MISHAWAKA — One game was close and one was not.

The semifinals of the IHSAA Class 4A Penn Sectional baseball tournament were staged Saturday, May 26 at humid Jordan Automotive Group Field.

Northirdge outlasted Elkhart Memorial 4-3 before No. 4-ranked Penn powered past Elkhart Central 10-0 in five innings.

The championship — Northridge (14-9) vs. Penn (26) — is slated at 11 a.m. Monday, May 28. The sectional winner moves on to the four-team LaPorte Regional on Saturday, June 2.

Memorial Crimson Chargers wound up the 2018 season 9-18 and Central Blue Blazers 18-9. 

Northridge 4, Elkhart Memorial 3 

“At this point it doesn’t matter how it looks,” said Northridge coach Andrew Brabender. “There’s no bonus points for winning games — just win.”

The Raiders left 13 runners on base for the game (five at third base and five at second).

Memorial scored two runs in the top of the seventh to make it a one-run margin.

The Chargers loaded the bases with one out.

An error and a fielder’s choice with senior Brad Melendez hitting allowed senior Nolan Grose (who had reached by error) to score Memorial’s second run.

Sophomore right-hander Davis Enfield fanned a batter for the second out.

A base-loaded walk to junior Caden Ewen forced in freshman Dylan Rost (who had an infield single) with the third run before Enfield nailed it down with a pop-out.

“I give our guys a ton of credit,” said Chargers coach Scott Rost.

“They competed all day.”

Sophomore right-hander Cam Knepp (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) was was the winner pitcher.

“Cam was snapping off his curve ball,” said Brabender. “He was very tough today.”

Enfield (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) earned a save.

Right-hander Grose (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) absorbed the loss. Junior right-hander Landon Lee (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) and senior righty Braden Baer (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) also pitched for Memorial.

Northridge scored one run in the sixth to assume a 4-1 edge.

Senior Cody Bible led off the inning with a bloop double to center and sophomore Nick Logan followed with a RBI double to left-center, plating Bible.

Baer spelled Lee on the hill for the Chargers with one out and runners at the corner.

In facing three batters in the inning, Baer recorded a strikeout, walked a batter then got the third out of a fly-out.

Memorial left runners at third base and second base in a scoreless sixth.

After two straight singles (Melendez to center and Lee to left), Enfield replaced Knepp on the mound for the Raiders.

After Ewen put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, Enfield fanned the next two batters to end of the inning.

Northridge scored one run in the fifth for a 3-1 advantage.

Senior Mason Troyer drew a lead-off walk from Grose, who was then replaced on the mound by Lee.

Troyer went from first to third on a Chargers error and scored when senior Garrett Rodino bounced a one-out single up the middle.

The Raiders produced one run in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.

Knepp rapped a one-out single to right, stole second base and scored on Logan’s two-out double to left.

“He’s had a real big year for us,” said Brabender of Logan. “He’s leading in about every offensive category as a sophomore.”

Memorial left fielder Melendez chased down a fly near the line off the bat of Troyer for the second out in a score-free Northridge third.

Northridge stranded runners at second base and third base. Grose racked up a strikeout to end the frame.

The Chargers stranded three runners in a scoreless third against Knepp.

Senior Wheaton Webb singled, Grose walked and senior Jordan Siddons walked with one out.

The second out came on a force play at the plate and the third out on a called third strike.

The Raiders tallied one run in the second to forge 1-1 tie.

Enfield walked to open the frame and later scored on a one-out double to right by senior Dylan Trick.

Northridge left the bases loaded. Grose coaxed two pop-outs to limit the Raider rally.

Runners at the corners by Northridge in the bottom of the first.

Knepp was hit by a pitch, moved to second base on Bible’s sacrifice bunt and third base on a wild pitch.

With two outs, senior Nick Hooley walked. Grose ended the threat with his second strikeout of the inning.

Memorial scored the game’s first run in the top of the first.

Rost drew a one-out walk, stole second base and went to third base on a Raider error on the play.

Another error on a ball struck by Siddons allowed Rost to score.

The Chargers stranded seven (two each at second and third base).

“It’s been a strength for us this year — hitting with runners in scoring position,” said Scott Rost. “We just didn’t get it done today.

“I’m proud of the way our guys competed and the improvements we made throughout the year.”

