Looking to keep a six-game winning streak alive, the Warsaw baseball team had its hands full with Goshen on Friday night. Unable to hold on to a three-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, the Tigers needed a walk off hit courtesy of Cohen Heady to win 6-5, extending the streak to seven and keeping first place in the Northern Lakes Conference.
“Good teams find ways to win ball games,” Warsaw head coach Andy Manes said. “Our pitching has been great over this stretch and even though our defense let us down a bit today it’s been great over the course of this streak.”
Outside of an error that allowed the Goshen leadoff hitter to reach first, Warsaw starter Reed Nelson had little trouble getting through the first inning, using a pair of lazy fly balls and a strikeout to retire the side. The Tigers looked to have something going in the bottom of the first as both Logan O’Malley and Grady Nelson got in via one-out walks, but both were picked off of second and first base in a matter of minutes by RedHawk starter Ryen Diaz.
The first hit of the game belonged to Goshen’s Damian Castillo in the top of the second, as he roped a ball into left field. He’d reach second on the second Warsaw error of the game, but would end the frame stranded there as the elder Nelson kept chugging along. The home side would score its first run in the following half inning, as Cohen Heady led off the bottom of the second with a double that landed just fair on the left field line. His pinch runner, Logan Kim, would make it to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hunter Dippon and make it home on a sacrifice fly by Kellan Bailey to put the Tigers up 1-0.
Another single by Goshen and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position in the top of the third, but Nelson was able to use his third punch out in as many innings to end the threat and send his hitters back up to the plate. Diaz was able to respond well to the run her gave up an inning prior, retiring the Tigers in order to send the game to the fourth.
Warsaw found itself in some trouble in that next inning, as two untimely errors put runners on first and third with nobody out in the inning. But on the very next batter, a line drive found itself into the glove of Grady Nelson in right field, and the freshman fired in a tremendous throw to get a double play at home with the runner tagging up. His older brother Reed would add another strikeout to his total to end the inning and keep Goshen scoreless. A pair of singles by Heady and the younger Nelson in the bottom of the fourth didn’t produce anything, as the quick-moving game went into the fifth with the Tigers still up 1-0.

    Warsaw junior Reed Nelson sends the ball on its way to the plate during Friday evening's home game against Goshen...Nieter
It wouldn’t stay that way for long, as a one-out walk issued by Nelson would prove costly, as Goshen’s Braxton Cline would hit a double into left field that would score him two batters later. Cline would come around to score himself on an errant throw by Heady to second base attempting to catch a RedHawk stealing. Now, the Tigers suddenly found themselves trailing.
A pair of walks put Austin Polk and Wyatt Stapleton on base in the bottom of the fifth, but with two outs, a juggling catch was made in left field to retire Khareus Miller to end the inning and keep the visitors in front. Nelson was able to respond well after surrendering the lead in the fifth, going 1-2-3 in the sixth to keep it a one-run game.
“Reed was tremendous. If a guy can give us five innings and put us in front I usually am feeling pretty good,”
The bottom of the sixth was the inning the Tigers desperately needed. O’Malley and Nelson led off the inning with singles, which were followed up by a walk to Heady to load the bases with nobody out. That brought up Dippon, but before he could do any damage, a balk call put the tying run across for Warsaw. Dippon would do his job as well, singling into right field to bring two more runs home and give the Tigers the lead once again. TJ Edwards, who pinch ran for the junior, would end up scoring the fourth run of the sixth on a wild pitch to give the home side a three run lead heading into the seventh.
Goshen would not go down quietly. Using a leadoff double, a pair of errors and two more singles, the RedHawks were able to score three runs off of Bailey in the top of the seventh to keep the game going. The two costly errors for Warsaw gave them seven in the game.
Extra innings would not be needed. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Nelson drew a walk to put a runner on base. A wild pitch allowed the freshman to get to second, and in a risky move, he decided to take third. He would get there, putting the game in the hands of Heady. He would deliver, crushing a ball that made it to the left field fence to give the Tigers a walk off win.
“He’s one of our better hitters so in that situation there’s not many guys I’d rather see in that spot,” Manes said. “He’s been struggling a bit recently but there’s no better way to get out of a funk than clutching up for your team.”
Warsaw (13-5, 7-1 NLC) play on the road at Rochester Saturday. The Tigers took part in some extra fielding practice after the game.