Kloss helps Elkhart Memorial best Northridge; rain washes out second game

By Steve Krah

PBR Indiana Correspondent 

ELKHART — Senior Matt Kloss did his part to put Elkhart Memorial in the semifinals of the IHSAA Class 4A Elkhart Sectional. 

Kloss, who swings and throws left-handed, collected three hits, scored two runs, drove in one and made a diving catch in center field to close out the third inning with the bases loaded as the Crimson Chargers (13-13) beat Northridge 5-1 at Charger Field. 

If that was not enough, he also came on in relief of senior right-hander Justin Walter in the sixth inning and retired all four batters he faced to close out the game and the third victory of the spring over the Raiders (19-7). 

Memorial beat Northridge 8-4 and 11-1 in Northern Lakes Conference play. 

“We talk about it all the time: Your leaders, your seniors need to step, the guys who have played three years of varsity to make plays and get the job done,” Chargers coach Scott Rost said. (Kloss, Walter) and Brett Wilson made big plays and allowed us to be successful. 

“You can’t play tomorrow, if you don’t win today so we weren’t going to hold anything back.” 

Rost went to Kloss (1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 3 strikeouts, 0 walks) in the sixth inning when Walter (5 2/3 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 6 strikeouts, 3 walks) reached his 117th pitch of the game (the new IHSAA pitch count rules limit is 120).  

“He’s faster than you think he is,” Raiders coach Andrew Brabender said of Walter. “His arm action is really quick and he’s probably 84 to 86 (mph). And he was throwing his slider for a first strike.” 

Because Friday’s second game was rained out, there is now a tripleheader scheduled for Saturday, May 27 — Warsaw vs. Elkhart Central, followed by Penn vs. Goshen and Memorial vs. Warsaw/Elkhart Central winner.  

Pending field conditions, the first game is slated for 10 a.m. Tournament officials want to get in all three games, leaving just the championship Monday, May 29. The contest is scheduled for an 11 a.m. first pitch. 

Memorial, the designated visitors on their own field, scored one run in the top of the first inning. 

Walter reached base on a fielder’s choice, moved to second on a Wilson groundout and scored on a Kloss two-out double to left field. 

The Chargers left the bases loaded in during a scoreless second inning.  

Memorial plated two runs in the third frame. 

Wilson (hit batsman) and Kloss (infield single) both scored — Wilson on a infield single by junior Dylan Pressler and Kloss on a balk. 

Northridge scored one run in the bottom of the third inning when junior Cody Bible reached base on a fielder’s choice and later scored when sophomore Jeff Makar was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

The third out of the inning was a diving catch in right-center field by Kloss with the bases loaded. The ball was struck into the gap by Nickell. 

“My goodness. I think we would have scored three,” Brabender said. “We had good runners on base.” 

The Chargers tallied one run in the fourth inning.  

Junior Nolan Grose was hit by a pitch, stole second base and scored on a two-run double to right field by Wilson. 

The inning ended with a  sliding catch in foul territory by Northirdge freshman left fielder Cam Knepp on a ball off the bat of junior Jordan Siddons. 

Freshman right-hander Davis Enfield (2 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts, 0 walks, 1 hit batsman) replaced senior right-hander Camm Nickell (5 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks, 3 hit batsmen, 2 balks) on the mound for the Raiders to begin the sixth inning. 

Kloss spelled Nickell on the mound with two outs and runners on first and third in the sixth inning. Kloss induced the first batter he faced — Knepp — into an inning-ending groundout. 

All four hits surrendered by Nickell were infield singles to the left side. 

Memorial produced another run in the seventh inning for a 5-1 lead.  

Kloss led off a with a double to left and scored on Pressler’s single to left.