Seven seniors were on the sectional roster for Memorial — Braden Baer, Grose, Melendez, Siddons, Dylan Pressler, Brandon Swank and Wheaton Webb. 

Penn 10, Elkhart Central 0 

Half of Penn’s 12 hits were for extra bases — one triple and one double by sophomore Ryan Lynch, one tile by sophomore Camryn Szynski, two doubles by senior Nate Vargo and one double by junior Brock Boynton.

“We were hitting shots like that against Warsaw (in Thursday’s 5-0 win) and they were right at’em,” said Penn coach Greg Dikos. “We’ve been pretty sold (with batters) 1 through 9.”

Kingsmen left-hander Lynch (4 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher with junior right-hander Kegan Hoskins (1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) finishing the game.

Central junior junior right-hander Jared Miller (3 innings, 6 runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts) took the loss. Junior right-hander Brycen Sherwood (0 innings, 4 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts) and junior left-hander Patrick Yeakey (innings, 0 runs, hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout) also pitched for the Blazers.

“We knew coming in we had to pitch well and get our off-speed across,” said Central coach Steve Stutsman, who club lost 2-0 to Northern Indiana Conference foe Penn with Lynch fanning 13 Blazers during the regular season. “They’e a good fast ball-hitting team. When you just throw fastballs, they’re going to hit it.”

Hoskins took Lynch’s place on the mound for Penn to open the Central fifth.

With one out, the Blazers put two runners on base — junior Brennan Harrington and Miller — via walks.

Hoskins whiffed the next batter for the second out then issued a walk to Sherwood to load the bases before getting the third and final out on a come-backer to the mound and toss to junior first baseman Jeff Pawlik.

The Kingsmen scored six runs in the fourth to a 10-0 lead.

Vargo led off with a single to center and scored on Boynton’s double to left.

After an 0-3 start to the season, Dikos inserted Vargo into the No. 1 hole and he’s been quite productive.

“When we switched him over we really went on a run,” said Dikos. “He’s really turned into a great ballplayer.”

That’s when Sherwood took Miller’s place on the mound for Central.

Lynch lashed a double down the line in left to drive in Boynton.

Senior Marshall Furner smacked a two-run single to left to drive in senior courtesy runner Geno Hoath (running for Lynch) and senior Payton Kerr (who walked).

Szynski spanked a two-run triple to right to knock in sophomore courtesy runner Kyle Kline (running for senior Nate Lovisa who walked) and Furner.

With no outs, Yeakey relieved Sherwood on the mound for Central. The inning ended on a Blazers double play as junior right fielder Jake Shreiner threw to catcher Holtzinger to cut down Szynski at the plate.

Furner led off the Penn third with a single to center, moved to second base on a grounder.

But that’s as far as he got as Miller registered a strikeout and saw shortstop Sherwood make a slick fielding play and throw to retire junior Hayden Berg for the third out.

Central left the bases loaded in a scoreless third.

Harrington cracked a one-out double down the line in right. Miller and senior Derek Deal both worked Lynch for walks before the southpaw got out of the jam with an infield pop-up and outfield fly.

The Kingsmen scored the game’s first four runs in the second.

Blazers second baseman Shreiner ranged to his left to stop a hard grounder from Szynski then flipped to senior first baseman Jared Reid for the first out.

Pawlik reached on a Central error and later scored on Berg’s double to left.

Berg trotted home on Vargo’s one-out double to right.

Vargo scored on Lynch’s triple to right. On the plate, the Blazers cut down a second Penn runner trying to score — right fielder Yeakey to second baseman Shreiner to senior catcher Taylor Holtzinger.

Courtesy runner Hoath (running for Lynch) scored the fourth run talks to Kerr’s two-out single to left.

Penn left fielder Vargo made a diving catch to take a hit away from Shreiner for the first out in score-free Central second.

Yeakey smacked a two-out double to left-center, but that’s as far as he got as Lynch collected a strikeout for the third out.

The Kingsmen stranded three runners in the bottom of a scoreless first.

Vargo cued a lead-off double down the line in right but was later forced at third base on a fielder’s choice by Lynch. Boynton reached on an infield hit and Lovisa walked.

Miller fanned two of the last three Penn batters he faced in the inning.

Besides Deal and Holtzinger, Ethan Patterson, Clayton Richards and Jackson Wiltfong were the other seniors on Central’s tournament roster.

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