter Dippon to put two men on with nobody out. A wild pitch would advance both runners into scoring position, but three straight strikeouts by the Tiger hitters would halt the rally in its tracks.
The Panthers would add on to their lead in the top of the third. Moments after getting out of a jam the inning prior, Bogan would lead off the frame with a double in the left-center field gap. He’d make his way to third and, as was the case in the second, would come around to score on a wild pitch. Miller would put two more men on via walks, but added two more strikeouts to his total to give it back to his offense.

    Warsaw senior pitcher Zac Miller makes a high kick during his delivery in Monday evening's home game against NorthWood. Photo by Gary Nieter

Warsaw began their third trip to the plate a lot like their second trip up. Wyatt Stapleton began the inning with a single into right, followed up by a walk by Khareus Miller. The pair would pull off the double steal to get into scoring position, but a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to center by Heady would once again end the threat without any runs coming across.
A leadoff single by the Panthers in the top of the fourth would be the end of the line for Miller, as he was replaced by Reed Nelson. The reliever would retire all three hitters he saw in the frame, but a sacrifice bunt followed by an RBI groundout by Nathan Shrock would make it three straight innings for the visitors putting a run on the board. Kellan Bailey and Austin Polk both added singles in the bottom of the fifth, advancing into scoring position on a groundout to second, but a rocket of a grounder to third by Stapleton was absorbed on a great play to hold the Tigers scoreless once more.
Nelson did well in the top of the fifth, his first full inning of work. Pitching around a one-out double, the junior struck out two and got a grounder to short to end the inning and keep the NorthWood lead at 3-0. Logan O’Malley was able to draw a walk in the bottom half of the frame, but that would be about it for the Tiger hitters. Quickly running out of outs, Warsaw needed to start finishing off its rallies, and soon.
Nelson would give his offense a chance with a flawless top of the sixth, striking out all three hitters he faced for his second straight scoreless inning. The Tigers were able to put together some great contact in the bottom of the sixth. Bailey crushed one that made it all the way to the warning track, but it was tracked down and caught for the second out of the inning. Polk was able to hit a double into the left field gap with two outs, but as had been the case all game long, the Panthers were able to escape unscathed with a ground out to second.
Quinton Brock was charged with keeping the score where it was in the top of the seventh, and he had to battle to do so. A single and an error by the first two NorthWood hitters of the frame would put runners on the corners, and for the third time in the game, a wild pitch would allow a run to come across. With just three more outs to work with, the Tigers now needed four runs to keep the game alive.
Facing a do-or-die situation, Warsaw would finally get onto the board. It started with a walk to Stapleton, and after a sacrifice bunt and a pair of walks, the bases were loaded. Heady would drive in the Tigers’ first run with a single into left, and an error with Dippon at the plate would keep the bases loaded and drive another run home. That would be all Warsaw would manage though, as a pair of flyouts in foul territory would end the game.
The Tigers (6-5) play their next game Tuesday night at home against Fort Wayne Carroll.