ELKHART – The Warsaw Tigers didn’t go quietly in their baseball finale.
The Tigers finished finished the season with an 8-20 record after a 4-3 loss to Elkhart Central in 10 innings.
The Blue Blazers walked off with sophomore Jared Miller hitting a single off right-hander Braxton Tennant to plate Derek Deal with the game-winner in the Class 4A Elkhart Sectional Saturday at Memorial’s Charger Field.
“We hung in there,” Warsaw coach Mike Hepler said. “We played a lot of gritty, tough baseball.
“We got out of a few jams that were not looking so good. Unfortunately, we could not get the win in the end. But that’s how it goes. I was real proud of our guys.”
The Tigers scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning with Luke Baker reaching base on a fielder’s choice and later scoring from third base on a dropped third strike.
Central responded with a three-run homer from Andrew Salmon (off right-hander Jordan Jones) to take a 3-1 advantage.
Warsaw pulled even at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning.
Alex Miller lashed a double to left field and Tennant followed with a double to right to plate Miller.
Tennant moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Luke Baker’s sacrifice fly.
Right-hander Salmon pitched the first seven innings for the Blazers and gave up five hits and three runs while striking out seven and walking two.
“He was good today,” Hepler said of Salmon. “He looked healthy. I know he’s been battling an injury.
“I would have been surprised if we didn’t see him.”
Central right-hander Miller worked three innings of two-hit shutout ball. Miller went on to earn a relief win later in the day as Central topped Elkhart Memorial 2-1 on Jake Shreiner’s walk-off single in the seventh.
Jones (5-8) pitched five frames and gave up five hits and three runs with one strikeout before giving way to Tennant (four-plus innings, one run, three hits, one strikeout, two walks).
“(Jones) was pretty good except for that one mistake to Salmon,” Hepler said. “It was a 3-1 pitch right out over the plate. He just drilled it.”
Warsaw had baserunners in seven innings and left six, including multiple in scoring position.
The Tigers also had one runner picked off in the seventh inning and another caught stealing in the 10th.
“We had chances,” Hepler said. “But I’m so proud of my kids. We had a rough season.”
Hepler was referring to a 1-7 stretch in the middle of the season when the bats went cold (48 of 53 innings were scoreless).
“It was a long dry spell,” Hepler said.
Rain played havoc with the sectional schedule. Originally, Game 1 (Goshen vs. Concord) was slated for Wednesday with Memorial vs. Northridge in Game 2, followed by Warsaw and Central in Game 3 Thursday.
It turned out that Game 1 was played Thursday, with only Game 2 being completed Friday, and Warsaw making the trip to Elkhart only to have the storms chase everyone home.
Three games were played Saturday. Game 4 was the Warsaw vs. Central contest, followed by Penn beating Goshen 10-6 and Central edging Memorial 2-1 to set up a Central vs. Penn sectional final, which Penn won 16-3.
Warsaw topped Central 9-8 in the regular-season closer.
ELKHART CENTRAL 4, WARSAW 3
(10 Innings)
W 010 002 000 0 – 3 7 0
EC 003 000 000 1 – 4 8 2
Warsaw – Jordan Jones (L, 5-8; 1K, 0BB), Braxton Tennant (6th; 1K, 2BB) and Bryce Sensinbaugh;
Central – Andrew Salmon (7K, 2BB), Jared Miller (8th, W; 0K, 0BB) and Tayler Holtzinger.
Hits: Warsaw – Alex Miller 2. 2B – A. Miller. Central – Ross Kirkton 3, J. Miller 2. HR – Salmon.
RBI: Warsaw – Tennant, Luke Baker. Central – Salmon 3, J. Miller.
Runs: Warsaw – Miller, Baker, Ian Glovosky. Central – J. Miller, Salmon, Holtzinger, Derek Deal.
