SOUTH WHITLEY – In a classic baseball pitcher’s duel, the senior ace just edged out the sophomore for the win. But the ace needed some heroics at the plate to pull it off. Whitko senior Tanner Gaff pitched a complete game and drove in three runs including a game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning. Moments after Gaff’s big hit, Hunter Sroufe singled in the winning run in the Wildcats’ 4-3 walk-off win over visiting Wawasee Tuesday evening. Warrior sophomore Jacob Garcia, making his first-ever varsity start, effectively shut down the Wildcats for the first six innings, allowing one run on four hits in that stretch. The winning rally began after the Wildcats’ No. 8 hitter, Alex Bechtold, worked Garcia for a full count walk with one out. Pinch hitter Garrett Cokl, brought in for his power, was hit by a pitch. Landen Goff parachuted a single into short right-center field to load the bases, setting up Gaff. Garcia and Gaff battled to a full count before Gaff sliced his double down the left field line, scoring Bechtold and pinch-runner Robby Owsley to tie the game. Drew Bradford was intentionally walked to set up the double play, then Sroufe hit a soft liner to right for the game-winning single. “(Gaff) pitched a heck of a game, then got the big hit there in the seventh to tie it. It was a great job by him, and I’m glad we were able to reward him,” said Whitko head coach Eric Hisner. “I think we had him for all three (Wawasee) runs unearned, giving up just four hits and walking two. So he pitched real well today.” While the Wildcats were being held down by the Wawasee sophomore, Hisner said his team never gave up. “It felt like we were never out of the game; it seemed like we were always one or two at-bats away. When we’d get a guy on base we’d make a mistake or they’d make some good pitches or make a good play defensively,” he said. “I really like (Garcia); he did a great job. He mixed his pitches, he was around the zone, he competed really well. to go up against our ace and for a sophomore making his first start, I thought he threw the ball really well.” “They outplayed us for 6-1/2 innings, but fortunately the kids rallied and stuck with it. We could have folded it up, but the kids found a way. We had some good at-bats from the bottom of the order in the seventh; Bechtold gets a walk then Colk stays in on the curveball and gets hit by a pitch. That got the guys going and turned the lineup over. We got a break with that little bloop shot by Goff, then Gaff had the big hit there.” Wawasee head coach Brent Doty said he considered pulling Garcia in the seventh, but his young pitcher had performed well enough to earn the opportunity for the complete-game win. “I wanted him to finish; he had pitched such a great game,” Doty said. “It’s tough to take him out and go to a guy that’s cold and hasn’t thrown a lot, so I decided to stay with the starter. “It’s a good learning experience, if nothing else. To hold a good-hitting team like that down for six innings plus is a great job. I couldn’t be happier with him. He just ran out of gas a little bit at the end.” Wawasee has now lost twice this week in the opponents’ final at-bat, but Doty said some growing pains, while bitter in the here and now, can be expected with his young squad. “We’re still very, very young. We’re playing several sophomores, seeing a lot of time with them and some juniors that don’t have a whole lot of varsity experience,” he said. “We’re building so we’re ready for conference play and sectional, and playing good teams like Whitko is going to be a good test for us. It’s a good learning experience.” Wawasee (2-2-1) will travel to Columbia City for its next game, and Whitko (2-0) will host Lakewood Park Christian. Both games are at 5 p.m. Thursday. WHITKO 4, WAWASEE 3 Waw 210 000 0 – 3 4 1 Whi 001 000 3 – 4 8 3 Wawasee – Garcia (L, 6.1 IP, 4R, 4ER, 8H, 5BB, 5K) Whitko – Gaff (W, 7IP, 3R, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 9K) 2B – Garcia (Waw), Gaff (Whi) Records: Wawasee 2-2-1, Whitko 2-0
