Cougars can't find bats in time to stave off Wolves

BAINBRIDGE – Timing is important in baseball. North Putnam could not get enough timely hits and the timing of playing 13 games in 20 days took its toll.

Parke Heritage jumped out to an early lead to defeat the Cougars 6-3 in high school baseball on Friday night. The Wolves opened a 5-0 lead early and the Cougars could not rally enough to avoid the loss.

The loss dropped the Cougars to 8-5 on the season and Parke Heritage improved to 5-5.

“We are going to take tomorrow off. We have been playing a lot and we just could not get our bats going early enough and made a couple mistakes,” North Putnam head coach Chris Geeser said of his tired team.

Parke Heritage took an early lead as a couple of those mistakes led to a run. Brayden Luce reached first base as a third strike went to the backstop and an error in the field, combined with a hit batsman, loaded the bases.

Ashton Mrdja drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, but Kaden Helderman managed to limit the damage and get out of the inning.

The Cougars were not able to present much of an offensive threat early on and the Wolves were able to break through again in the third inning.

Luce doubled, another dropped third strike allowed Renn Harper to reach first base and another plunked batter loaded the bases.

A walk and an RBI single scored two, then a fielder’s choice and another single gave the Wolves a four-run inning and a 5-0 lead.

Parke Heritage would tack another run on in the top of the fourth for a 6-0 lead, but the Cougars showed some life in the bottom half of the inning.

Brogan Woodall singled to open the inning and Brayden Monnett would reach on an error followed by a single by Jalen Windmiller to score the first Cougar run. The Cougars left a couple stranded as a double play by the Wolves would help them escape the inning with minimal damage.

Helderman kept the Wolves in check the next two innings and the Cougars tried to rally. Windmiller would score on an Ian Patrick single and Jayce Monnett would drive in a run with a single of his own.

The Cougars looked to have a big inning, but Harper snagged a hot line drive by Chase Barber to end the inning with the Cougars still down 6-3.

“He (Helderman) pitched really well. He kept us in the game. We let him down a couple of times and he started to fatigue a little. When we started hitting the ball, we hit it at them or just didn’t get enough on it,” Geeser said.

The Cougars would put two runners on in the final inning but could not find a way to get them home and the game ended with the 6-3 score.

Parke Heritage 104 100 0 — 6 7 3

North Putnam 000 102 0 — 3 7 1

WP – Luce 7

LP – Helderman 6, C. Barber 1

2B – Luce, Harper (PH), Windmiller (NP)

RBI – McAmis 2, Mrdja, Mabry, Graves (PH), Windmiller, Patrick, Braxton Woodall (NP)