Looking to stay on pace with the top of the Northern Lakes Conference, the Warsaw baseball team took to the road on Wednesday to take on Northridge. The Tigers scored first, but it was the Raiders who got on the board last, winning the game 4-2.
The lone hit for the Tigers in the first inning came off of the bat of Quinton Brock. He’d be a

dvanced to third, but made it no farther as a strikeout ended the inning. Warsaw hurler Brandt Martin retired the first two hitters he saw before giving up a double, but also got out of the inning without giving up a run thanks to a great play at third by Brock.
Warsaw found itself in a bases-loaded situation with one out in the top of the second, and the team was able to capitalize on the situation. The first run of the game came across when Rogan Bailey singled into right field to bring Hunter Dippon home. A batter later, a ground out to second by Wyatt Stapleton was enough to bring Oliver Nisen home from third, and just like that, the Tigers were up 2-0.
Now working with a lead, Martin was just as good in the second as he was in the first. He gave up a one-out single, but quickly erased it by getting the following hitter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

    Warsaw sophomore center fielder Grady Nelson makes a running catch during Wednesday evening's game at Northridge...Nieter

Grady Nelson came incredibly close to adding onto the Warsaw lead in the top of the third. On the first pitch of the inning, he sent a rocket into right field, but it was caught at the wall, feet away from getting over the fence. The Tigers put on a pair of runners in the inning, but were unable to put another run on the board. A 1-2-3 inning by Martin sent things to the fourth.
Their next time up to bat, the Tigers had another prime opportunity to put some more runs on the board, but let it slip by the wayside. The top of the fourth was the third straight frame that Warsaw left two runners on base.
It came back to bite them the next time Northridge came up to bat. The Raiders were able to use an error and two timely hits to score three runs in the inning to take their first lead of the game. Dom Ortiz drove in two of those three runs with a two-out single, forcing Warsaw to play from behind for the first time.
Dippon notched his second hit of the game, but nothing else of note happened in the top of the fifth. Martin settled back in when he retook the mound, working around a two-out walk to throw a scoreless inning.
Warsaw was able to put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the sixth as Bailey made it there on a one-out double, but he was quickly dealt with as a fielder’s choice a batter later resulted in him getting tagged out. After leading for a large portion of the game, the Tigers suddenly now had just three outs left to work with.
Their task became a bit more difficult in the bottom of the sixth, as the Raiders added one more run to their total with a two-out single by Kyle Walther. Another run almost scored, but a great throw by Bailey in left field followed by a great tag by Cohen Heady at the plate took out the second runner and ended the inning.
The Tigers were able to put the tying run on base in the top of the seventh on a two-out single by Heady. He would not make it any further than that, as Northridge was able to seal the deal a batter later.
Warsaw (7-5, 3-2 NLC) will host Concord on Friday.