Raiders Keep Warriors’ NLC Streak In Tact

A six-run third inning was the culprit in a 10-4 Northridge win over Wawasee in Northern Lakes Conference baseball Monday night in Middlebury.

Northridge held a slim 2-1 lead until its outburst in the third inning. The Raiders touched up Warrior starting pitcher Nate Hare for the eight runs, seven of which were earned. Northridge (7-2, 3-1 NLC) cranked out 10 hits to Wawasee’s seven, but the Warriors were careless in the field, committing five errors on the night while the Raiders committed nary an error.

Hare would lead the Wawasee offense with two hits and an RBI while Kurtis Liston had a hit and scored a run. Gage Reinhard added an RBI for Wawasee, which fell to 4-7 overall and 0-4 in the NLC, which runs the Wawasee winless streak in conference play to 16 games. The next chance to break the string is Wednesday versus Plymouth.

Wawasee’s JV bats were hot against the Raiders in a 13-8 win. Wawasee scored four runs in the first and three more in the second before hanging a five-spot in the fourth. Harrison Shortill had a big game, homering at the dish and winning the game on the mound. Chase Rookstool added three hits for the Warriors, which move to 6-1 on the JV season.

Lady Warriors Nearly Pull Upset

Wawasee has closed the gap against NLC heavyweight Northridge in softball in recent seasons, and that trend continued Monday night in Syracuse.

Wawasee got to Northridge ace Haley Nixon, smacking 12 hits, but a game filled with 11 errors had the host Lady Warriors commit seven in a 12-11 Northridge win.

Northridge looked like it would cruise to a win, taking a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth before Wawasee exploded for seven runs and an 8-7 lead. Northridge and Wawasee traded runs in the sixth before Northridge scored four runs in the seventh, all but one unearned. Wawasee would plate two in the bottom of the seventh but could not find the twelfth run as the Class 4-A No. 10 Lady Raiders escaped to run its mark to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the NLC.

Wawasee, which fell to 7-5 overall and 1-3 in the conference, had eight of its nine players collect a hit and four had two hits. Cristina DeLaFuente and Amber Lemberg each had two hits, two runs scored and two runs driven in. Grace Grevengoed led Northridge with three hits and two RBIs. Brianne O’Dell had two hits and scored four times to aid Ridge.

Nixon was uncharacteristically wild. After winning 25 games last season, Nixon looked pedestrian in giving up 12 hits, walking three among seven strikeouts. Wawasee starter Lemberg gave up just three hits but walked six while reliever Meghan Fretz worked her second straight game and allowed just one earned run in over three innings of relief. The two combined for five strikeouts.

The Lady Warrior JV kept its undefeated season going in beating Northridge 5-4. Wawasee (8-0) scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead for good. Hannah Haines struck nine batters to pick up her eighth win of the year.

Wawasee will head to Plymouth Wednesday for its next NLC test.