BRAZIL, Ind. —
There are some days where a high school baseball team has to take what it can get, and Saturday was one of those days for Northview.
After a late night of prom partying, Northview’s Knights dropped a 6-5 decision in their round-robin invitational in the tourney opener, then fell behind Gibson Southern early before putting together a rally to win 10-5. Northview is now 8-3.
Lawrence Central, now 8-5, went home 2-0 after beating Gibson Southern’s Titans 10-5.
Defensive mistakes got Northview in trouble in both games. Northview pitchers Kodie Girton, Damon Bass and Brock Wheeler gave up just two earned runs to Lawrence Central, as the Knights’ defense committed two untimely errors.
And in game two, starting pitcher Craig Peters and reliever Brock Smith, who earned his first win of the season, did not give up any earned runs while Northview’s defense committed five errors.
“It was just one of those days where everything didn’t go right that could have for us … high school baseball. There are going to be days where you make errors and days you don’t,” coach Scott McDonald said.
Gibson Southern (7-5) led 4-1 after three innings, but Northview tied the game with a three-run third inning. Zach Hull delivered a run-scoring double and Conner Pierce had a two-run single in the turn-around inning.
An error allowed Gibson Southern to go ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth.
Northview broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning with six runs on five hits and the help of one Gibson Southern error.
With the Gibson Southern pitchers throwing outside, Northview hitters went with the pitch — down the right-field line. Devin Clark led off with a double followed by a Bryant Pestoff single, and Tyler Wilson drove a two-run double.
“We talked all week about going the other way and the guys did a much better job of going the other way as that game progressed,” McDonald said.
Wilson scored on a single by Girton and Peters, who was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, scored on a ground out by Dan Reberger.
In the opening game, the Knights struggled against Lawrence Central’s Alex Kryah (3-0). Northview connected for five hits off Kryah, but only one an inning.
“We weren’t real disciplined at the plate. We were chasing pitches that were out of the [strike] zone. But we centered up on the fastball pretty well early,” McDonald said.
The Knights nearly rallied from a four-run hole, but stranded the tying run on first base in the seventh inning.
Lawrence Central never trailed, scoring three runs in the first inning with the help of a Northview error and passed ball.
The Knights trailed 5-1 after three innings, but cut the deficit to 6-4 with one in the five and two run in the sixth.
“You take those first two innings out of it — once we got awake — and we outplayed those guys from inning three on,” McDonald said.
Dan Reberger led off Northview’s sixth-inning rally with a single and pinch-hitter Tanner Glenn was hit by a pitch. Lawrence Central changed pitchers and Devin Clark delivered a run-scoring single. Stewart scored from third on a double steal.
Northview closed within one in the seventh when Craig Peters reached base and went to second on Lawrence Central’s fourth error. Peters scored on Pierce’s second hit of the game.
Lawrence Central 6, Northview 5
LCentral ab r h bi Northview ab r h bi
Newkirk 2b 1 0 0 0 Girton p 3 0 0 0
GJones ph 1 0 0 0 Peters 2b 3 1 0 0
Moffatt dh 2 2 0 0 Hull 1b 4 1 2 1
Kryah p 0 0 0 0 Pierce rf 4 0 2 1
Quarles lf 3 2 3 1 Bassp 0 0 0 0
JJones 3b 3 0 2 3 Reberger dh 3 1 1 1
Lane 1b 4 0 0 0 Glenn c 0 0 0 0
Smith rf 2 0 1 0 Wilson lf-rf 3 0 0 0
Greenwell c 3 0 0 0 Stewart ph 0 1 0 0
Swingle cf-p 4 0 0 0 Decker ss 2 0 0 0
Bowles ss 2 1 0 0 Newton ph 1 0 0 0
Clark cf 3 0 2 1
Ganly 3b 3 1 0 0
Totals 26 6 6 4 Totals 29 5 7 4
Lawrence Central 320 001 0 — 6
Northview 100 012 1 — 5
E — Bowles 2, Swingle, Newkirk, Girton, Reberger. DP — Northview 2. LOB — LC 8, Northview 7. 2B — J.Jones. SB — Moffatt, Quarles, J.Jones, Bowles 2, Wilson Clark. CS — Peters. SH — Moffatt, Reberger.
IP H R ER BB SO
Lawrence Central
Kryah (W, 3-0) 5 5 4 3 3 1
Swingle (S) 2 2 1 0 0 1
Northview
Girton (L) 5 2/3 5 5 2 7 2
Bass 2/3 1 0 0 1 1
Wheeler 2/3 0 0 0 1 1
PB — Glenn. HBP — by Kryan (Stewart).
Northview 10, Gibson Southern 5
Northview ab r h bi GSouthern ab r h bi
Wilson rf 3 2 1 2 Martin p-rf-ss 4 0 0 0
Harden ph 0 0 0 0 Lamey rf-p 4 1 1 0
Peters p-2b 1 3 1 0 Whitten 1b 3 0 0 0
Newton ph 1 0 0 0 Lantrip 3b 4 1 3 0
Hull 1b 4 1 1 1 Ziliak lf 4 0 1 0
Ball ph 0 0 0 0 Oing dh 1 2 0 0
Pierce lf 3 0 1 2 Rmrshsn ss-p 0 0 0 0
Girton lf 2 0 1 1 Elpers c 3 1 0 0
Reberger dh 4 1 0 1 Wagner 2b 3 0 1 0
Moore 2b 0 0 0 0 Staback cf 3 0 1 1
Decker ss 4 1 3 1 Rainey ph 1 0 0 0
Glenn c 4 0 0 0
Stewart pr 0 0 0 0
Clark cf 4 1 1 0
Ganly 3b 2 1 1 0
Pestoff ph 1 0 1 0
Coleman ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 34 10 11 8 Totals 30 5 7 3
Northview 100 036 0 — 10
Gibson Southern 013 010 0 — 5
E — Wilson 2, Decker 2, Moore, Martin, Lamey, Whitten, Romershausen, Wagner. DP — Northview 1, GS 1. LOB — Northview 9, GS 9. 2B — Wilson, Peters, Hull, Decker, Clark. CS — Decker.
IP H R ER BB SO
Northview
Peters 4 2/3 6 5 0 3 2
Smith (W, 1-0) 2 1/3 1 0 0 2 1
Gibson Southern
Martin (L) 5 8 6 5 1 2
Lamey 2/3 3 4 3 1 0
Romershausen 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 1
WP — Peters 2, Martin 2. HBP — by Martin 2 (Peters 2), by Romershausen (Ball).
Next — Northview (8-5) plays Tuesday at Brown County.




