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Warsaw varsity softball coach Craig Helfrich said he's seen it before and that it can happen to any team.
Helfrich said he's seen it in the NBA, in high school softball, just about every level of sports competition. And it almost happened to his team Wednesday afternoon when it hosted and defeated Northern Lakes Conference rival Wawasee 3-2.
The third-year Tiger mentor is referring to a team winning an emotional game and having a letdown the next time out.
For the Tigers, that emotional win came Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Plymouth that stopped its 29-game NLC dominance.
"Any time a team comes off a huge emotional win they usually have some sort of letdown," Helfrich said. "We didn't have any excitement in the dugout and we didn't have it in infield practice. Just because we're first in the conference doesn't mean we can slack off. After last night (win over Plymouth) I'm not pleased with our effort."
The two-run seventh-inning rally over the Warriors last night moved Warsaw's record to 10-4 overall and 7-0 in conference action. Wawasee fell to 7-8 and 1-4.
Against Wawasee, the Tigers pounded out three singles and scored a run in the first inning and led by that score until the fifth inning.
And that's when things really began to fall apart for Warsaw.
Warrior senior Jennifer Mason, batting in the No. 6 spot, led the fifth off with a single. After Angie Weybright was fanned, catcher Candace Beer bunted, accounting for the second out, but advanced Mason to second. Laura Karns and Amber Ramseyer then walked and laced a single to center field. By the time the inning was over, Mason and Karns had scored, putting Wawasee ahead 2-1.
"Ramseyer did a great job in the lead off spot," Wawasee coach Bo O'Dell said. "She put the ball in play for us. We scored when we had opportunities. We just need to develop more opportunities."
Until their fifth-inning outburst, the Warriors managed only two hits.
Sophomore Ashley Wyatt went the distance for Warsaw, striking out eight, walking one and giving up four hits. Gingerich picked up the decision for Wawasee, pitching seven innings and striking out one and walking two.
Gingerich and Kathy Likens also had singles for Wawasee.
Junior Jacquie Burns led Warsaw at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI.
With Wyatt and Kris Kurosky on base in the seventh with one out, Burns hit a single that scored Wyatt to knot the game at two. Junior shortstop Amie Poling followed Burns' RBI single with a game-winning triple.
Poling finished the game 2 for 4 at the plate, with a double, a triple, a run and an RBI.
"Burns hit the ball well," Helfrich said. "Poling had a key hit to win the game. She was due to have a good game. We hit the ball hard, but at times it was right at them. I'm proud of the way the girls hung with it."
Warsaw will put its unblemished conference record on the line Friday in a game at Goshen.
"We beat them (Goshen) 10-0 earlier in the year, but we can't overlook them," Helfrich said. "Nothing's easy now. We have to come out and play seven innings. We're the hunted now. People want to beat Warsaw. Every time people play us they're gonna be ready to go."
Wawasee will be in action tonight at home in a rescheduled game with Concord.
WARSAW 3, WAWASEE 2
Wawasee 000 020 0 - 2 4 2
Warsaw 100 000 2 - 3 8 1
Wawasee (7-8) ab r h rbi
Ramsmeyer 2b 4 0 1 1
Gingerich p 3 0 1 1
Likens ss 3 0 1 0
Hymer 1b 3 0 0 0
Morgan 3b 3 0 1 0
Mason cf 3 1 0 0
Weybright lf 3 0 0 0
Beer c 3 0 0 0
Karns rf 3 1 0 0
Totals 28 2 4 2
Warsaw (10-4) ab r h rbi
Kurosky cf 4 0 1 0
Burns 3b 4 1 3 1
Poling ss 4 1 2 1
Himes 2b 3 0 2 0
Jones 1b 3 0 1 0
Overton lf 3 0 0 0
Colt c 3 0 0 0
Fribley rf 3 0 0 0
Wyatt p 3 1 0 0
Totals 30 3 9 2
E - Wawasee 2. 2B - Burns, Poling. 3B - Poling.
IP H R BB SO
Wawasee
Andrea Gingerich, L 7 9 3 2 1
Warsaw
Ashley Wyatt, W 7 4 2 1 8
