New Palestine 1 win from state finals

EVANSVILLE — For any other team, a come-from-behind victory capped by a walk-off home run in a regional championship game would mark the rarest of events.

In New Palestine, however, a flair for the dramatic has become the signature of the baseball team.

The latest installment on the highlight reel came late Saturday night at Evansville’s Bosse Field, where New Palestine senior Jacob Barnes hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Dragons an 11-9 championship win.

Less than a week earlier, Barnes hit a seventh-inning, three-run home run in the Dragons’ 6-3 sectional-title title win over Greenwood, which came on the heels of the team’s 1-0 sectional semifinal victory against Franklin.

And in the regional Saturday, New Palestine came from behind to beat Castle in the afternoon semifinal, and then trailed Jeffersonville 2-0 in the first inning and 6-4 in the fourth.

“All year it’s been like this,” New Palestine first-year head coach Shawn Lyons said, pointing to his squad’s 12 come-from-behind wins. “It’s a testament to these guys. Every time something bad happens or something didn’t go their way, they seem to have responded.

“Things didn’t go our way in the top of the seventh (against Jeffersonville) and those guys didn’t flinch.”

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