ELKHART – Wild pitches. Walks. Errors. A lack of timely hitting. The things that haunted Warsaw’s varsity softball team all season did so again Monday, as the Lady Tigers fell 8-1 to Goshen in the opener of Class 4A Sectional 4 at Elkhart Memorial High School. Warsaw managed just two hits in the game and committed four errors, while the Lady Redskins pounded out seven hits, didn’t have any fielding errors and benefited from the Lady Tigers’ miscues. Goshen did most of its damage in the second inning, as the Lady Redskins scored four runs in the bottom of the frame despite just one hit. Goshen scored its first run on a bases-loaded walk, then scored twice on wild pitches and then on a groundout. “It snowballed on us today,” said Warsaw coach Kevin Dishman. “It was the same things that have plagued us all season. You have to throw strikes, especially with the wind the way it was today. I commend our pitcher, she tried her best.” Sophomore Abby Glass went the distance in the circle for the Lady Tigers, whose season ended with a 3-20 record. Warsaw and Goshen split during the Northern Lakes Conference season, with the Lady Tigers winning the first meeting 4-3, then falling 9-1. With Monday’s win, the Lady Redskins are now 8-20 on the season and will play Northridge today at 5:30 p.m. Northridge beat Elkhart Central 7-4 in Monday’s second game, which started and then was delayed by weather for five hours. Concord and Elkhart Memorial will square off in today’s second semifinal game. The sectional championship contest is slated for Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Tigers, who lost starting catcher Morgan Ashtari early in the game because of a finger injury, trimmed Goshen’s advantage to 4-1 in the third inning. Karly Jones ripped a one-out single for Warsaw, followed by walks issued to Glass and Sarah Shoemaker. Jones then scored on Lauren Shaffner’s groundout to second base. Saylor Bradley had the Lady Tigers’ only other hit. “I think the wind really affected our at-bats,” said Dishman. “There was a lot of movement on the ball at the plate today. It made their pitcher look a lot quicker than she actually was. Their pitcher threw a good game, but I think the wind really affected us.” Katie Atkinson got the win in the circle for Goshen. She struck out 10 in seven innings of work and gave up just the two hits and one run, despite walking nine Warsaw batters. The Lady Redskins tacked on three runs in the fourth inning and another in the sixth. Ali Nemeth, Emily Castillo and Atkinson had two hits each for Goshen. With Monday’s loss, the Lady Tigers bid farewell to four seniors – Sidney Hernandez, Taylor Stiver, Ashley Gamble and Jones. “The seniors did a really good job this season working with the younger players,” said Dishman. “Our younger players really improved a lot. I’m excited about that. The kids need to put in some good work in the summer, but I think we’re in a good spot. I like the kids we have coming back, and I like the kids we have coming in too.”
