Wanner dominates; South Adams advances
Owen Wanner struck out a dozen batters and the South Adams Starfires prevailed over the Eastbrook Panthers in a low-scoring 2-0 slugfest to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 IHSAA Class 2A Sectional 37 Baseball Tournament. It was clear early on that Wanner- who tossed a dozen strikeouts- was dialed in for South Adams (17-12, 2-4 Allen County, 1-0 IHSAA). Eastbrook (8-17, 5-2 Central Indiana, 0-1 IHSAA) mustered only one hit and even that did not arrive until the fifth inning. All night, the Panthers were a step behind whatever Wanner threw their way. When they did put the ball in play, it typically was hit right at a Starfire fielder for a routine out. But Wanner had to be sensational, as his pitching counterpart- Eastbrook’s Elijah Martin- kept the South Adams offense quiet for much of the evening. Kyle Minger led off the game by beating a throw to first for an infield single. But Martin recovered to strike out the next three Starfires. The Panthers went down in order in their half of the first. Much like in the first inning, the Starfires got the leadoff batter on base with a single, this time by Corey Lenington on a line drive to center field. On a night where the wind in Hartford City was traveling at a brisk pace, the game did the same. With the dominance being exhibited by both Wanner and Martin, it became apparent that it would take something extraordinary to break the deadlock, and that is exactly what occurred in the fifth. With one out in the South Adams half of the fifth inning, Brady Beall drew a walk. He advanced to second when Martin tried to pick him off at first, but the throw went wide, getting far enough away for Beall to move up a station. After Cooper Craw caught a fly ball on the infield, Hunter Kongar chipped the ball up to the first baseman who slipped and the ball dropped in the dirt. Beall was already running on contact. Upon the ball landing, he turned around third and bolted home to score. Hunter Kongar was the player who put the ball in play. He reached second on a wild pitch. When Minger laid down a bunt, the ensuing throw to first was off the mark, allowing Kongar to score and double the South Adams lead. Wanner’s bid for a perfect game and no-hitter ended when Conner Boyd singled to center field. But any threat was quickly neutralized when Wanner successfully picked off Boyd at first. Boyd was incredulous on his way back to the dugout while the Starfires exuded ample energy and soaring confidence- both largely provided by their starting pitcher. Neither team managed to get a runner on base in the sixth. Matt Steiner led off the seventh for the Starfires by getting hit by a pitch, but he was thrown out on an attempted steal of second. Consecutive singles by Gavin Myers and Kongar turned out to be inconsequential as they were stranded in scoring position, leaving Wanner with not much room for error in the seventh. Nevertheless, Wanner was unphased, seemingly getting better as the innings went by. Carter Daugherty led off the inning by hitting a ground ball to Derek McKean who flipped it to first for the out. Wanner then got Ryder Gipson to swing and miss at an 0-2 pitch prior to inducing a ground ball from Craw to Beall who coolly fired across the diamond to Lenington for the game-ending out. Both pitchers threw complete-games, but it was Martin who came up short in the pitcher’s duel. Wednesday’s win gives the Starfires at least one more game in 2023 and sets up a sectional semi-final matchup against their rivals the Adams Central Jets on Saturday morning. First pitch at Hartford City’s Blackford High School is slated for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The winner of the Adams County tilt will earn a place in Monday afternoon’s Sectional 37 Championship Game against the winner of the second semi-final on Saturday between the Fort Wayne Bishop Luers Knights and the Bluffton Tigers. Monday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Hartford City.