Tigers put run rule on Wildkats, 13-1

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Big schools have an advantage over small schools. They have more resources. They have a larger player pool and greater depth. On paper, one might think David has no chance against Goliath, so to speak.

Someone forgot to tell that to the Northwestern Tigers. The boys’ varsity baseball team made a quick trip to Kokomo Municipal Stadium on May 8 and delivered a knockout blow, felling the Wildkats with a run-rule, 13-1 drubbing.

The Tigers were dominant on the field and at the plate, putting together a complete show of dominance against their larger rivals. Like just about every baseball game, that strength started on the pitcher’s mound. Junior Ayden Giles, making his first start of the season, delivered five innings of one-run baseball, striking out six and allowing just four hits to the Wildkats.

Giles also drove in a pair of runs with his lone hit of the night, ensuring a win on both sides of the ball.

But the offensive star for the Tigers certainly was freshman Ajax Garcia, who put on a clinic at the plate. He went 3-4 for two doubles and a home run, driving in five runs. The young slugger is sporting a .396 average this season with three home runs and 23 RBIs to date.

Junior Kade Dill also had a productive night, swatting a single and a triple while driving in three. He’s hitting .500 this year.

Northwestern also burned up the basepaths against Kokomo, registering a gaudy nine stolen bases against the home team. Sophomore Landen Begley led in that category by collecting three bags. It didn’t hurt that reached base four out of his five plate appearances, thanks to a single, two walks, and a hit by pitch.

In all, the Tigers scored 13 runs on 12 hits, though they had 18 baserunners over the course of the evening.

Kokomo’s stat lines were a bit sparse. Juniors Ethan Merrell and Hagen Smith each singled, as did sophomore Jonathon Frye, who also drove in the Wildkats’ lone run.

The Kats found nothing but misery on the mound. Sophomore Trey Gamble was rocked for seven runs on eight hits in two innings of work. He walked four struck out one and allowed Garcia’s long ball. Junior Adam Sarota fared little better, getting scorched for six runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. He walked three and struck out three. He also hit three batters.

The win put Northwestern on track for an impressive streak, the second of nine consecutive wins that has pushed the Tigers’ record to 15-3. They travel to Rochester (10-11) on May 13, followed by road games at Tipton (6-14) on May 14 and Carroll (3-12) on May 16.

Kokomo continued to struggle after the defeat at Northwestern’s hands, starting a four-game skid that got a reprieve with a sweep of Marion on May 9. Nursing a 5-13 record, the Wildkats next host Anderson (9-9) on May 14, then hit the road for the second half of the home-and-home series at Anderson the next night, followed by a double-header at Lapel (9-7).

See additional photos from this contest, including galleries for Kokomo and Northwestern, courtesy of Adam Hartsough,  on the Lantern’s Facebook page.