Wawasee scores 4 in 3rd, goes on to beat Valley

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Noah Prater had two hits and an RBI, and D.J. Estep and Annikan Pettit also had two hits each, but the Tippecanoe Valley baseball team lost Wawasee 5-2 in a Class 3A,

Noah Prater

Sectional 21 quarterfinal at Jimtown Wednesday.

Markus Bernicky, Evan Myers and Braxton Davis each added a hit.

Estep also had two stolen bases.

Bernicky took the loss on the mound. He pitched the first three innings and allowed two hits and four runs while walking four and striking out three. Valley committed four errors which led to two unearned runs in Wawasee’s four-run third inning.

Wawasee scored again in the top of the sixth to make it 5-0. Valley scored one run each in the sixth and the seventh.

Cole Turner pitched the first three innings, and Grant Brooks pitched the final four innings for the Warriors.

Turner allowed one hit and no runs. Brooks allowed seven hits and two unearned runs while striking out nine.

Valley had a 9-6 advantage in hits, but Valley pitchers walked five while Wawasee pitchers walked none.

Wawasee improved to 11-14 and will play either Lakeland or West Noble in the semifinals on Saturday. The Lakeland-West Noble game was suspended due to rain in the second inning and will be resumed Thursday.

Valley finished 6-10. Valley has not won a sectional title since 2012.

Wawasee 5, Valley 2

Wawasee 004 001 0 – 5 6 3

Valley 000 001 1 – 2 9 4

WP – Brooks (4 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K)

LP – Markus Bernicky (3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)

XBH – (none)