Littlejohn's single lifts Valley to 8-7 win over county rival
Posted
Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
AKRON – Tippecanoe Valley High School senior Jarred Littlejohn saved his best at-bat for last Wednesday evening, and it led the Vikings to an 8-7 extra-innings win over county rival Warsaw. After going 0 for 3, only reaching base on a walk in the sixth inning, Littlejohn ripped a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored teammates Alec Craig and Luke Helton. Littlejohn’s only hit of the game gave the Vikings their only lead of the game, as they rallied from a 6-1 deficit and then later a 7-6 deficit. First-year head coach Justin Branock has seen his team win in convincing fashion, as the Vikings outscored their first four opponents this season 44-19, but Wednesday night he saw a different side of his squad. “Yeah, there’s definitely gonna be some games that are competitive, and we’re gonna have to fight to win,” said Branock. “Not every game is gonna be easy like a few of them have been this year. The biggest thing we talk about a lot is we have a good team, and we’ve got talent. When we get down we can’t blink and we can’t flinch. We’ve got enough good talent and we’ve got enough good players, that if we stay the course and stick with what we do and stick to our approach we can come back when we get down.” In a way, it was fitting that Helton scored the game-winning run and was able to redeem himself for an eighth-inning error that led to Warsaw’s 7-6 advantage. With one out in the top of the inning and Warsaw’s Ryan Marshall and Cole Baker on base via being hit by a pitch and a single, respectively, Helton let a grounder off Blake Foreman’s bat get under his glove at third base. Marshall scored on the play, and then Kevin Hawley grounded into a double play in the Tigers’ next at-bat. In the home half of the ninth, Drake Hyden led off with a flyout, followed by a Craig walk and a Helton single, leading to Littlejohn’s heroics. “Helton misses the ball in the last inning on defense, and then comes up and gets a big hit in the ninth,” said Branock. “I’ve know Luke a few years from coaching him in summer ball. A year and half ago, that play leads to a strikeout, but tonight he showed his maturity. His mindset is a lot different, and it showed with that hit that set up the game-winner.” With the win, Valley improved to 4-1 on the season, while Warsaw fell to 1-2. The Tigers hadn’t played a game in two weeks, and veteran coach Mike Hepler didn’t see any rust from his team. That made the loss tougher to take, as Warsaw scored a run in the first inning, another in the third and four more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. It seemed as if the Tigers were in control. “We wanted to give some pitchers a chance to pitch,” said Hepler. “We felt pretty good about what we had going in as our plan. We just didn’t get it done today. We all had opportunities. It isn’t like we’re putting the blame on any one person at all, it’s not anything like that. We had chances offensively ... we had chances defensively. We just didn’t get it done today. Good job by Tippy Valley for hanging in there and showing some poise in a tough situation, you know, down 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning and they come back.” Valley pounded out 10 hits in the win and left 11 runners on base. The Tigers had 15 hits and stranded 10 runners. Valley’s Garrett Bell, Eric Hammer and Hyden had the game’s only extra-base hits, as each hit a double. The Vikings scored one run in the second inning to tie the game, and later scored five runs in the sixth inning to tie the game again. Valley senior Austin Perdieu, who went to Warsaw as a freshman, sophomore and part of his junior year, was credited with the win on the mound. Perdieu, who also hit a single in the fourth inning, worked the final two innings, giving up one hit, one run and walking two. Hammer started the game on the mound for Valley, pitching six innings and giving up eight hits, six runs and two walks, while striking out six. Gabe Harlan worked one inning, giving up a hit and walking one Warsaw batter. The Tigers used five pitchers in the loss. Senior Kevin Hawley pitched the first five innings and gave up five hits and just one run to go with three strikeouts. Isaac Lenon then pitched 2/3 of an inning, followed by Jonathan Murphy for 1/3 of an inning, Marselo Rodriguez for two innings and Justin Kerschner for 1/3 of an inning. Kerschner was charged with the loss, giving up two hits and two runs in the ninth inning. “It’s tough to swallow for us, to lose this game when we felt like we were in control,” said Hepler. “We can bounce back. We know we’re better (than we showed). Like I told the guys, we can’t simulate that kind of pressure in practice, and that’s really good for us, to understand what it’s like to play extra innings. It’s just something you gotta go through, and to feel that tension, where every pitch kind of hangs in the balance.” The Tigers are in action again Friday when they host Columbia City, while the Vikings travel to Bremen Saturday for a doubleheader.
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 8, WARSAW 7 (9 innings) War 101 400 001 – 7 TV 010 005 002 – 8 Warsaw – Kevin Hawley (5IP, 5H, 1R, 0BB, 3K), Isaac Lenon (2/3IP, 3H, 3R, 1BB, 0K), Jonathan Murphy (1/3IP 1H, 2R, 0BB, 0K), Marselo Rodriguez (2IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 1K), Justin Kerschner (L, 1/3IP, 2H, 2R, 1BB, 0K) Valley – Eric Hammer (6IP, 8H, 6R, 2B, 6K), Gabe Harlan (1IP, 1H, 1BB, 0K), Austin Perdieu (W, 2IP, 1H, 1R, 2BB, 0K). 2B – Garrett Bell (TV), Hammer (TV), Drake Hyden (TV) Records: Warsaw 1-2, Valley 4-1
