CENTERVILLE, Iowa – Wabash Valley defeated John A. Logan, 5-2, in a battle of nationally-ranked teams in the first game of the NJCAA Midwest District baseball tournament here on Wednesday.
The third-ranked Warriors, now 51-11, advance into the winner's bracket and will meet South Suburban (41-9), which defeated host Indian Hills, 10-6, next on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. CDT.
"We are happy to go out there and get a win on the first day," said WVC manager Aaron Biddle.
Starting pitcher Jacob Frost was a real workhorse for the Warriors. The lefthander worked six innings, giving Logan only one unearned run and five hits, while striking out six batters and walking three.
Frost picked up the win to improve to 9-2 on the season. He certainly earned it.
"He worked hard," said Biddle of the sophomore Frost. "He threw 116 pitches today and gave us everything he had. You can't ask for more."
The Volunteers, No. 18 in the final NJCAA Division I poll issued on Monday, dinged Frost for a run in the top of the first inning, but the Warriors came right back with four runs in the bottom half to grab the lead for good.
Mack Mitchell, Michael Lareau, and Daniel Contreras each brought home a run with a single. Richard Bonomolo, Jr. also scored a run on an error on a ground out by Bruce Jellison.
Wabash Valley added a run in the sixth, on a Dalton Fiveash sacrifice fly, to make it 5-1, and Logan scored once in the ninth to account for the 5-2 final. Both teams left many runners on base: Logan 12, WVC 15.
The win came at a cost for the Warriors, however. Jorge Rodriguez, who hit a grand slam on Saturday against Lake Land – a dramatic turnaround moment in the Region 24 championship game -- was injured on the bases in the first inning and left the game.
Biddle said his team did not let the loss of Rodriguez sidetrack them.
"This team is so close," he said. "They all love each other and playing together. To see somebody go down, it just pulls them tighter."
Bonomolo and Mitchell each had two hits on the day. The Warriors outhit Logan, 10-6.
Luke Leverton came on in relief of Frost in the seventh and worked two innings, giving way to Jackson Soucie, who finished in the ninth and got the save, his first of the year.
At 12 noon on Thursday, John A. Logan (43-16) will face Indian Hills (33-20) in the first elimination game of the tournament. The loser of the WVC-South Suburban game will have to regroup quickly, because they move right into the second elimination game of the day at 6 p.m. against the winner of the first game.
By Friday, there will be just two teams left – one with one loss. The first game, and perhaps the last – begins at 12 noon, and if necessary, the winner-take-all game is slated for 3 p.m.