PLYMOUTH – It started on time but it was a game that didn’t want to end as Plymouth fell in a 10 inning marathon affair with Wawasee at Bill Nixon Field by a final of 8-5.
It was a see-saw affair for both teams in all facets of the game as there were great plays, and great at bats mixed with some that you probably wouldn’t write home about. One thing that was fairly consistent was some pretty good pitching from both teams.
Plymouth starter Ezra Winkle went five, striking out four, giving up six hits and two earned runs. Reliever Jacob Deacon was just as good for four innings surrendering just one hit and one run but ran out of gas in the tenth giving up the three deciding runs on two hits.
Wawasee starter Kameron Salazar was just as good holding the Pilgrims to just four runs in seven innings of work walking just two. Warrior reliever Jacob Krugman was perfect in three innings getting nine straight hitters and striking out three to get the win.
“I thought Ezra (Winkle) pitched well and (Jacob) Deacon came in and got out of some things. We just made some uncharacteristic mistakes,” said Plymouth coach Ryan Wolfe.
“They (Wawasee) are a good ball club. We had some opportunities to put them away a couple of times and you have to give them credit, they hung in it in the middle innings when we got up 4-1,” he said. “Then they scored in four straight innings. We did some things defensively that we have to clean up against a good team.”
Plymouth scored two immediately in a four hit first inning and two more with two outs in the third on a home run by Matt Dobuck and back to back doubles by Thomas Dolan and Kam Vanlue. From there Wawasee took back the momentum.
Several key errors, both physical and mental led to opportunities that the Warriors were able to take advantage of.
Wawasee got their first run in the third when Tony Garcia reached on an error and scored later on a wild pitch. Two more came in the fourth on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch, and one more in the fifth on a throwing error.
The Warriors took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single by Logan Adkins set up by a passed ball and a wild pitch. Plymouth answered to tie with an RBI double by Jesus Luva in their half and there it stayed until a leadoff walk and a couple of misplayed bunts led to three for Wawasee.
“It was a back and fourth game,” said Wolfe. “They are well coached and we knew that. We didn’t take them lightly. We were ready we just made some mental mistakes that you can’t make in a close ball game. You’ve got to be in the spots your supposed to be in and we weren’t tonight.”
“We executed some things late in the game but we have to be able to execute those things like bunt defenses late in the game when we get in games like this,” he said. “We executed a lot tonight but give them credit they are a good ball club and they got us tonight.”
A loss by NorthWood to Elkhart Memorial keeps the Pilgrims in position to stay first place in the NLC with a win on Friday at Nappanee but it tightens the standings as the second round of play is about to start as Northridge now stands at 4-1 as well. The Raiders come to Bill Nixon Field on Monday.
Plymouth is now 8-3 and 4-1 in the NLC. Wawasee is 6-5 and 2-3.
•WAWASEE 8, PLYMOUTH 5 (10 inn)
at Bill Nixon Field
Wawasee 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 3 8-9-2
Plymouth 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5-9-3
WP – Krugman. LP – Deacon. HR – Dobuck (P). 2B – Woody (W), Dolan (P), Luva (P), E. Winkle (P), Vanlue (P).
