The Mt. Vernon golf team finished one stroke off of first at Saturday’s Batesville Invitational, posting a team score of 322 at the Hillcrest Country Club.
Madison, with a 321, was the only team that shot better than the Marauders. Shelbyville finished third with a 326. It was followed by Greensburg (327), Connersville (333), Brownstown Central (335), Batesville (358), Rising Sun (371), East Central (378), Oldenburg Academy (380) and New Palestine (382).
Leading the way for the Marauders was Oliver Mast, who finished as the second-place low medalist, firing a round of 73.
Will Dant finished seventh overall with an 80. Jacob Ault shot an 83, and Jake Yurack’s 86 completing the scoring for the Marauders.
Mt. Vernon finished the day as the team best ball champion, firing a 64 to bring home the trophy for that portion of the event.
On Monday, the Marauders defeated Rushville 167-208 at Antler Pointe golf course.
Mast again led the Marauders with a 37. Jacob Ault (41), Will Dant (44), and Jack Harker (45) rounded out the Marauders’ scoring.
Mt. Vernon (8-3) hosts Shelbyville on Friday.
Greenfield-Central match rescheduled
The Cougars match against Lawrence Central slated for Monday has been moved to 4:30 p.m. today.
SOFTBALL
Underclassmen lead Cougars to victory
Sophomore Michaela Ballman and freshman Sydney Williams each launched home runs in Class 4A No. 12 Greenfield-Central’s 11-0 throttling of Bishop Chatard (7-7) on Monday in Indianapolis.
Williams finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Also contributing to the Cougars’ offensive outburst were Deena Miller (3-for-4 with four RBI), and Sara Morris (2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI).
In the pitchers’ circle Ballman and Makayla Durick allowed just two hits, and struck out five over six combined innings.
The Cougars (18-3, 4-2 Hoosier Heritage Conference) were back on the diamond Tuesday against league-leading Pendelton Heights (12-5, 3-0 HHC).
Their game against Lawrence Central (8-8) on Thursday has been moved up from 7:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Dragons pick up 4th straight
The Class 4A No. 7 New Palestine softball team pulled out a 9-2 win against Whiteland (6-12) on Monday, its fourth consecutive victory.
The Dragons took a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning with a run in the first and two in the third, then exploded for three runs in each the sixth and seventh to put the game away.
Brittany Duncan led the 13-hit attack, going 4-for-4 with a double, three runs and an RBI. Ashley Prange was 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Elisha Barker and Issy Hoyt also had two hits and an RBI each.
Barker earned the pitching win, scattering 10 hits and allowing two earned runs in a complete-game effort. She struck out two.
The Dragons (16-3) play again today at Fishers, (11-3).
BASEBALL
Rush powers Cougars to victory
Slater Rush slugged a pair of home runs in helping Greenfield-Central survive a tight game against Lebanon on Monday. The Cougars won 10-9 in Greenfield.
Rush jumped all over Lebanon (9-8) pitching early, hitting two-run shots in both the first and third innings. Later in the third frame, he added a two-out two-run single, as he finished the game 3-for-3 with seven RBI.
Taylor Montgomery and Drey Jameson also picked up RBI hits in the Cougars’ eight-run third. The onslaught led to a 10-4 Greenfield-Central advantage.
From there, the Cougars clung to their lead and emerged victorious. They finished with 13 hits in the game.
Doug Berger tossed six innings for the Cougars, earning the win.
Greenfield-Central (9-12) is back on the field Thursday at home against Perry Meridian (4-13).
New Palestine win streak broken
The host Dragons saw their three-game winning streak snapped by Fishers on Monday in a 6-4 defeat.
New Palestine owned a 4-1 lead after Jason Hall-Manley’s grand slam in the third, but the Tigers (11-13) rallied with three runs on three doubles in the fifth, then took advantage of two errors to take a sixth-inning lead, then added another run on two doubles in the seventh.
In the third, Braden Roberts walked, Keegan Watson had an infield hit on a hit-and-run and Evan Hickman walked to set the table for Hall-Manley, who blasted a pitch over the left-centerfield fence for his fourth homer and second grand slam of the year. He now has a team-high 28 RBI.
Hogan Fulkerson pitched effectively in the first three innings, allowing three hits, one run and striking out four. Lovell allowed three earned runs over the next three innings and took the decision.
The Dragons (13-8) play again Thursday at Franklin Central (5-10).
Mt. Vernon comeback falls short
After storming back from down five to knot the game against Connersville at seven in the fifth inning, the Marauders could not complete the comeback on Monday.
The Spartans tacked on two runs in their half of the fifth to take a 9-7 lead and held on to claim a 9-8 victory.
Noah Powell led the Marauders’ attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, RBI and three steals. Zach Spears and Michael Cripe each contributed two hits and a pair of RBI.
After the loss against Connersville (16-4), the Marauders (9-10) looked to get back to .500 Tuesday, when they hosted Brebeuf (14-7).
