SYRACUSE – The Warsaw Tigers had it all going for them on Monday night: defense, hitting and two solid pitching performances to start and close the game. The potent combination led to a victory for Warsaw on a rival’s home field, defeating Wawasee 6-0 in Syracuse.

While it is just win number one in three tries this season for the Tigers, head coach Mike Hepler saw exactly what he wanted out of his team.

“The resilience was definitely there, our energy was there, our competitive spirit was there. But it is just one win but its a nice win, it’s our first win. This will help boost our confidence a little bit,” Hepler said with a smile.

The energy from the Tigers was noticeable from the first at-bat. Lead-off hitter Jason Ferguson singled to get the game going and was later batted in on a sacrifice fly from Shay Hepler. The quick start gave the Tigers a 1-0 advantage in the opening frame. Feguson would finish the day batting 3-4 and led all players with two RBIs.

Starting pitcher Forde Ness started his night off well on the mound as he retired three consecutive Warriors after walking the lead-off hitter. The lack of success that Wawasee had on Ness would be common throughout the game. Ness picked up the victory while giving up just one hit and striking out three in just five innings of work.

In the second inning Warsaw followed a blueprint similar to the one they used in the first. The lead-off man Tyler LaFollette got on for the Tigers and was batted around finally scoring on a passed ball at home plate. The Tiger sophomore had a great day at Warrior Field going three-for-four with an RBI and one run scored while also stealing two bases. The solid performance earned some respect from his coach.

“He’s a quality kid, that’s why he’s out there playing,” stated Hepler. “He can provide offense and is good defensively. He is a good player to have around.”

Tanner Balazs would also score in the inning on a sac-fly from Ferguson. The Tigers would strand two runners in both the third and fourth innings but managed pick up another insurance run along the way to extend the lead to 4-0 going into the fifth inning.

The Warriors finally settled down in the top of the fifth as they were led by Derrick Sorensen on the mound who retired six straight Tiger batters over the next two innings. Sorensen finished his day with five strike outs and three earned runs in his six innings of work and would take the loss for Wawasee.

The Warriors had a golden opportunity to get back into the game in the bottom of the sixth as Warsaw started the inning with Balazs on the mound, the juniors first ever appearance as a pitcher. After retiring the first batter, Balazs found himself in a hole with the bases loaded and just one out.

Hepler made the call to bring in Justin Oberlin to close out the inning and the move proved to be a great one. Oberlin got the Tigers out of the jam and retired four straight Warrior batters to seal the victory for Warsaw. Wawasee only tallied two hits for the game in facing three pitchers but left a whopping 10 runners stranded on base.

Hepler was happy for his team but knows there is still a long way to go in this weather-shortened season, “We had some kids that stepped up and hit the ball tonight, certainly not everybody yet but its still early. I’m sure we’ll get it turned around for everybody, that’s just kind of where we are at.”

Warsaw (1-2, 1-0) will look to stay in the win column as they travel to Akron Tuesday night to take on Tippecanoe Valley with first pitch set for 5:00 p.m.

As for the Warriors, first-year head coach Eric Screeton is still trying to see the passion from his players.

“We’re still a work in progress,” said Screeton. “I think you can see that out there a little bit. We do some things well at times and then it just seems to leave us at other times.”

Screeton would continue, “Some things that I talked to the guys about today was the way they took the field. We have to have effort and energy, there is no excuse for that. I don’t think we are handling that well. We’re not coming out here with our hair on fire, ready to compete on every pitch. We’ll continue to drill that with these guys.”

The Warriors (0-4, 0-1) will need that fire for their next game Wednesday night when they welcome in Elkhart Memorial to Warrior Field. First pitch is set for approximately 5:00 p.m.

In the junior varsity game the Tigers were also victorious, defeating the Wawasee JV 13-6.