South Bend Adams baseball grinds out victory over Concord in early Saturday game

DUNLAP — South Bend Adams and Concord have arguably been the two biggest surprises in the area baseball scene this spring, with both surpassing its win totals from last year already.

They were both running on fumes as well when they faced each other on a sunny Saturday morning.

The Eagles’ two-run burst in the first inning was enough to get a 3-1 win over the host Minutemen, capping an exhausting 17-hour stretch for both teams.

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Adams lost a 1-0, walk-off heartbreaker to LaPorte Friday night, while Concord played a total of 10 innings against Plymouth. The Minutemen and Pilgrims had to resume a game that was suspended earlier in the season due to darkness, with Concord rallying to win, 10-9 (9 innings). It then beat Plymouth, 7-1, in the regularly scheduled game for Friday.

Both Adams and Concord teams didn’t get back to their respective schools until 10 p.m. Friday. The Minutemen were on their home field by 8 a.m. Saturday, with Adams leaving the school at 8:15 a.m. ahead of the 10 a.m. first pitch.

“I’m tired,” admitted Adams coach Michael Cass after the game.

Even though they were home by 10 p.m., Concord coach Greg Hughes knows that wasn’t bedtime for his players.

“They’re teenagers — they’re going to stay up late, no matter what you tell them,” Hughes said. “They’re going to do what they do. Adams had a game (Friday), too, so we can’t use it as an excuse.”

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Adams (14-4) capitalized early, as it built a 2-0 lead four batters into the game. Consecutive singles from KJ Johnston, Kai Whitlow and Jacob Mulvehill, followed by Aidan Micinski reaching on an error ended up being enough cushion for the Eagles.

The rest of the game played out like two teams that were a little groggy. Concord (13-6) finished with just two hits as Micinski pitched a gem for Adams. The junior went the distance, striking out nine batters along the way. The only run Micinski gave up came on an RBI single from Andrew Kavanagh, which scored Camari Jackson in the third inning.

Micinski only let one other runner reach second base the rest of the game.

“We saw one of the better pitchers we’ve seen all year, and I’m glad we did,” Hughes said. “We needed to see some guys throwing hard before we get into the tournament. Nine strikeouts is a lot more than we’re used to, so we’ve got to have a little better approach at the plate.”

Adams’ final run came off a bases-loaded walk drawn by Peyton Hoover in the fifth inning. While the Eagles recorded seven hits and had runners on base in the first six innings, they stranded 13 of those players on base.

“They had energy early,” Cass said. “I didn’t like the adjustments we made on the second pitcher, but we did alright. We got another run, so that was huge.”

Cass thinks winning a game like Saturday’s can be good for his team as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season. A huge NIC showdown with Mishawaka Marian awaits the Eagles Monday at School Field, as the Eagles are 5-1 in conference games and Marian 6-2.

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“The kids, they’re the ones that learn from this ... They’re the ones that have to learn from these experiences," Cass said.

Meanwhile, Concord still controls its destiny for an NLC title. The Minutemen are one game behind Warsaw with five conference contests remaining, including a matchup with the Tigers next Monday.

“Before, we were the team that people were like, ‘Oh, good, we’ve got an easy one,’” Hughes said. “Now, we’re the team with a target on our back. But if we do our thing and take care of our business, we’ll see what happens.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Adams baseball grinds out victory over Concord