ELKHART – In their second matchup in a week, the Elkhart Central softball team defeated Warsaw 2-0 in the opening round of the Elkhart Memorial Sectional on Tuesday.
The Lady Blazers beat Warsaw 9-5 on May 15.
The game featured a stellar pitchers duel and showcased some great defensive plays.
In the circle, Central senior Lillian Fann was in control all game and mixed in change ups that had Warsaw fooled on a couple occasions.
Fann had an unusual pitching motion that made it difficult for the Lady Tigers to adjust to.
“A lot of the girls said something about her delivery,” said Warsaw coach Kevin Dishman. “It kind of messed them up a bit.”
Fann didn’t allow a runner to get on base until the fifth inning. Warsaw freshman Lindsay Bradley led the inning off with a single, but was stranded. Fann bounced back and retired the next three batters in order to end the threat.
Fann allowed one runner to reach base in both the sixth and seventh innings. Junior Courtney Chookie ripped a double in the seventh inning to start a two-out rally, but it was too late. Fann gave up just two hits and one walk. She struck out three and faced 24 batters, just three more than the minimum in seven innings of work.
Warsaw’s Chookie and her defense made the Lady Blazers work for their two runs in the game. The Lady Tigers didn’t commit a error in the contest.
After breezing through Central’s order the first time, Chookie had a poor two-batter sequence that showed to be the difference. She walked senior Sabryna Stanley with two outs, and then cleanup hitter senior Abigail Tyler, who homered in last week’s game, made her pay. Chookie hurled a pitch that caught most of the plate and Tyler crushed it over the left-field fence for a go-ahead, two-run home run.
“She got it up and away and that’s where (Tyler) liked it,” said Dishman. “(Courtney) knew it was the wrong pitch and knew it was a mistake.”
Chookie relaxed after the home run, struck out the next two batters and went 1-2-3 in the fourth and fifth innings to quiet Central’s offense. In the sixth and seventh innings, she faced four batters in each inning to keep the deficit at two.
Chookie gave up five hits, two earned runs and five walks while striking out five Central batters.
Stanley shined in center field for the Lady Blazers. She made a diving catch and an over the shoulder catch in deep center to prevent Warsaw from getting on base.
Warsaw’s Emali Grose had a diving catch in center field of her own to help Chookie.
Tyler finished with two hits to lead Central.
Warsaw graduates two seniors and brings back a lot of experience to next year’s team.
“We have a strong group of girls coming in next year,” said Dishman.
The Lady Blazers play Goshen tonight in the semifinal round of the sectional.
ELKHART CENTRAL 2, WARSAW 0
EC 002 000 0 – 2 5 0
W 000 000 0 – 0 2 0
Warsaw – Courtney Chookie (L, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 5BB, 5K)
