LOOGOOTEE — Christian Academy of Indiana baseball coach Ryan Wheeler has said all season that his team has made a habit of proving to people that the Warriors are better than opponents like to give them credit for.
On Saturday, CAI again showed its merits against a top-level opponent — fighting tooth and nail with Tecumseh in the Class A Loogootee Regional.
But a pair of two-out errors in the fifth inning proved costly as the Braves plated three runs in the frame to score a 6-3 win over the Warriors in the semifinals.
“It sounds strange to say it coming off the field with a loss. But there were still times today I felt like we were the better team,” Wheeler said. “Two times we had chances to get out of the inning with no runs crossing the plate but could get out of it. That ended up being the difference in the game.”
The Warriors (15-11) trailed 3-0 after three innings, but came right back in the top of the fourth with a three-run home run by Levi Stewart to knot the game at three.
“If you throw the ball up to Levi, he will hit it,” said Wheeler. “He got ahold of one and put us right back in the game there.”
The Warriors had a chance to take the lead in the top of the fifth, putting runners at first and third with one out. But Tecumseh starter Kreig Oxley retired the next two batters to get out of the jam.
“That could have been a huge swing if we come back in the fourth and then come right back and take the lead back in the fifth,” Wheeler said. “It might have really impacted the way the game was going.”
Oxley held the Warriors to just two hits in the game, both in the fourth inning. CAI starter Trey Haendiges gave up six runs (three earned) in the complete game.
“(Tecumseh) made Trey work and made him throw a lot of pitches,” Wheeler said. “He gutted it out and gave everything he had in his last game.”
It also was the last game for Wheeler as head coach at Christian Academy. He announced earlier in the regular season that he would be stepping down after four seasons as Warriors skipper.
In his final year, he saw the program finally break through and win its second sectional title after three years of gut-wrenching sectional setbacks.
In his first two seasons, CAI’s season ended as its opponents rallied in its final at-bat and last year the Warriors were beaten in the final of the Class A Borden Sectional.
Last Saturday, CAI defeated sectional favorite Henryville 12-7 in its sectional opener and then defeated tourney host South Central in the championship game, 6-3. CAI finished the season by winning 12 of its final 17 games.
“I’m was so proud to see this team be the one that broke through after being close all those times,” Wheeler said. “As this season went on, I think I went more from being a coach of this team to a fan of this team. I had to step back this year and enjoy them because these guys just never quit.
“People probably looked at our numbers and didn’t think we were a threat. That’s why I always liked to tell this team ‘we are who people don’t think we are.’”
Departing along with Wheeler will be five seniors from the Warrior roster — Haendiges, Stewart, Josh McKain, Joel Sellers and Alex Hayes.
CLASS A LOOGOOTEE REGIONAL
SEMIFINAL
CHR. ACADEMY 000 300 0—3 2 2
TECUMSEH 003 030 0—6 11 3
W — Oxley. L — Haendiges. 2B — Notsinger (T), Oeth (T). HR — Stewart (C)
Record — CAI 15-11, Tecumseh 23-6.
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