MISHAWAKA — Northridge got on a fourth-inning roll and racked up a 13-0, five-inning victory against Concord to open the IHSAA Class 4A Penn Sectional baseball tournament.

The Raiders (13-9) sent 15 batters to the plate and tallied 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth in besting the Minutemen (4-21) by the mercy rule Wednesday, May 23 at warm and sunny Jordan Automotive Field.

After the win against a Northern Lakes Conference opponent, Northridge moves on to meet NLC foe Elkhart Memorial in the first semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday.

In the bottom of the seven-team bracket, Goshen plays Elkhart Central at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 24, followed by Warsaw against Penn. The championship is slated for 11 a.m. Monday, May 28.

Junior Logan Pratt (3), sophomore Cam Knepp (2) and junior Ben Becker (2) all collected multiple hits, sophomore Nick Logan (2) led the team in runs batted in and Pratt (2) Knepp (2) and senior Cody Bible (2) all cross the plate more than once for the Raiders.

Right-hander Bible (innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts) was the winning pitcher.

Senior left-hander Jack Lietzen (3 1/3 innings, 7 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts) absorbed the loss. Senior right-hander Carson Kronemeyer (2/3 innings, 6 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts) also pitched for Concord.

The first out in Wednesday’s 11-run fourth came when the Minutemen foiled a suicide squeeze attempt by Northridge with the bases loaded.

“The beginning of that inning was not very good,” said Raiders coach Andrew Brabender. “We missed a hit-and-run sign. We had a kid not be able to execute a bunt and we were not able to execute the squeeze. I thought, ‘here we go!’

“I thought we coasted a little bit through the middle parts of that game. My message to them in the fourth inning was to stop coasting and play with a little bit of energy. We did that late.”

The Raiders scored 10 runs before the second out was recorded.

“Once we left the door open, they smelled blood in the water and attacked,” said Minutemen coach Walter Lehmann. “That’s what a sectional game kind of comes down to.”

Knepp lashed a two-run single to center field.

Bible ripped a double down the line in left.

Logan, the first batter to face Kronemeyer, drove a two-run double to right-center.

Senior Mason Troyer smacked a two-run triple to right-center.

Junior courtesy runner Reece Lueking run scored a run on a passed ball.

Pratt produced an RBI single to left.

Sophomore Davis Enfield scored on a wild pitch.

Batting for the second time during the uprising, Knepp pushed the 11th run across with a two-out infield single.

Concord left a runner at second base in a scoreless fourth.

Lietzen cracked a one-out single to left and stole second base before Bible induced a infield pop-up and outfield fly-out.

Concord stranded a runner at third base in the third.

Junior Drew McDougle led off the frame by lashing a double to right-center and moved to second base on junior Caleb Whitaker’s sacrifice bunt. Bible set down he next two Minutemen batters.

Northridge left a runner at second base in a run-free second.

Pratt led off with a single to center and stole second base. Lietzen retired the next three Northridge batters with a pair of strikeouts.

In a scoreless Concord second, Northridge catcher Troyer threw out a runner attempting to steal second for the first out.

The Raiders scored the game’s first two runs in the bottom of the first.

Knepp drew a lead-off walk and later scored on a one-out single to left by senior Nick Hooley.

Bible was hit by a pitch and was driven home on a two-out single to shallow center by Becker.

Lehmann, who just concluded his first season as a high school head coach, saw his team make some strides toward the end of the spring.

“I told them from the beginning, it wasn’t a talent issue,” said Lehmann. “It was a mental approach issue. We finally got to that point.

“It took us to the last couple of weeks of the season to realize what it takes to win a tight ball game.”

The Minutemen an earned NLC win against NorthWood and then back-to-back close conference triumphs against Wawasee and Warsaw.

“It was about getting the kids to believe in themselves,” said Lehmann. “We tried to teach them how to win games.

“Even in our losses the last couple weeks, they were tight ball games.

We were right in there.”

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