Adam Howe
Sports Editor
The Warsaw Wildcats evened their record on the young season at 2-2 with a 5-2 Ozark Highlands Conference win at home on Monday night.
Butler drew first blood in the top of the third inning and went up 1-0, but the Wildcats tied things up in the bottom half of the inning. Gage Whitaker led off the frame with a single, swiped second base and then moved to third on a Kendall Bagley single. With one out, Nick Bagley singled up the middle on the first pitch of his at-bat to drive in Whitaker to tie the game at 1 apiece.
Warsaw pulled way in the fourth after Whitaker drove in Jayce Depriest and Drake Murrell with a double to right field to give Warsaw a 3-1 lead.
The Bears got within one run to make it 3-2 in the fifth, but the Wildcats answered with 2 more runs in the bottom half of the inning.
After Garrett Ferguson led off the inning with a walk, Nick Bagley was intentionally walked. Devon Boul grounded into a fielder's choice but all runners were safe to load the bases for Depriest.
Depriest came through with a single over the Bears centerfielder that scored Bagley and Ferguson to make the tally 5-2 and that would prove to be the final.
Josh Bunch led the Wildcats on the mound. He went five innings, allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 3. Ferguson and Kendall Bagley each threw one scoreless inning in relief to help close out the game. Ferguson fanned one and Bagley notched 2 in his one inning of work.
Whtiaker and Kendall Bagley both had 2 hits for the Wildcats and 1 apiece was contributed by Ferguson, Nick Bagley, Depriest and Alec Frost.
Whitaker and Ferguson each had a double.
Frost, Kendall Bagley, Whitaker and Depriest all had stolen bases for the Wildcats.
Warsaw traveled to Buffalo on Tuesday night for another OHC matchup with the Bison.
* * *
Just down the hill from Roy Freund Field at West Bledsoe Ferry Sports Complex, the Warsaw Ladycats also opened up their conference schedule with a 10-0 win over the visiting Butler Lady Bears.
Sophomore pitcher Brylee Brewster shut down the Lady Bears, throwing a five inning complete game. She got the win by going the distance, allowed 0 runs on just 1 hit, struck out 9 and allowed 0 free passes.
Warsaw got on the board in the first inning when freshman Tanna Howe drove in Haylee Cobb to score the game's first run and give the Ladycats a 1-0 lead.
Warsaw made it 2-0 after Faith Tharaldson scored on a passed pass in the second inning and then stretched their lead to 4-0 in the fourth on runs scored by Tharaldson and Autum Walton.
The Ladycats secured the win in the fifth inning by plating six runs for the 10-0 final. Tharaldson, Carly Price, Adison Sherrill and Brewster all had RBI's in the inning. Brewster drew a bases loaded walk to force in the game-ending run.
Jaylen McCullick paced Warsaw's offense with 2 hits in three trips to the plate. Cobb, Sherrill, Howe, Brewster, Tharaldson and Price all had 1 hit apiece in the win.
Cobb also had 1 stolen base for the Ladycats.
Warsaw was on the road on Tuesday night to face Green Ridge.
