By Steve Krah
PBR Indiana Correspondent

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MIDDLEBURY — With two come-from-behind victories Northridge swept Mishawaka, 6-3 and 8-7, Saturday, May 21 in a non-conference baseball doubleheader at sunny and windy Raider Field. 

The Raiders (19-7) took two from the Cavemen (10-15) even after twice falling into early 3-0 holes. 

“We found a way to win two games,” Northridge coach Andrew Brabender said after a day full of offensive chances (the Raiders left nine baserunners in Game 1 and eight in Game 2). “The second half of our season, that’s how it’s been. We’ve spotted teams two and three runs. It’s not a good way to start. We do that in the (Class 4A Penn) Sectional (against Elkhart Central), we’ll get beat.” 

Mishawaka jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning in Saturday’s first game. 

Junior Luke Shively singled to right field, stole second base (the Cavemen have had more than 100 steals this spring), moved to third on a bunt single toward third by junior Ryan Wroblewski and scored the game’s first run when he got out of a rundown. 

Wroblewski, who moved around to third on the play, came home on freshman Nick Bodle’s single to right. 

Senior Sam Fry walked, moved to third on Bodle’s single and scored the third run on junior Luke Campbell’s groundout to second. On a day when the Cavemen stranded six runners in Game 1 and seven in Game 2, the Cavemen left three. 

Northirdge answered with one run in the bottom of the first inning. 

Senior Matt Miller led off with a single to left and later scored on a single to center by sophomore Aidan Driver. The Raiders left the bases loaded. 

The Raiders cut the lead to 3-2 with one run in the second inning. 

Junior Bryce Miller drew a base-loaded walk to force in junior Max Teunissen (on base by lead-off walk). Once again, Northridge left the bases loaded. 

Mishawaka left a runner at third base in a scoreless third inning. The frame ended when Raiders sophomore shortstop Cody Bible charged in on a slow roller and fired to retire freshman Grant Jablonski. 

Northridge took a 7-3 lead with five two-out runs in the third inning. The first two Raiders were retired when the rally go rolling. A Mishawaka error allowed the first two runners — Teunissen (on base by error) and sophomore Dylan Trick (on base by single to right) — to score. 

The third run scored when senior Travis Miller (on base as a pinch-runner after sophomore pinch-hitter Nick Hooley reach base by error) eluded the tagging stealing second and Matt Miller (on base by walk) scored from third on the play. 

Bryce Miller’s double to the center field fence drove in Travis Miller and senior Andrew Kennedy (on base by walk). 

Right-hander Bryce Miller (2 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 0 strikeouts, 1 walk) came in to relieve right-hander Camm Nickell (3 innings, 3 runs, 5 hits, 0 strikeouts, 1 walk) in the fourth inning and stopped a Mishawaka rally with a strikeout-caught stealing with sophomore catcher Mason Troyer firing to shorstop Bible to catch the runner. 

The Raiders left a runner at third in the fourth inning. 

Senior Eric Burgess socked a lead-off double to left, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Troyer but went no further. 

The Cavemen pulled within 7-4 by plating one run in the fifth inning.  

Wroblewski opened with a single to right, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on senior Hunter Martsolf’s groundout to second. Mishawaka did leave a runner at third base. 

With sophomore right-hander Kyle Carson (1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 strikeout, 1 walk) on in relief of Bryce Miller, Northridge right fielder Burgess caught a fly and threw to first baseman Kennedy to double off a runner in the sixth inning. 

The Raiders picked up another run in the sixth inning. 

Bryce Miller led off with a single and was replaced on the bases by sophomore pinch-runner Brad Schwartz.  

Sophomore Cole Ferguson (on base with a walk) later got caught up between first and second long enough to give Schwartz a chance to score Northridge’s eighth run. 

Mishawaka loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning against left-handed reliever Trick (2/3 innings, 3 runs, 0 hits, 1 strikeout, 2 walks).  

The Cavemen scored their fifth run when senior pinch-hitter Brandon Riffle drew a run to force in Fry (on base with a lead-off two-base error). 

Carson re-entered on the mound with the bases still loaded. A first-pitch two-run double by junior Bryson Stutesman plated Bodle (on base by walk) and Ashten Williams (on base by hit batsman) to cut the gap to 8-7. 

The game ended with shortstop Bible spearing a line drive off the bat of junior Joe Howe and throwing to second baseman Matt Miller to double off a runner. 

“One thing I like about my boys is they don’t quit,” Mishawaka coach John Huemmer said. “We’ve come a long way since the first game of the season. We were still trying to find our identity and our chemistry. We kept moving and kept plugging along and we finally came together. 

“We’ve done a really good job of competing every game.” 

Bryce Miller was the winning pitcher while right-hander Fry (2 2/3 innings, 7 runs, 5 hits, 0 strikeouts, 1 walk) took the loss.  

Also pitching for Mishawaka were right-handers Shivley (2 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hits , 0 strikeouts, 1 walk) and senior Cameron Rice (1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 1 strikeout, 1 walk). 

After giving up three runs with three walks in the top of the first inning in Game 1, right-hander Travis Miller (7 innings, 3 runs, 4 hits, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks) settled down the rest of the way as the winning pitcher. 

The Cavemen sent nine batters to the plate in the first. Shively (on base by infield single) scored the first run on a groundout by Fry. 

Wroblewski (on base by fielder’s choice scored on Bodle’s single to left. 

Martsolf walked and later scored Mishawaka’s run on a passed ball. 

Northridge scored three runs in the second inning. 

Senior Andy Ross popped a single just out of reach of the third baseman to left to score Driver (on base by walk) while Nickell singled to left and Matt Miller walked and both later scored on wild pitches. 

The Raiders left the bases loaded in both the first and second innings. 

Northridge got one run in the third inning. 

Nickell led off with a double to left, moved to second on Travis Miller’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Troyer’s groundout. 

The Raiders plated one run in the fourth inning. 

Driver led off with walk and later scored on Bryce Miller’s single to left. 

A one-run sixth inning for Northridge included a lead-off walk by Matt Miller who later scored on Kennedy’s sacrifice fly. 

Mishawaka right-hander Howe (6 innings, 6 runs, 11 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks) took the loss. 

There were a number of head-turning defensive plays in Game 1. 

On the Cavemen side, right fielder Campbell made a diving catch in the first inning to take a hit away from Kennedy. 

Left fielder Williams slid across the foul line to make a catch on a ball struck by Burgess in the second inning. He later shaken up when he crashed into the fence while tracking a double by Hooley, but stayed in the game. 

Center fielder Wroblewski made a long run in the left-center gap on a ball off Matt Miller’s bat in the third inning. 

“It was not easy for an outfielder on our side with the wind and high sky,” Huemmer said. “Any fly ball today was an adventure.” 

Mishawaka turned a double play in the fifth inning — center fielder Wroblewski to catcher Martsolf to third baseman Bodle (doubling off the runner leaving early). 

A juggling catch by Northridge right fielder Bryce Miller took a hit away from Caveman Campbell in the sixth inning. 

Fairfield visits Northridge in a make-up game at 5 p.m. Monday, May 23. Mishawaka plays South Bend Clay in the Class 4A South Bend Clay Sectional at 7:30 p.m. May 26.