NP’s White picks up NCAC victory for DePauw
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — DePauw rode a wave of highs and lows in its opening game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday, but nothing could top senior Zack Wade’s two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to send the Tigers to a 5-4 win over Oberlin.
The Tigers (30-10) were sent to the losers’ bracket on Friday afternoon with an 18-3 loss to Wooster, and were scheduled to play either Denison or Oberlin later on Friday to try to reach the championship game.
In Thursday’s win, the bottom of the ninth started with two quick outs before Joey Plesac drew a walk. Pinch-runner Noah Salasky became an integral part of the inning, advancing to second on a failed pickoff attempt and later stealing third.
Wade then singled up the middle, starting the celebration for the Tigers.
Wade finished with a team-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with a double. Jack Thompson finished 2-for-3, including an RBI triple in the first.
DePauw looked in control for the first five innings, holding a 4-0 lead behind a solid pitching performance from Mike Hammel. Hammel allowed just one hit through five innings, but Oberlin finally got to him in the next two innings and tied the game at 4-4.
Freshman Brayden White of North Putnam came on and proceeded to leave runners on first and second by striking out the two batters he faced. He came back in for the ninth and pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning to pick up his first collegiate win.
While Wade came through to hit the game winner, DePauw left 13 runners on base — including leaving the bases loaded twice to end an inning. DePauw collected 10 hits, but Wade’s single was also the team’s first since the fifth inning.
In other baseball news:
• WIC crossovers nearly set — Just one divisional game remains to be played in the Western Indiana Conference before the crossover playoff round will be officially determined for Tuesday.
Cloverdale will return to Owen Valley today to finish a game that was stopped last week when both umpires were injured during the contest. The teams will play a second contest after the completed game.
The winner of the first game will claim fourth place in the East Division, while the loser will be the fifth seed.
The crossover pairings are:
1st/2nd — Indian Creek at Sullivan
3rd/4th — Edgewood at Northview
5th/6th — Cascade at West Vigo
7th/8th — Today’s Cloverdale/OV winner at South Putnam
9th/10th — Today’s Cloverdale/OV loser at North Putnam
11th/12th — Brown County at Greencastle
Golf
• Young Cougars learning — North Putnam coach Earl Hall saw his young team finish fourth in the Putnam County tournament on Thursday, but was encouraged by the experience his squad is gaining this season.
“In a year of continuing firsts, the four players from North Putnam had the opportunity to enter and play in their very first county tournament,” he said. “The results were for some good, and others maybe not as expected, but in a season based on learning lessons, the Cougars saw what happens with hard work and years of experience.”
Hall and the Cougars were respectful of the winning Greencastle team.
“The North Putnam team sends their congratulations to the Greencastle Tiger Cubs and their outstanding play,” Hall said. “The players also want to congratulate Jake Bennett for his fine play in earning the individual medalist honor with a fine score of 39.”
The four Putnam County teams will play today in the Western Indiana Conference tourney at Idle Creek in Terre Haute, starting at 9 a.m.
Awards
• WTHI honors Neese — Cloverdale senior Cooper Neese was honored this week by the Terre Haute Savings Bank and WTHI-TV as the co-winner of the Wabash Valley All-Sports Team for boys’ basketball.
Neese shared honors with Terre Haute South’s Jaylen Minnett. Both players are members of the Indiana All-Star team that will play against Kentucky next month, and both will play collegiately in Indianapolis next year — Neese at Butler and Minnett at IUPUI.
The awards were presented at the 13th annual banquet, which honored athletes from 10 different Wabash Valley schools in each IHSAA-sponsored sport.
Other winners were:
Football — Tyler Meurer, Linton-Stockton
Wrestling — Thomas Dull, Terre Haute North
Boys’ swimming — Henry McCarter, Terre Haute North
Girls’ golf — Megan Ramer, Terre Haute North
Girls’ tennis — Hannah Rudolph, Terre Haute North
Boys’ soccer — Tyler Zigler, Terre Haute North
Softball — Stacy Payton, Northview
Girls’ basketball — Tayler Vauters, Riverton Parke
Girls’ cross country — Liz Bredeweg, Shakamak
Boys’ cross country — Griffin Barger, Terre Haute South
Boys’ tennis — Ryan Friedrich, Terre Haute South
Girls’ swimming — Hannah Gage, Terre Haute South
Boys’ track and field — Ryan Hannaford, Terre Haute South
Volleyball — Caitlyn Newton, Terre Haute South
Girls’ soccer — Emily Greggs, Sullivan
Boys’ golf — Jack Cunningham, Vincennes Lincoln
Baseball — Ty Lautenschlager, West Vigo
Girls’ track and field — Abby Denham, White River Valley
Other special awards
Travis Smith Memorial Award — Stacy Payton, Northview
Legacy of Commitment — Mark Frisz, Terre Haute North (retiring 27-year wrestling coach)
THSB $2,500 scholarships — Liz Bredeweg, Shakamak; Jack Cunningham, Vincennes Lincoln