PENDLETON — It was a night of unlucky bounces for Greenfield-Central on Thursday, as it lost 5-2 in its baseball sectional opener against New Castle.
“We competed, but I think (New Castle) got every break possible,” Greenfield-Central coach Robbie Miller said after a long season-ending talk with his team.
Through the first four innings, the game was uneventful. Greenfield-Central took a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI single by senior Dylan Cheshier in the bottom of the second inning, and the score remained that way until the top of the fifth.
Through New Castle’s first four innings against Cougars hurler Seth Adams, its only base runner reached on a first-inning error. Looking to retire his 13th consecutive batter, Adams’ offering was hit by New Castle’s Dylan Darling directly to shortstop Slater Rush. However, the ball hit the lip of the grass and the dirt and bounced directly over Rush’s head for the Trojans’ first hit of the game.
Darling came into score on a blooper that landed directly on the left-field line over the head of Cougars third baseman Douglas Berger.
“I thought (Adams) handled giving up his first hit well,” Miller said. “He only gave up the one run and continued to work hard out there on the mound, because that is what he does.”
Catching for Adams was senior Syrus Fletcher, who earlier in the night had run for GC’s 3,200 meter relay team at the Connersville Regional and qualified for the state finals meet.
“That’s just Syrus … He qualified for state, rushed here from Connersville and caught seven innings of baseball,” Miller praised afterwards. “I’m glad he qualified for state, I just wish he could still be playing baseball for us.”
New Castle took a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning when Trojans right fielder Jared Heard hit a two-run home run to right-center field. According to the New Castle radio broadcast, this was Heard’s third career home run, and all three have been in sectional play this season and last.
Despite scratching across a run in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch to make the score 3-2, Greenfield-Central gave up two runs in the top of the seventh inning and was not able to mount a serious threat to tie it in the bottom of the frame.
Despite the season’s conclusion, Miller believes his group of seniors gave the underclassmen an example moving forward.
“These seniors all worked really hard to show the younger guys how its done,” the first-year head coach said. “We’ve got to get better and replace some big bats, but I look forward to next season.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Baseball sectional schedule” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Sectional schedule
Class 4A Sectional 9 at Pendleton Heights
Wednesday
Pendleton Heights 3, Mt. Vernon 2
Thursday
Anderson 10, Connersville 2
New Castle 5, Greenfield-Central 2
Today
Richmond vs. Pendleton Heights, noon
Anderson vs. New Castle, 2 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 7 p.m.
Class 3A Sectional 26 at Bishop Chatard
Wednesday
New Palestine 15, Herron 0
Thursday
Bishop Chatard 15, Marshall 0
Today
New Palestine vs. Bishop Chatard, 11 a.m.
Guerin vs. Brebeuf, 2 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 5 p.m.
Class 2A Sectional 41 at Centerville
Wednesday
Union County 10, Eastern Hancock 2
Thursday
Northeastern 7, Centerville 4
Hagerstown 7, Cambridge City Lincoln 3
Monday
Knightstown vs. Union County, 10 a.m.
Northeastern vs. Hagerstown, 1 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
