Wawasee Rallies Late For Win Over TigersSYRACUSE — After trailing for most of the game, the Wawasee Warriors rallied to an 8-7 victory Monday night against the Warsaw Tigers.
Faith Swihart’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth capped off a miraculous comeback against the rival Tigers.
Warsaw dominated for the first five innings of the game. Entering the sixth, the Tigers held a 7-2 lead and had allowed only two hits. Senior pitcher Courtney Chookie had five strikeouts in five innings, and Wawasee’s only runs had come on an error and a sacrifice bunt.
The Tigers’ offense was also clicking against Wawasee starter Bethany Flannery, who allowed four runs on three hits in the first two innings. Katie Anderson scored twice in the first two frames, with Carmen Albertson and Avery Sleeth also rounding the bases for the Tigers.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the game appeared to be over. However, a Delaney Hare RBI single provided just the spark the Warriors needed. The single was followed by a Graceanne Kerlin home run, which cut the deficit to 2. A walk, single and Warsaw error set up the game-winning RBI from Swihart. Wawasee recorded four hits — double its amount from the other five innings.
Kiaundra Olson was vital to the Warriors’ comeback, and she got the win to show for it. With his team trailing 4-0 after two innings, Wawasee manager Mike Barger decided a change was necessary at the mound. Olson rewarded her coach with an excellent game. In five innings, she allowed only three Warsaw runs on four hits, striking out five and walking two. Between Flannery and Olson, the Warriors recorded nine strikeouts on the day.
Chookie played well despite the sixth inning collapse. She pitched the entire game, finishing with five strikeouts and three walks. Most of the Wawasee scoring was due to other gaps in the Tiger defense. The Tigers finished the game with six errors, four of which came in the fateful final inning. Of the eight Wawasee runs, only one came without help from an error or walk.
Warsaw’s offense played well but was unable to build a large enough lead. Anderson and Sleeth both finished with two runs. Albertson and senior Hailey Locke also recorded runs for the Tigers. Anderson, Bradley, Chookie and junior Isabelle Ditmar all recorded RBIs on the game.
While Wawasee struggled for much of the game, their offense starred when it needed to. Faith Swihart led the game with three RBIs, including the game winner. Olivia Stuck and Olson both scored two runs in the game, including one each during the sixth frame. Kerlin’s center field home run was the highlight of the game, and she finished with two RBIs.
In the junior varsity game, Warsaw scored in each of the first four innings, including a six-run fourth, and cruised to a 15-5, five-inning win over the Warriors.
Wawasee (4-4) will host Northwood on Friday at 5 p.m. Warsaw (2-4) will look to bounce back Tuesday in Columbia City at 5 p.m.
