MISHAWAKA — Elkhart Central and Penn walked off the grass Thursday, May 24 at Jordan Automotive Group Field with their baseball seasons still alive.

Goshen and Warsaw saw their 2018 campaigns come to a close in the IHSAA Class 4A Penn Sectional baseball tournament.

The Blue Blazers (18-8) topped the RedHawks (17-9) by a 4-2 score in the first game and the No. 4-ranked Kingsmen (25-4) blanked the Tigers (6-17) in the nightcap.

The semifinals are slated for Saturday, May 26 — Elkhart Memorial vs. Northridge at 10 a.m., followed by Central against Penn. The championship is slated at 11 a.m. Monday, May 28. 

Elkhart Central 4, Goshen 2

 “We kind of got three gift runs in the first inning,” said Central coach Steve Stutsman. “We just put the ball in play and we’re able to squeak through.

We didn’t hit the ball hard in the first inning. In the middle inning, we hit the ball real hard right at people. That’s baseball.”

Blazers junior right-hander Jared Shreiner (6-2; 6 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher. Junior right-hander Brycen Sherwood (1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout) picked up the save.

Goshen senior right-hander Joey Peebles (4-4; 5 innings, 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts) aborbed the loss. Senior righty Phil Wertz (1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts) finished on the mound for the RedHawks.

Peebles socked the first pitch from Shreiner in the top of the seventh over the fence in left for a home run to cut the gap to 4-2.

It was the 108th pitch of the game for Shreiner. That’s when Sherwood replaced Shreiner on the bump.

After surrendering a single to right by junior Tyler Colpitts, Sherwood recorded a strikeout, walk and then induced a fly to junior left fielder Brennan Harrington and soft liner to junior second baseman Jared Miller to nail down the win.

Wertz, who started at catcher, took the mound for Goshen at the start of a Central scoreless sixth.

The new RedHawks catcher — junior Drew Marlow — threw out a Central runner at second base.

Junior Austin Bontrager spanked a two-out double off the fence in left in a scoreless Goshen sixth.

The rally was stopped when Blazers shortstop Sherwood barehanded a hopper off the bat of Goshen junior Jack Immel and fired to senior first baseman Jared Reid for the third out.

Miller cracked an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left for a lead-off home run in the Central fifth to give Central a 4-1 lead.

“Joey does a pretty good job of changing eye levels,” Goshen coach Josh Keister said of Peebles. “To their credit, they got some hits on some pretty tough pitches.”

The RedHawks scored one run in the fifth to cut the Blazers’ lead to 3-1.

Bontrager drew a lead-off walk and was spelled by junior pinch runner Josh Haimes.

Immel followed with a double to left then Shreiner fanned the next two Goshen batters.

When junior Austin Cain walked, the pitch was wild and Haimes scored from third base.

The RedHawks left the bases loaded when Shreiner fielded come-backer and tossed to first base for the third out.

Central turned an inning-ending double play in the Goshen second.

First baseman Reid stopped a grounder from Immel, tagged first baseman then fired to shortstop Sherwood who put the tag on runner Bontrager (who had singled to center).

The Blazers tallied the contest’s first three runs in the bottom of the first thanks to two hits and three RedHawks errors.

Central lead-off hitter Miller reached base on an error and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Sherwood.

Senior Derek Deal lashed a single to right and later scored on a wild pitch.

Shreiner got on with an infield single and junior courtesy runner Brady Markel later scored on junior Patrick Yeakey’s fielder’s choice.

“We obviously didn’t quite get it done, but I’m very proud of the way we competed the last couple innings,” said Keister. 

Penn 5, Warsaw 0 

Penn junior left-hander Kameron Koch (6 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher. Junior right-hander Kegan Hoskins (1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts) finished the game.

Warsaw junior left-hander Cade Bowers (5 2/3 innings, 5 runs, 10 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts) took the loss. He was relieved by junior right-hander Ian Glogovsky (1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout).

Hoskins took Koch’s place on the mound to open the Tigers seventh.

After junior Liam Patton was hit by a pitch, the Kingsmen turned a double play as junior second baseman Hayden Berg speared senior Michael Nunez’s line drive and pegged to junior first baseman Jeff Pawlik to double off the runner.

Hoskins fielded come-backer and threw to first base for the game’s final out.

Penn scored one run in the sixth for a 5-0 edge.

With two outs, sophomore Ryan Lynch smacked an RBI single to center to score Berg (who led off the inning with an infield single).

Glogovsky replaced Bowers on the hill after Lynch’s hit.

Lynch went to second base and then third base on a stolen base and Warsaw error on the same play. But Glogovsky fanned the only batter he faced.

In the Warsaw sixth, Koch walked the lead-off man then set down the next three hitters with two strikeouts and a line-out.

The Kingsmen scored three runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead.

Senior Nate Vargo belted a ball that sent Tigers senior left fielder Kyle Kuhn against the fence to catch it for the first out.

The next batter — junior Brock Boynton — slugged a 1-0 pitch to right field for a solo home run.

Lynch cracked a single to center, moved to third base on senior Payton Kerr’s single to center and scored on a Warsaw error.

Kerr, who stole second base and moved to third base on the error, scored on a sacrifice fly to right by senior Marshall Furner. Tigers right fielder Nunez made a diving catch on the play.

“I like the way we hit the ball,” said Penn coach Greg Dikos. “I told the kids this is a perfect example of hitting at’em balls and coming up with nothing.

“We’ve been going strong. They’ve been loading up and getting good hacks for the last four games. I anticipate continuing that through the tournament.”

Warsaw stranded a runner at second base in the fourth.

Sophomore Noah Burgh coaxed a one-out walk and Patton followed with a single to right.

After a fly out for the second out, Penn senior catcher Nate Lovisa whipped the ball to first baseman Pawlik to pick off the runner for the third out.

The Kingsmen left runners at the corner in a scoreless third.

Boynton popped a one-out single to center, went to second base on a balk and then to third base on a two-out infield hit by Kerr.

Bowers then coerced a foul pop for the third out.

Bespectacled southpaw Koch struck out the side in the Tigers third.

Warsaw right fielder Nunez ran down a fly to retire Berg for the third out in a scoreless Penn second.

Penn catcher Lovisa threw out a runner at second base in a scoreless Warsaw second.

The Kingsmen produced the game’s first run in the bottom of the first.

Lead-off hitter Vargo ripped a first-pitch double to left, moved to third base on Boynton’s groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Lynch.

“I loved their effort. They gave it everything they had,” said Tigers coach Mike Hepler of his players, who had lost 14-1 to Penn in the May 19 Tiger Invitational. “It’s a very talented Penn team, obviously, and our kids hung right in there.”

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