Big hits not enough for Warriors
News editor
Starting pitcher Grif Case hit a three-run homer to take an early lead and Taylor Heidebrecht drove in two runs to retake the lead in the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough for the Marion Warriors to sweep the Inman Teutons on Monday.
With Marion leading 9-7 in the seventh inning of game two the Teutons loaded the bases before tying the game on a two-run single. With the bases loaded again, Inman won with a walk-off steal of home plate. The runner at third base started sprinting for home plate as soon as relief pitcher Jacob Harper started his pitching motion. Catcher Caleb Williams didn’t have time to tag the runner as he reached home. It was the Warriors’ third loss of the season.
Marion fell behind 3-0 in the first inning. They cut the deficit to 3-1 in the second inning when Williams drove Case home with a groundout. In the third inning, Case hit a home run to centerfield with Dylan Seacat and Zac Robson on base, and Austin Pedersen drove in Ethan Hett to give the Warriors a 5-3 lead.
Hett hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to give Seacat another run, and a stolen base by Case provoked the pitcher into a balk that scored Robson. Marion led, 7-3.
Case had a five-pitch inning in the bottom of the fourth, but Inman tied the game in the bottom of the fifth.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Seacat hit a single and Robson got on base when he was hit by a pitch, setting up Heidebrecht’s two-RBI double into the left field corner. The Warriors couldn’t hold on in the bottom of the seventh, though.
The Warriors won the first game of the doubleheader, 4-0, with Hett as the starting pitcher. The Teutons loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth inning, but Hett got a batter to popout and struck out the final two hitters. Harper closed the game without allowing a run to score.
Warriors sweep Canton-Galva
Marion put up a combined score of 41-2 in Friday’s doubleheader at Canton-Galva. The Warriors won the first game 23-2 in five innings with 20 hits. The Warriors won the second game 18-0 with 21 hits in six innings, while the Warriors didn’t give up a hit with Heidebrecht on the mound.
Lose both at Halstead
The Warriors lost both games Tuesday at Halstead, 5-4 and 9-8 in extra innings.
The team finished the regular season with a record of 13-5. The regional tournament begins Monday in Hillsboro, although the Warriors’ record may be good enough to get a first-round bye in the tournament.