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Having coached Josh Suslowicz since he was 7, NWI Rippers coach Mike Schalasky never knows what he’s going to get from the Crown Point senior on any given day.
“He runs very hot and cold,” Schalasky said of Suslowicz. “But when he’s hot, there are not a lot of better hitters.”
Suslowicz found his hot streak Monday against Noblesville, hitting a two-run homer and going 3-for-4 with three RBIs in an 11-7 win for the Rippers in the championship game of the Babe Ruth (16-18) Ohio Valley Regional at Legacy Fields in Crown Point.
In his previous five tournament games, Suslowicz said he had two hits, but he thought he was due.
“I’ve been hitting the ball hard but right at guys,” he said.
The ball Suslowicz hit in the third inning wasn’t right at anybody, sailing over the wall in left field.
“I got a fastball and the second I hit it, I was like, ‘Oh that’s gone,’” he said. “That homer was probably one of the best feelings of my life.”
The Rippers move on to the Babe Ruth World Series that will be held Aug. 4-11 in Jamestown, N.Y.
“Ever since I was 8, we’d win state and then go to Ohio Valley and couldn’t win,” Suslowicz said. “It was like a curse or something. I wanted to come in here, give it my all and try to do my best, and we were able to come out on top. It’s amazing.”
Suslowicz said that the momentum from taking down top-seeded Highland 5-3 in the semifinal game played a vital role in the ensuing offensive onslaught that saw the Rippers total 13 hits.
“Everyone was so ecstatic after that game and we were swinging the bats with no worries at all,” he said. “We kept the hype up from that win and never came down from it.”
NWI scored three runs apiece in the first, third and fifth innings to back Valparaiso graduate Derek Lasky, who had eight strikeouts in pitching 5 1/3 innings. He allowed only one run.
“I’ve never seen Noblesville before so I was just trying to get my fastball across at the beginning,” Lasky said. “Once I was able to see what their timing was like, then I was able to incorporate off-speed from there.”
Crown Point product Krischtin Beebe went 3-for-4 for the Rippers, while his former classmate Andrew Mild went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Illiana Christian senior Colton DeJong (2-for-4) and Valparaiso gradu Johnny Vitori both added a pair of RBIs.
“We told the boys to be patient,” Schalasky said. “We wanted them to make the pitcher work and for them to wait for their pitch. They were able to take advantage and really drove the ball.”
CJ Peters is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.