SOUTH BEND — It may not have been pretty when Riley and Washington met for a Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) baseball game Wednesday, April 22 at Redling Field, but there was no shortage of effort or passion.
Twenty-four combined strikeouts, 23 combined walks, 19 combined runs scored, nine combined hits, six combined batters hit by pitch and five combined errors resulted in an 11-8 victory for the visiting Wildcats thanks to what Panthers’ head coach Buster Hammond described as “timely” hitting.
Junior Uriah Orozco was perhaps the Riley player who was most timely Wednesday — both on offense and defense — as he had two hits and two RBIs at the plate, plus three strikeouts and the save on the mound.
“We may not be the best, but we all put effort in,” Orozco said. “It’s not just a one-man show … We’re fighting through it. It’s everybody, not just one player out of nine. It’s all nine of us.”
Channeling his inner Yogi Berra, Orozco said much of the Wildcats’ (2-4) success this season will be dependent on the mental side of the game. He said it’s about following a strict mindset, setting a strict routine and not overthinking things even in big spots.
Orozco was an example of that against the Panthers, striking out the final batter of the game with a runner in scoring position. His efforts, along with teammates like sophomore starting pitcher Nolan Gundrum, sophomore leadoff hitter Lucas Wyckoff and senior starting catcher Maxum Kotinek, helped secure first-year head coach Corey Boyd his first career NIC win.
“You have to keep pushing,” Boyd said. “It was good to see what we talk about actually happen, so they can have some real experience with it rather than just hearing about it. Being there, showing up every day and bringing the energy myself, I tell them, ‘We have to fake it until we make it.’”
As was evident by the constant chatter from the Wildcats’ dugout, they were not faking anything against the Panthers. They did a good job hiding it if they were.
“When it gets quiet, the game gets boring; and when everybody’s talking, having fun and screaming in the dugout, that’s when the real competition comes,” Orozco said. “Which one is better, and which one is here to compete?”
How it happened
Riley got out to a quick 1-0 lead only for Washington to grab a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Two frames later, the Panthers extended that advantage to 5-1. Then, the Wildcats opened the floodgates with a seven-run top of the fourth that put them back in front 8-5. Gundrum, who struggled on the mound, came through big for Riley in that fourth inning onslaught with a two-RBI double.
Orozco followed that up with an RBI single of his own. After a scoreless fifth inning, the Wildcats put up another run in the top of the sixth to lead by four runs.
Once again, with their backs against the wall, Washington responded. The Panthers put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by senior Noah Fry’s two-RBI double to right-center field.
Hammond said he wasn’t asking Fry to be a hero in that moment, more of a role model to prove to Washington that what he preaches to them every day can be achieved.
“I love my boys like they’re my own,” Hammond said. “My job is to make them 100% certain at all times — whether they fail or succeed — about the decisions they make. I feel like if I just empower them to be great in making decisions, everything else falls into place.”
Although Fry’s double turned out to be the last gasp for the Panthers, Hammond was sure to note his pride for the competitive spirit displayed by his squad. He added that losses are temporary, and what matters most to the ninth-year head coach is that he saw something in the Panthers’ bout against the Wildcats that he hadn’t seen much of yet this season — an identity.
“That’s baseball. If they go all in and they keep playing, there’s always tomorrow in baseball,” Hammond said. “I think we figured out who we are today, and only time will tell.”
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Riley and Washington baseball both forming identities
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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