![]()
It was a big night Tuesday for the Warsaw boys golf team.
It turned out to be an even bigger night for Tim Rata of the Tigers.
Rata, playing in the junior varsity match, shot an even par 9-hole score of 35 in a Northern Lakes Conference triangular at the Stonehenge Golf Club.
Rata’s score not only led the undefeated JV Tigers to a pair of wins, but was also the lowest score of the night for any player on the varsity or junior varsity teams. Rata was at three under par at one point Tuesday night.
The Warsaw varsity squad shot 158 to top both Northridge (162) and NorthWood (167) to move to 6-0 in NLC play and capture at least a share of the regular-season conference title.
Senior standout Jonny Hollar fired a 36 to pace the Tigers, who improve to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in league action.
Michael Jensen shot a 38, while Brandon Eckert came in with a 41, Ryan Cultice a 43 and Reid Cameron a 48 for coach Ben Barkey’s varsity squad.
Luke Morrison shot a 39 to pace Northridge, which is now 10-2 overall and 4-1 in the NLC. Alec Dutkowski led NorthWood with a 39. The Panthers fall to 7-4 overall and 1-4 in league play.
Rata’s outstanding performance helped the JV team shoot 172 to beat Northridge (185) and NorthWood (194). The JV Tigers are also 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the NLC.
Luke Johnson had a 41 and Jacob LaLonde a 42 for the Tigers in JV play. Sam Yeager shot a 47, Tommy Meier a 49, Luke Delp and Andrew Gauger each a 50 and Trent Rapp a 51.
Warsaw can complete an undefeated NLC regular season with a win versus Wawasee Thursday. The Tigers will face the Warriors at 5 p.m. at South Shore in Syracuse. The NLC Tournament is set for Saturday at the Meadow Valley Golf Club in Middlebury.
Concord Clips Softball Squad
The Warsaw softball team dropped a 12-6 final to Concord Tuesday night.
The host Tigers trailed just 2-1 after three innings in the Northern Lakes Conference contest. Concord then plated eight runs in the fourth frame to take control. Warsaw scored two runs in the fourth and three in the sixth.
Concord, which beat Warsaw 10-0 in five innings on May 1 behind a no-hitter from RaeAnn Miller, put itself in position to play for the conference title. The Minutemen are now 11-2 in the NLC and tied with Wawasee for the top spot. Concord plays at Wawasee Wednesday in the NLC finale. Northridge dropped to 9-3 in NLC play with a 7-6 league loss to Elkhart Memorial Tuesday night.
Karly Jones led Warsaw Tuesday night with three hits and two RBI. Jones had a double and a triple and scored two runs.
Ashley Gamble, Abby Glass, Sarah Shoemaker and Lauren Shaffner each had two hits for the Tigers. Glass and Taylor Stiver each had a home run and Shoemaker a double. Glass also had two RBI for the Tigers. Glass and Stiver pitched for Warsaw.
Kiley Austin notched the pitching win for Concord, now 18-4 overall. Austin entered the game in the second inning to replace Miller.
Warsaw, now 2-18 overall and 2-11 in the NLC, will host Elkhart Memorial Thursday and entertain Tippecanoe Valley on Friday.