The Wabash baseball team rallied to erase a five-run deficit Tuesday night against North Central College, but faltered in extra innings to lose 7-6.
"We came back and I thought we had opportunities to at least keep the game going," Coach Cory Stevens said. "I don't know if we necessarily had opportunities to win it at that point, but certainly to extend it."
The teams played in the U.S. Steel Yard, home of the Gary Southshore Railcats. The 6,000-seat stadium provided a different experience under the lights for the players.
"Any time we can play on a quality field in a different venue, it's fun," Stevens said. "It plays big, but the dimensions aren't that much bigger than our field – the ball just wasn't traveling all that well tonight."
Just hundreds of feet from Lake Michigan, hard-hit balls died in the dense air most of the night.
Cole Harlacher picked up Wabash's first hit in the bottom of the third with a line drive off the top of the left-centerfield wall.
Harlacher batted 2-of-5, both doubles, and scored a run. He also made a handful of outstanding defensive plays at third base.
"I was just feeling it today – I don't know really what got into me," Harlacher said. "I was just seeing the ball well and everything was falling in my mitt.
"I'm a little more comfortable now," Harlacher added. "To start off with, I was a little out of my element playing college ball and a little nervous, but I'm finding my groove now."
Harlacher scored after hitting his second double in the seventh inning when
Tyler Hampton knocked a single to left to make it 5-1 Cardinals.
The Little Giants put five runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game 6-6. All five runs were scored before North Central made a single out. Leadoff man
Lucas Stippler started things with a double followed by a
Tanner Watson single, 6-2. After Watson stole second,
David Oliger plated him with a RBI single to right center, 6-3.
Clint Scarborough doubled to put runners on second and third for
Tyler Owensby who drove them in with a deep triple to right, 6-5.
Andrew Rodgers tied the game in the next at-bat with a shot through the left side.
"We saw a lot of good things, especially the ability to not feel the pressure trailing in late innings," Stevens said. "But we also saw many of the same things from early in the season that we can correct."
Wabash didn't generate many scoring chances after the big eighth inning. In the 11th, North Central's winning run scored on a balk by pitcher
Cody Cochran.
Despite the mental mistake, Cochran was impressive over 2-1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. Cochran also threw 30 strikes in 45 pitches.
"Cody came in and threw strikes to get up on hitters," Stevens said. "He forced them to hit his pitch, similar to situations we talk about with our hitters to avoid."
Hampton led the Little Giants with three hits.
The game also held a special meaning for Stevens because he played for North Central's coach Ed Mathey from 1997-2000. Tuesday night marked the first time Stevens competed against his mentor.
The Little Giants will return to Goodrich Ballpark Saturday and Sunday for a four-game series against DePauw. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. each day.
