Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON - All baseball teams know they have to do it, not allow the opposition to have that one big inning.
Wednesday night Tippecanoe Valley's varsity baseball team allowed Three Rivers Conference rival Oak Hill that big inning, and it cost the host Vikings the game.
Valley led 3-1 after four complete innings, but a potent Oak Hill offense and some costly Valley errors led to five Eagle runs in the fifth and an 8-5 win.
The win improves Oak Hill to 5-12 overall and 1-0 in the TRC; Valley falls to 8-8-1 and 0-1.
"You don't pitch well, don't field well, don't throw well, it doesn't matter if they're 0-20," second-year Valley coach Scott Backus said, "the other team is gonna win."
Down two runs, Todd Alter led off the fifth inning with a solo home run for the Eagles to make the score 3-2. Valley junior hurler Kevin Day then walked Ben Mann and Andy Heincker, both of whom stole home to give the Eagles a 4-3 lead. Catcher Trey Boswell singled and first baseman Pete Needler walked before senior B.J. Cunningham replaced Day on the mound.
Day pitched four innings, allowing nine hits, four runs, four walks and two strikeouts. His record fell to 2-2.
At the plate Day was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs.
Cunningham took the mound and gave up three hits and two runs to the first four Oak Hill batters he faced.
When all was said and done, Oak Hill sent 11 batters to the plate in the fifth inning and picked up five hits, five runs and a 6-3 lead.
Boswell finished the game 3 for 4 at the plate with a double, two runs and an RBI, while teammate Todd Harmon was 3 for 4 with a pair or RBIs.
The Eagles scored their first run in the first inning when Estrada singled in Andy Heincker. Valley took a 2-1 lead in the third when senior third baseman Drew Deardorff launched a two-out, two-run homer.
The Vikings took a 3-1 lead in the fourth when a single by senior Jeremiah Haney allowed pinch runner Scott Kindig to score.
"The first four innings we hit the ball well," Backus said. "When it came down to it we hit seven straight in the infield."
Phil Jackson finished the game 2 for 4 for the Vikings. Cunningham came in to relieve Day and finished his three innings on the mound with four hits, three runs, four walks and a strikeout.
Matt Reed went 4 1/3 innings for the Eagles, picking up the win with nine hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
OAK HILL 8
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 5
Oak Hill AB R H RBI
Mann ss 4 1 2 0
Heincker 3b 2 3 1 0
Boswell c 4 2 3 1
Needler 1b 2 0 0 0
Estrada lf 4 1 1 2
Reed p 2 0 1 0
K. Harmon 2b 2 0 0 0
T. Harmon rf 4 0 3 2
Alter cf 3 1 2 1
Sheedy 1 0 0 0
Totals 28 8 13 6
T. Valley AB R H RBI
Sausaman 2b 2 0 1 0
Jackson ss 4 1 2 0
Deardorff 3b 4 1 1 2
Shewman 1b 3 0 0 0
Backus c 3 1 1 0
Cunningham cf 4 0 1 0
Day p 3 0 2 2
Swanson dh 2 0 1 0
Haney lf 3 0 1 1
Mitterling rf 0 0 0 0
Kindig 0 1 0 0
Severns 0 1 0 0
Totals 28 5 10 5
Oak Hill 100 052 0 - 8 13 1
T. Valley 002 120 0 - 5 10 3
2B - Day (TV), Boswell (OH). HR - Deardorff (TV), T. Alter (OH).
Oak Hill IP H R BB SO
Reed (W) 4 1/3 9 5 2 2
Sheedy 2 2/3 1 0 1 2
T. Valley IP H R BB SO
Day (L, 2-2) 4 9 4 4 2
Cunningham 3 4 3 4 1
