Following his team's game at Northern Lakes Conference rival Warsaw Wednesday, Wawasee baseball coach John Blunk had nothing but good things to say about the host Tigers.
He called them "a hell of a team." He said they were deserving of their Class 4A No. 8 ranking.Credit Wawasee too, as it was the Warriors who beat the state-ranked Tigers 4-1.
"This is a big win for us," Blunk said of his team, which improved to 10-4-1 overall and 4-3 in conference play. "Warsaw is a hell of a team, and they're deserving of their No. 8 ranking."
The loss ended Warsaw's win streak at seven games and dropped the Tigers to 13-3 overall and 5-2 in the NLC.
"We knew we had to be aggressive," said Blunk. "(James) Miglin threw a great game for them. We did the little things, we bunted, we stole bases. This is a great win for us. I'm very proud of this team."
Miglin, a junior, pitched all seven innings for Warsaw, striking out 14 Wawasee batters and giving up just four hits.
The Tigers didn't provide him with any run support to speak of, however, and Wawasee senior pitcher Jacob Goldenberg was equally impressive on the mound.
Wawasee's left-handed ace struck out 13 Warsaw batters and gave up just three hits, as the Warriors scored a rare-win over the conference-leading Tigers.
Blunk, Wawasee's long-time coach who returned to the bench this year after a five-year hiatus, couldn't remember exactly when the Warriors last beat the Tigers.
"They played well," Warsaw coach Mike Hepler said of Wawasee. "Goldenberg pitched well. I like his approach on the mound, he's very aggressive. They got us on our heels. They got hits when they needed them, and that was the difference in the game. We swung through pitches and they got hits."
All three of Warsaw's hits were singles.
Of Wawasee's four hits, three were doubles, as seniors Jose Rodriguez and Hayden Shock and sophomore Cody Blunk each had an extra-base hit. Rodriguez also had a single.
Blunk hit his RBI double in the seventh inning, giving the Warriors an insurance run as teammate Si Shear crossed the plate.
"I know he's my kid, but I'm really happy for Cody," said Blunk. "That was his first extra-base hit of the year. And it gave us that extra run, that was big."
With his team leading 4-1, Goldenberg struck out all three Warsaw batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh inning as he fanned senior Chris Utley, junior Tom Daniels and senior Nate Daughenbaugh.
"It's been a while since they've beat us," Hepler said of Wawasee. "John has done a great job with them, they've improved a lot. Their seniors are good, they've been playing varsity for four years. They do a nice job for them."
Warsaw won't have to wait long - weather permitting - to play the Warriors again. Because their first game this season was reschedule, the two rivals are slated to play again today in Syracuse at 5 p.m.
"We just need to clear our memory, come out and be more aggressive," said Hepler. "The good thing is we don't have to wait long to play them again."
Warsaw took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning Josh Witt made it all the way to third on an error, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Miller.
The Warriors took the lead by scoring two runs in the fifth and then added one run in the sixth and seventh innings.
