Sometimes, it takes some discipline. A victory requires focus, willpower and in this case, a thirst for revenge. The Indians will do whatever it takes.
The Tribe secured a 3-2 victory against DAC rival, Valparaiso, on Saturday, May 9. They avenged their April 20, 7-5 loss to the Vikings. Coach Jeff Sandor, English, was pleased with his team’s resilience.
“Last time, if you could believe this, we left ten runners on base in the first [five innings]. Their catcher picked us off twice, and two kids got [caught stealing]. That’s a pretty darn good team. They play good baseball, and their lineup competes,” Coach Sandor said.
Matthew Litwicki (10) took the mound for the Tribe. He earned his fifth victory of the season and gave up his first run in 35 innings pitched. After a rough fifth inning, Litwicki knew he had to bounce back.
“When I was warming up today, I wasn’t feeling my best. I just tried to minimize. You battle, keep the ball low in the strike zone, and keep going. Giving up the [runs] takes some pressure off of me, and I would rather have the win than the stat,” Litwicki said.
But aside from the victory, one major statistic stands out. Zachary Turnbough (11) hit his 12th triple of the year and tied Michael Deck (‘86) of Carmel for the state record of triples in a season. Turnbough’s RBI gapper came in prime time during the fifth inning.
“When everybody talks about the [triples], you don’t want to push for it. Every game that passes, you start to push for it more and more. As soon as I saw the kid take a step in, instead of to his right, it was pedal to the ground. When I got there, it was just amazing. I looked up and started screaming. I was so pumped,” Turnbough said.
The Indians show up, get work done and roll out. They have rattled off nine consecutive victories: their last two coming by way of one-run nail-biters. They will face the Merrillville Pirates on Tuesday, May 12. The quest for DAC supremacy will continue on home turf.
