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At this point of the season, it is just a matter of advancing. There are no style points, no extra credit for playing well. Warsaw, the defending sectional champs, just wants to keep winning.
Good thing.
The Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead against Central Noble Wednesday and put things in cruise control in a 9-3 win in the second game of the Warsaw Sectional at Tiger Field.
Warsaw got the big lead and was able to hold on not because of what it did, but more because what the Cougars could not do.
"We have done this before, gotten off to this kind of offensive start," Warsaw coach Will Shepherd said. "Then our game deteriorates a little bit. We have done it a number of times. I told the kids after the first inning to not let it happen again, but it did.
"We let our play go down," he said. "That is a lack of concentration. We can't play that kind of baseball and expect to advance on Saturday."
The win did what it is supposed to at this point in the season - allowed the Tigers to advance. They now face a third game against Wawasee on Saturday at noon. The Warriors have had Warsaw's number both times this season.
"We played well enough to win, and that is all you need at this time because the next time you lose, you are turning in uniforms, and nobody wants to do that," Shepherd said.
Central Noble starter Don Ebey allowed seven runs in only one-third of an inning of work. Ebey walked two of the first three batters he faced and gave up singles to Pat Riley, Jason Barrett, Andy Holst, Jason Stanley and Craig Lankford to help account for the seven runs.
After that, the Tiger offense was pretty quiet expect for a two-run home run by Evan Miller in the fourth inning. After getting five hits in the opening frame, Warsaw managed only two more the rest of the game.
Cougar reliever Ryan Weber really did a number on the Tigers with four strikeouts in two innings of work, utilizing a nasty split fingered fastball that had the Warsaw batters swinging at balls in the dirt.
"Early on in the game, we did have some good hacks," Shepherd said. "We have some guys still stinging the ball. We are going to need all the offense we can muster against Wawasee."
Warsaw freshman starter Craig Lankford, making his first postseason start, had mixed results with seven hits, five walks and five strikeouts.
"Craig Lankford didn't have his best stuff after having three outings in a row where he was really good," Shepherd said. "But he battled. He wasn't sharp. But here he is a freshman, and I am asking him to go out there and pitch four games in a row like that. He kept us in the game when he got a big lead."
Offense will not come easy against Wawasee, especially since the Tigers will be facing Rod Holterman again. The Warriors' left-hander has a 9-3 record this season with a 1.30 earned-run average and has handled Warsaw both times he has faced the Tigers.
"We didn't find an answer to him (Holterman) all year," Shepherd said. "We had one big swing against him that put us ahead in one game. He has done a great job against us. We have to two days to figure out how to do it. He is a heck of a pitcher. We have our work cut out for us.
"The other night I was impressed with the way Columbia City hit Holterman," he said about the sectional first round on Tuesday. "It wasn't like he had a 10-, 12- or 14-strikeout night against them. They hit the ball, and Wawasee had to play defense behind him, which they did."
Warsaw (13-15) faces Wawasee (17-11) at noon, right after Whitko and Churubusco square off at 9:30 a.m. The championship is set for 4:30 p.m.
