SYRACUSE – Whitko’s varsity baseball team hit Wawasee pitching hard in the first inning, but couldn’t make an early lead stand up in an 8-7 loss to the host Warriors Tuesday. The Wildcats sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run first inning. Landen Goff’s three-run homer highlighted the frame, and Whitko tacked on another run after the blast. Wawasee got some help from Whitko in getting five of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. Gage Reinhard started the rally with a triple, then Caleb Dingeldein and Harrison Shortill drew four-pitch walks. Chase Rookstool drove in the first two Wawasee runs with a single. Three Wildcat errors later in the frame either allowed runners to advance after a base hit or extend the inning. The Warriors tied the game in the second when Reinhard led off with a single, stole second and scored on Shortill’s single to right. “I think the key to the game was we get up 6-0, and we get the great start. If we come out and shut them down, or hold them to one or two then the momentum changes completely,” Whitko head coach Erik Hisner said. “But when they got five they were right back in the game. When they tied it in the second, then it’s like ‘OK, the game is on.’ “Early on, momentum was huge. Offensively we were really good. We’ve got to come out and compete better on the mound. There’s no reason for us to come out and walk two guys, and then get behind two others. I think we had a 10-pitch sequence where we didn’t even throw a strike. When you give teams free bases, you’re a couple of hits away from being 6-5 instead of being 6-1 or 6-2.” Whitko regained the lead in the third on Tanner Gaff’s sacrifice fly, plating Hunter Sroufe. The home team took the lead in the fourth. Reinhard led off by reaching on an error, and Dingeldein was hit by a pitch. Reinhard advanced to third on a flyout, and scored when ball four to Rookstool got away from the catcher. Andrew Wright then singled to left, scoring Dingeldein. Sam Rookstool relieved Wawasee starting pitcher Shortill to open the fourth, and was in some trouble. Whitko threatened to tie the game in the sixth, but leftfielder Kurtis Liston made a nearly perfect throw to get Zach Snep at the plate. “I’m always jabbing (Sam), telling him he doesn’t have much of an arm. But he showed it off right there,” Wawasee head coach Brent Doty said. “It was a great throw. “You can’t say enough about Sam Rookstool right now. He comes in and shuts the door. After Harrison struggled a little bit early, we needed someone to come in and pick us up a little bit. And Harrison for that matter, after the first inning he shut them down. “But Sammy Rook, you can’t say enough. He comes in, throws strikes, and did a great job for us.” Whitko threatened again in the seventh. Sroufe drew a one-out, four-pitch walk, and after two outs he stole second. Sroufe advanced to third on an infield single from Tanner Hughes, but was left stranded when Alex Bechtold, after grounding to third, had to be tagged out by first baseman Shortill on a nifty defensive play. “Defense has to be a priority for us. We coach our pitchers to throw strikes and put the ball in play,” Doty said. “Hopefully our defense is going to be good enough to get the job done. We have lately, but we have a couple of things we need to clean up here and there. “But it’s a veteran group; you don’t have to say too much to them. They’re a veteran group that knows how to play and get the job done.” Whitko takes a 4-3 mark into today’s home game with Norwell. Wawasee remains unbeaten at 4-0 and hosts Columbia City Thursday.
