Baseball: Washington Twp. avenges last year’s loss to Kouts
By Candace Buckner Post-Tribune correspondent May 25, 2012 11:38PM
Updated: July 3, 2012 10:48AM
VALPARAISO — Washington Township had no championship hangover on Friday afternoon during its sectional semifinal against Kouts.
The host Senators continued their streak of solid baseball by dispatching Kouts, 13-3 in six innings.
On Monday, Washington Township (22-9) won its first conference tournament championship in four years — giving this senior class the parting gift of two such titles in their career.
However, before its match up against Kouts, Senators coach Randy Roberts did not want to depend on that momentum.
“I hope we’re all mature enough that Monday’s night trophy means nothing right now,” Roberts said.
The Senators relieved any concern their coach had by showing up ready. Washington began with aggressiveness on the basepaths and also smacked the leather off the ball, knocking Kouts starter Max Everaert out of the game in the second inning.
In the bottom of the first, junior Justin Landgrebe ripped the first pitch he saw to the left-center gap for a double just before junior Bob Ross drove him home by chopping a single through the infield.
In the second, with two teammates on base and two outs, senior Greg Fadell crushed a two-run triple to right field. Next up, Langrebe, on a two-strike count, took Everaert’s offering up the middle to score Fadell.
By this point of the game, the Senators had a pair of extra base hits as well as three stolen bases and on their way to a sectional championship game today at noon against Morgan Township.
“We were facing the same pitcher that knocked us out of the sectional last year,” Roberts said of Everaert. “We knew he was a good pitcher, we just got up there and hit the ball hard and good things happened.”
Though Kouts got to starter Tyler Frye (6-1) in the fourth with three runs, Washington pounded back with five in the bottom of the inning and Frye retired the next six batters to end the game.
With the win, Washington advances to today’s championship game, where it will again face Morgan Township — the team it beat for the PCC tournament crown.
The Mustangs experienced early season struggles but bounced back as the weeks went by, mostly leaning on a wealth of experience earned from winning the 2011 sectional championship. Kouts, with a trio of seniors — Dan Cullison, Jon Frame and Stephan Roney — ends the season with a 12-12 record.
