LaFollette's efficient pitching performance leads team to 4-0 win
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Rather than the sophomore that he is – all 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds of him – Warsaw’s Tyler LaFollette looked more like an experienced senior on the mound Wednesday evening. In recording his first varsity win, LaFollette pitched six innings, scattering six hits, striking out three and walking two, as the Tigers hosted and defeated the Wawasee Warriors 4-0. Warsaw, which beat Wawasee 6-0 in Syracuse on April 15, improved to 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Northern Lakes Conference. The Warriors fell to 3-9 overall and 1-6 in conference play. “He’s such a competitor,” Warsaw coach Mike Hepler said of LaFollette, whose efficient effort included just 76 pitches. “He’s very talented. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. Our sophomore class is loaded.” The Tigers wasted no time taking control of the game. Junior Brandon Shipp led off the home half of the first inning with a single and went on to score what turned out to be the game-winner as Warsaw plated three runs in the inning. The Tigers added their fourth and final run in the second inning. “They got after it,” Wawasee coach Eric Screeton said of the Tigers. “They got on the board early, their pitching was better and they were just crisper.” Warsaw pouned out nine hits in the win. Senior Shay Hepler and juniors Michael Miller and Caleb Moneyheffer had two hits each, while Shipp and seniors Jared Lemler and Jason Ferguson had one hit each. “We tried to pick our energy up,” said Hepler. “We want to come out with a lot of energy. We scored some runs early, and the guys made a lot defensive plays. The guys put forth a lot of effort.” Hepler said the big thing for his team right now is staying healthy and keeping his pitching staff fresh. “We play at Goshen Friday, and then host Bremen for a doubleheader Saturday,” said Hepler. “If you look at our schedule now, we have 11 games in 11 days. Our focus is staying healthy, and we really need to keep our pitchers fresh. Tyler only threw 76 pitches tonight. That’s the kind of outing we needed.” The Warriors tallied seven hits in the loss. Sophomore Drew Anderson led the way with two hits, while seniors Isaac Rigdon and Donovan Navarro, juniors Andrew Milligan and Nate Hare, and sophomore Bailey Yoder had one hit each. Senior Derrick Sorensen was charged with the loss. In three innings of work, Sorensen gave up six hits and four runs, while striking out one and walking one. Wawasee is in action again Friday at conference foe Elkhart Memorial.
