NEW PALESTINE — Indian Creek survived against the New Palestine offense through two scary innings in Wednesday’s sectional championship.
The high-powered Dragons loaded the bases in the first two frames but were held scoreless in each, stranding the maximum of six runners to start the game.
The Braves did everything they could to keep the Dragons at bay, using five pitchers to try keep them off balance. It was to no avail.
A leadoff triple by Michaela Jones and a two-run home run by Tatum Biddle got the defending state champions on the board in the third inning. A huge fourth inning then helped New Palestine put the game away en route to an 11-0 win.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“We were one big hit away from kind of getting something going, and then Tatum came through,” New Palestine coach Ed Marcum said. “Mic came through to get that inning started and then Tatum hit the home run. It just kind of relaxed everybody and got us going.”
The win was the Dragons’ third straight sectional championship and 13th overall.
While the Dragons have higher goals in aiming for a second straight state title, it was still an important and special moment to the team to get the sectional win.
“I told them not to take things for granted,” Marcum said. “There’s a whole lot of high school players that don’t have this opportunity to win sectional, much less three in a row.”
Both starting pitchers had a short outing in the sectional final. New Palestine’s third-inning homer prompted a pitching change from Indian Creek, as starter Talea Bowling gave way to Ashleynn Meadows.
Meadows lasted an inning before giving way to two more pitchers in the third inning.
“We were trying to keep them guessing, keep them off balance,” Indian Creek coach Gary Mitchell said. “It worked for a little while. They just caught up to what we were doing.”
A single and a walk by the Braves in the bottom of the third chased New Palestine starter Mackenzie Jones. Kaylea Bullock took the mound, forcing a double play and a flyout to escape the inning with the Dragons’ 2-0 lead intact.
It was a familiar sight for the Braves. Bullock shut them out just one week ago.
“We got out of some key situations there early so they didn’t get the momentum,” Marcum said. “I thought Mac was pitching OK but we were falling behind hitters and Kaylea had pitched against them a week ago and just did an outstanding job to shut them out. That’s why I was ready to go to her quick if we needed it.”
The Dragons added to their lead in the fourth. A leadoff single by Jaylin Calvert was followed by an error that allowed Ashley Prange to reach safely and pushed Calvert to second. Emily O’Connor hit a ball off the wall in center, scoring both runners on a double. Michaela Jones then singled, moving O’Connor to third and advancing to second on an errant throw home.
Another pitching change from Indian Creek brought in Sydney Logsdon. Logsdon’s first pitch was ruled illegal by the home plate ump, awarding O’Connor home and moving Jones to third. A wild pitch then brought Jones home.
A walk followed by a Mackenzie Jones single made it 7-0 after four innings.
“It just takes an inning like that to get everything going for us it seems like,” Prange said. “Once one person hits, everybody hits.”
Prange, a day after missing the sectional semifinal with a minor injury, blasted her 16th home run of the season in the fifth inning to push the lead to eight.
Four sixth-inning singles and a sacrifice fly pushed the last three Dragons runs across.
The Dragons outhit the Braves 15 to five, with Prange and Michaela Jones each picking up three hits. Jaylin Calvert and O’Connor each had two. Prange, O’Connor and Biddle each drove in two RBIs in the win.
“I’m so proud of them. This is what we work for, these moments and these games,” Prange said of her teammates. “I’m just glad everyone came through. It’s awesome to see that going deeper into the tournament.”
The next step for New Palestine is Tuesday’s regional, a game the No. 1 Dragons will host against the winner of tonight’s sectional final game between No. 7 Edgewood and Northview.