Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON – Senior Alec Craig and the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings got off to a fast start Wednesday, and visiting Warsaw simply didn’t. The result was Valley scoring five runs in the first inning and cruising to a 9-2 win over the Tigers in the baseball season opener for both teams.
From the mound Craig got a double play from his defense to work around a pair of opening frame walks. Then leading off the bottom of the inning, Craig tripled and scored on Tanner Trippiedi‘s double.
Valley was aided by a pair of Tiger errors while sending nine hitters to the plate in the first inning.
Craig led off the bottom of the second inning with a line single to center and went to third on Hunter Early’s double to right-center. Both players scored on Liam Walters’ two-out single, and the rout was on.
Based on what he saw in pregame warmups, Valley coach Justin Branock said he wondered just how his team would perform out of the chute.
“Actually, the funny side of it is our pregame was about as bad as it gets,” he said. “We did not look good taking infield and outfield before the game started, and I kinda got into them a little bit about that.
“But at the same time I told them ‘I’ve been a part of bad infields that lead to good games, and good infields that lead to bad games.’”
Craig would up pitching five innings, and had moments of wildness in walking five and beaning Tiger catcher Bryce Sensibaugh in the second frame. Sensibaugh was unfazed by the thud of his helmet and promptly took his base.
Branock said Craig, Early and senior classmates Riley Weitzel and Keegan Larimer will set the pace for the Vikings as the season wears on.
“Alec jumps right out there and gets us a huge hit to start. I think this is going to be a team that as our upperclassmen go, the younger guys are going to follow. If those four seniors, if they can set the tone like that every day, and even our juniors, then our younger guys are going to follow.”
In the Warsaw dugout, coach Mike Hepler found he needed to pay starting pitcher Jordan Jones a visit after the Tigers surrendered the five first-inning runs before recording an out. From there, Jones struck out the side, but gave up the two runs in the second frame.
The Tiger coach gave credit where it was due to the Vikings, but was surprised his team got off to such a shaky start.
“I think we learned a lot today. It was good for us to be in a competitive environment and play a team that’s gritty and scrappy,” Hepler said.
“Hand it to Alec Craig; he really did a nice job on the mound. He changed speeds well, he swung the bat well, and he was about as much of a one-man show as you can have for a baseball team, and he really set the tone for the game.
“We made tentative mistakes, we made first-game mistakes, and we didn’t compete like I thought we would. I hope we can hit it better tomorrow. That’s what I told the guys; we gotta come out and be ready.”
Warsaw plays the second of four games in as many days today, hosting Huntington North in the home opener. Valley travels to Bremen for an 11 a.m. Saturday game.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 9, WARSAW 2
W 010 010 0 – 2 5 3
TV 520 101 x – 9 12 1
Warsaw – Jordan Jones (L, 3IP, 9H, 7R, 6ER, 1BB, 5K), Bowers (1 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 1K), Matt Shapiro (1 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 0K), Michael Nunez (1 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 1K).
Triton – Alec Craig (W, 5IP. 3H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 2K), Ethan Yates (2IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 0K)
2B – Adam Myers 2 (TV), Tanner Trippiedi (TV)
3B – Craig (TV)
Record – Warsaw 0-1, Valley 1-0.
Freshman Baseball
Warsaw 5, Concord 3
Warsaw – Jacob Hutcherson, winning pitcher; Gage Lyon 2-3, 2B, RBI, R; Tristan Grubbs 2-4, RBI.
