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NAPPANEE – Having dropped its last two Northern Lakes Conference games, the Warsaw baseball looked to get back on track against rival NorthWood on Tuesday night. Through four innings, the Tigers held a 2-1 lead and were on their way to snapping the skid, but a two-out rally in the fifth proved to be the difference, as the Panthers were able to escape with a 3-2 victory.
NorthWood starter Finley Miller began the game by striking out two of the four hitters he faced in the top of the first, with a one-out single by Spencer Love resulting in the only baserunner of the inning for the visitors. The bottom of the first was certainly more eventful, as a pair of hits and a walk loaded the bases for the Panthers with just one out. Fortunately for the Tigers, starter Mark Haynes was able to get the next two hitters out, but a run did come across on a sacrifice fly from Ryder Ransberger to put NorthWood up 1-0 after one.
Warsaw put two men on with two outs in the top of the second, starting off with a single by Jack Bradford. However, Miller was able to navigate through the pressure to end the frame with a punchout, his fifth strikeout in just two innings of work. The bottom of the second saw Haynes getting himself out of a jam as well, as he retired three of four after putting the Pather leadoff man on to keep it a 1-0 game heading to the third.
With the top of the order coming up once again in the top of the third, the Tigers were able to take advantage and even things up. Two batters after Love bunted himself aboard for his second hit of the night, Grady Nelson came to the plate with two outs and made the most of it. The junior unloaded on one that ended up one-hopping the wall, scoring Love all the way from first while Nelson ended up on third with a triple. The inning ended with him stranded, but Warsaw had tied the game at 1-1.
NorthWood very nearly jumped right back in front in the bottom of the third. Miller began the frame with a single, making it to third with just one out after a pair of wild pitches. The Panthers attempted a suicide squeeze to try and bring him home, but Drew Rains couldn’t lay down the bunt. With Miller still breaking for the plate, Bradford had an easy tag to put him out, and Haynes finished things off by generating a lineout a few pitches later.
The small ball continued into the top of the fourth, as the Tigers plated their second run of the game without a single hit leaving the infield. It started with a single in between second and short for Kael Miller, who was bunted over to second. After an infield single by Cash Espinosa put Kael on third, a picture-perfect bunt by Mason O’Malley was enough to bring him home and give Warsaw its first lead of the night.
Now pitching with a lead, Haynes remained dialed in to begin the bottom of the fourth, He worked around a one-out walk, retiring the side to make it three straight scoreless innings of work. The top of the fifth went by even faster, as the Tigers were retired in order for the first 1-2-3 inning of the game.
Warsaw sophomore Mark Haynes takes a big step towards the plate while delivering his pitch during Tuesday eveinig's game at NorthWood...Nieter
Haynes seemed to be rolling as he returned to the mound in the bottom of the fifth, as he retired the first two hitters he saw with ease. However, as he was a strike away from ending the inning, he hit the batter, and things imploded from there. The Panthers ripped off three straight base hits afterwards, including RBI knocks from Ransberger and Rains. The furious rally was exactly what the home team needed, as they were now up 3-2 and were six outs away from stealing a victory.
Warsaw responded well in the top of the sixth, as Logan Kim began the inning with a single. A sacrifice bunt put him into scoring position with just one out, but the Tigers were unable to find a way to bring him home over the course of the next two outs. With just three outs left to work with, the visitors would need some late-inning heroics to come away with a win.
Brody Heady took to the mound in the bottom of the sixth and pitched a scoreless frame to send it back to the top of the order in the top of the seventh needing a run to tie and two to take the lead. With two outs in the inning, the Tigers put the winning run on second base in the form of Quinton Brock thanks to a funky hop in the infield. However, that was as close as he’d get, as Miller shut the door for the Panthers with his eleventh strikeout of the night, handing Warsaw its third straight conference loss.
Warsaw is at Northridge on Wednesday.
