Hauser’s Kam Blair (3) celebrates with Simeon Wasil at home plate after Wasil hit a home run Thursday against South Decatur at Hauser High School in Hope.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
HOPE — Simeon Wasil did the damage with his bat before a long weather delay, then continued to shut down Class A No. 9 South Decatur with his arm after the hiatus Thursday evening.
As a result, Hauser took Game 1 of the home-and-home series between the front-runners in the Mid-Hoosier Conference with a 5-0 baseball victory.
“It messed up my momentum, but I started warming up during the breaks,” Wasil said. “I was feeling good before, so I just had a little bit to get warmed back up. I felt great.”
Wasil’s solo home run in the bottom of the first gave the Jets (13-6, 9-0) a 1-0 lead just before a roll of thunder sent teams to their dugouts and fans to their cars. Then came a dose of rain that left water standing on the basepaths.
Hauser coaches and parents worked frantically to get the field back in playing shape, but another roll of thunder led to another 30-minute delay until teams could re-take the field. After a 1-hour, 15 minute delay, play resumed.
“Our field does a great job of holding water, and we had some parents come out and help us coaching staff,” Hauser coach Nate Long said. “We’re very thankful for them. The field maintained pretty well, and we were able to get seven innings in.”
The Jets made it 2-0 in the third inning on back-to-back singles by Wasil and Holden Pittman and a wild pitch. They doubled the lead in the fifth, taking advantage of a pair of Cougar errors, an RBI-groundout by Pittman and an RBI-single by Kam Blair.
Hauser’s final run came in the sixth when Joel Bechtel singled, went to second on a sacrifice by Sam Louden and scored when Stryker Gill reached on an error.
“I think we came out flat,” South Decatur coach Anthony Jarvis said. “We had several errors that pretty much sealed it for us.”
Wasil threw a two-hitter for the Jets. He struck out six and walked three.
Pate had both hits for the Cougars (11-4, 8-1) going 2 for 3 with a double. Pate threw a six-hitter, striking out 10 and walking two.
“We hit the ball,” Jarvis said. “It just wasn’t timely. Devin did a really good job. He’s a great senior.”
“The Pate kid is a very good pitcher, a very good athlete, a very good baseball player,” Long added. “So when you have a chance to go out there and compete against him and that team and come out with a win, that’s always a good thing for us.”
Blair went 2 for 2, and Wasil went 2 for 4 with the home run for Hauser.
“It changed momentum,” Wasil said. “After I hit that, the dugout was very energetic. It was a great start. They’re one of the better conference opponents, so I’m glad we got the 1-0 lead on them.”
“They’re juniors and sophomores for the most part,” Long added. “I know I have one senior and one freshman out there, but they play very hard and they play like veterans. They played very well tonight.”
The teams will play again Friday at South Decatur. Holden Pittman will start on the mound for the Jets against South Decatur’s Corey Nugent.
“Just clean up the mistakes, and it will be a tighter ballgame I believe,” Jarvis said.
