SYRACUSE - Using a solid effort on the mound from junior Chase Byerly, as well as an offense that pounded out 12 hits, Warsaw Community High School's varsity baseball team beat rival Wawasee 7-3 Wednesday.
One week after giving up seven hits and five runs in the first inning of a home game against Northern Lakes Conference power Northridge, Byerly was solid for six innings against conference foe Wawasee, giving up just four hits and two runs.His pitching record this season improved to 4-1, while the Tigers are now 9-4 overall and 6-2 in NLC action. Wawasee fell to 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
"The hit the ball," Wawasee coach Jeff Phillips, a Warsaw graduate, said of the Tigers. "Whenever they had guys on base, they were able to hit them in. We were able to put the ball in play some, but I'd like to see us do what they did."
Warsaw coach Mike Hepler, whose team also beat Wawasee 12-10 on April 14, would not comment after the game.
The host Warriors led 1-0 after the first inning, as Jose Rodriguez led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Chas Amadeo.
The Tigers took the lead by scoring twice in the second inning, and then later added two runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth.
Braden Kline and Josh Witt led the Warsaw offense with three hits each, while James Miglin and Kline each had a double for the Tigers.
Daniel Conrad and Byerly had two hits each for Warsaw, while junior pitcher Jake Goldenberg led the Warriors with two hits, including a home run.
Goldenberg cut the Warsaw advantage to 4-2 in the fourth inning on a home run over the leftfield fence.
Goldenberg picked up the loss on the mound for Wawasee, working all seven innings. He threw 149 pitches in the loss.
Dan Dingeldein and Josh Vallejo accounted for the other two hits for the Warriors, with each hitting a single.
Warsaw is in action again Friday, as the Tigers host NLC foe Goshen. The Warriors will entertain conference rival Elkhart Memorial Friday.
WARSAW 7, WAWASEE 3
War 020 230 0 - 7
Waw 100 100 0 - 3
Byerly (W, 4-1), Josh Ousley (7) and Braden Kline; Jake Goldenberg (L) and Dylan Wallace
Warsaw - Braden Kline 3 hits, 2B; Josh Witt 3 hits; Daniel Conrad 2 hits; Chase Byerly 2 hits; James Miglin 2B; Wawasee - Jake Goldenberg 2 hits, HR; Dan Dingeldein 1 hit; Josh Vallejo 1 hit
