Wawasee’s Kam Salazar watches his triple set sail Tuesday against Whitko. InkFreeNews photo by Mike Deak

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE – If Chavez Ravine was hosting the baseball game between Wawasee and Whitko Tuesday afternoon, the late arriving crowd might have thought Kam Salazar was brought in for relief work. Salazar was only getting stronger as the game went on, navigating a rough start to settle in for an 8-4 Warrior win over the Wildcats.

Salazar started the game on the hill, and after working out of a mini jam in the first, was the beneficiary of a five-run Wawasee tally in the bottom half. Salazar opened the inning with a walk, then beat the throw home on a Parker Young grounder. Lucas Ringler then ripped a two-run triple and Riley Turner added an RBI single to make it 4-0. Salazar then furthered his cause with a bases loaded walk to add the fifth run.

Wawasee’s Ty Brooks added an RBI single sandwiched by a pair of two-run Whitko rebuttals. Judd Traxlor had a solid two-run single in the second and Max Platt and Cade Berg chimed in with run-scoring contact.

As Salazar began to labor in the third, it looked as though his pitching day would come to an end. But that was about all the trouble he would find the remainder of the way, quietly finishing all seven innings on the hill, including a strikeout to end the game, his tenth of the day.

“That’s just a senior being a leader,” said Wawasee head coach Brent Doty. Salazar allowed four hits and walked three in the complete game. He didn’t allow a hit after the third. “I knew I could count on him. I told him after the game that was way more pitches than I wanted him to throw. But you get into situations in the game and looks like he is really struggling, then we’re out of an inning and still have the lead. He found that extra gear that sometimes you see seniors hit.”

Young also had himself a day, going 4-for-4, adding a double and a run in the sixth, and behind the plate, gunned down two Whitko would-be base stealers at second.

Ringler knocked in Young with a single in the sixth and scored two runs in the game and Turner chipped in another double and a pair of stolen bases.

“We saw Parker do this as a freshman and sophomore, working behind the plate like he does,” Doty said of Young. “He’s getting comfortable in taking on the pitchers and calling the games. He worked really hard in offseason work and summer ball, and he’s become our workhorse behind the plate. And to see him throw out two runners at second, that’s a testament to the work he is putting in.”

Wawasee moves to 3-0 on the season, Whitko drops to 0-2 as the regular season picks up for both clubs. Wawasee hosts Columbia City and East Noble to end the week and Whitko has four games to end its week, starting with a road date Thursday at Lakewood Park.