SHELBYVILLE — One big inning was all New Palestine’s top-ranked softball team needed to bounce back from their first loss of the season. A second big inning helped them get firmly back on track.
The Dragons were helped by some costly Shelbyville errors and timely hitting in Thursday’s conference road game.
Shelbyville (8-3, 1-3 HHC) hung around early and limited New Palestine (11-1, 4-0) to just four hits in the first four innings, but the visiting Dragons used momentum created in a pivotal third inning to stay out in front and pull away, winning 13-3.
“It was a little bit different pitching than what we saw last night (at Center Grove),” New Palestine coach Ed Marcum said. “I thought it would take us a while to adjust. She (Shelbyville pitcher TeAnn Bringle) did a nice job and kept us off balance.”
Two throwing errors by the Shelbyville infield were key for the Dragons. After Bringle held the New Palestine offense down through two innings and with the score tied 1-1, a walk and a throwing error put two Dragons on for shortstop Ashley Prange. Prange hit a two-RBI single to center, then scored two batters later on a Michaela Jones double. A throwing error on an infield grounder scored Jones, and the Dragons suddenly had a 5-1 lead.
The Bears fought back. A solo home run by leadoff hitter Addisenn Weaver was followed by back-to-back doubles from Katie Lux and TeAnn Bringle, cutting the Dragons lead back down to 5-3 after three innings.
But more errors helped New Palestine put the Bears away.
An error put a Dragons runner on to start the fourth inning, and New Palestine capitalized immediately, advancing TeTe Hart with a sacrifice bunt and scoring her with a Kendal Calvert single.
Shelbyville’s fourth error of the game put two runners on in the fifth inning and helped the Dragons lock down their 11th win.
With only four hits to that point, New Palestine’s offense came to life, smacking eight hits in the frame and scoring seven runs.
“That’s what you want to see,” Marcum said. “If a team gives you extra outs, you really want to take advantage of it. They made a couple of mistakes and then our bats came alive.”
A Michaela Jones single started the inning and a grounder by Tatum Biddle that could have been a double play was bobbled, setting up Macy Miller, who smacked a double to score two more Dragons.
New Palestine didn’t stop there, hitting three singles in a row, from Hart, Emma Tucher and Rieley Widmann, to keep increasing the lead. Prange doubled, and Emily O’Connor and Michaela Jones singled to put the Dragons up 13-3.
Marcum went with a different pitching plan than he came into the week with. Citing regular starter Mackenzie Jones’ strong performance at Center Grove on Wednesday, he went with Kaylea Bullock for the entire game Thursday.
Bullock kept the Bears contained, allowing three runs and four hits over five innings. She struck out four and walked none. All four Shelbyville hits were extra-base hits, with three doubles and a home run.
Offensively the Dragons were led by Miller, who started the scoring with a second-inning home run to center to put New Palestine up 1-0. Combined with her fifth-inning double, she knocked across three RBIs.
Michaela Jones went 3 for 4, with two singles, a double and an RBI. Prange and O’Connor each added two RBIs for the Dragons.
