Warsaw Softball: Concord Clips Tigers
WARSAW – Warsaw softball coach Kevin Dishman loves the comeback nature of his team.
He just wishes that they didn’t have to feature the quality so often.
The Tigers rallied from an early deficit again Friday night only to end up on the short end of a 10-3 final to Concord in Northern Lakes Conference action.
The league loss capped a tough week at home for the Tigers. Warsaw went 0-3 with conference losses to NorthWood, Northridge and Concord on their home diamond.
The contest Friday night was originally scheduled to be played at Concord, but was moved to WCHS due to the landfill fire in Elkhart. Concord schools were cancelled Friday due to the nearby fire, which began on Wednesday. The two teams will meet again on May 15 with that game now being played at Concord.
Dishman believes hitting the road might be a good tonic for his team, which is now 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the NLC.
“I want to get on the road,” said Dishman Friday night. “Maybe it will relax us. It was a rough week at home.”
The Tigers, who will play their next three opponents on the road, simply could not avoid the big inning.
Concord, which had lost 4-2 at NLC foe Goshen Wednesday after a 9-0 loss at Class 4-A No. 1 Penn Tuesday night in which they struck out 21 times, used bloops and blasts Friday night. The Minutemen had a pair of three-run innings and a key four-run outburst in the fifth frame after Warsaw had rallied to tie the game 3-3 with three runs in the home half of the fourth.
“The crooked numbers are just killing us,” Dishman remarked. “They dropped in a few hits tonight that continued innings for them. But they also hit a lot of solid balls too.”
“Our girls never think that they are out of a game and did a good job coming back again tonight.”
Concord got three runs in the third to take the lead. The duo of Skylar Decker and Mayla Herman each had an RBI single in the frame.
Warsaw, which did not have a hit in the first three innings, responded in the fourth with three runs. The trio of Katie Anderson, Adara Frey and Riley Bloemendaal put together three straight RBI singles to tie the game at 3-3.
Concord answered the bell in the fifth to take the momentum right back. The Minutemen plated four runs with a two-run single by Katelyn Detwiler and an RBI double by Allison Kelly, both with two outs, the key hits. Concord then capped the game with three more runs in the sixth, including an RBI single by Hannah Bosewell and an RBI double by Skylarr Hartpence.
“Our approach at the plate tonight was not our best,” said Dishman. “We seemed tight. But Saylor Bradley is on fire for us. She’s stroking every ball up there.”
Bradley, the junior cleanup hitter for the Tigers, smacked a double. Six different players each had one hit for the hosts, who were outhit 11-6 in the game.
Sophomore Courtney Chookie took the pitching loss for Warsaw. The right-hander struck out six and walked four in going all seven innings.
Sophomore Skylar Decker had three hits and scored three runs to lead the offense for Concord. Senior Hannah Bosewell and junior Skylarr Hartpence each had two hits.
Junior Detwiler went the distance in the circle to get the win for Concord. She had three strikeouts and four walks.
Warsaw plays at Huntington North Saturday. The Tigers then play NLC games at Elkhart Memorial and at Wawasee on Monday and Wednesday of next week. Concord, now 6-9 overall and 4-2 in the NLC, hosts Wawasee on Monday night.