Greenfield-Central’s Lilly Stewart gets mobbed by her teammates after she hit a home run against Anderson during the Class 4A Mt. Vernon Sectional on Monday, May 24, 2021.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS — The Greenfield-Central softball team is swinging a hot bat so far this season.
With 48 runs scored in three games to open their 2022 campaign, the Cougars upped the total to 64 at Indianapolis Scecina on Tuesday to win their fourth straight game, 16-1, in five innings.
Greenfield-Central (4-0) built a 12-0 lead after three complete innings and added four more runs in the top of the fifth behind 17 hits and seven extra-base hits, including five home runs.
Ella Redman (3-for-4), Faith Butler (2-for-4), Katie Muegge (1-for-3), Lilly Stewart (2-for-4) and Olivia Roberts (1-for-4) each connected for homers.
Redman posted a team-high five RBI, followed by Roberts’ four, Butler’s three and two for Muegge. Redman and Josie White (3-for-3) both recorded doubles. Morgan Hornaday finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
Butler earned the complete-game victory, going all five innings with three walks and four strikeouts. She scattered seven hits and allowed one earned run.
The Cougars traveled to Danville (2-0) on Wednesday night and head to Madison-Grant on Friday for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Baseball
Marauders win HHC opener
The defending Hoosier Heritage Conference champion Mt. Vernon Marauders kicked off their title defense on Tuesday with an 8-2 win over Delta.
The home-opening victory evened Mt. Vernon’s season record to 1-1 with the two-game HHC series concluding on Wednesday night at Delta.
Mt. Vernon led 4-1 after four innings Tuesday, and it never let up, adding two runs in both the top of the sixth and seventh.
Gavin Sullivan finished 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI for the Marauders. Eli Bridenthal went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Konner Scheidt was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI.
Gavin Johnston (1-for-4) and Landon Clark (1-for-4) each drove in a run.
Bridenthal recorded the win, pitching 5.0 innings with three hits allowed, three walks and 10 strikeouts. Clark entered in relief and went 2.0 innings with one hit surrendered and four strikeouts.
Cougars fall to Trojans
The Greenfield-Central baseball team dropped its HHC opener at home Tuesday, 6-5, in nine innings against the visiting New Castle Trojans.
The host Cougars (1-2) concluded their two-game HHC series with New Castle at Shenandoah High School on Wednesday.
Greenfield-Central led 4-1 after two innings, but the Trojans charged back to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the third.
The team’s stood deadlocked at 5-5 after the eighth until New Castle plated a run in the top of the ninth.
The Cougars logged six hits and were led by Joe Roland’s 2-for-4 performance, which included an RBI.
A.J. Oden (1-for-3, double), Brodie Mayberry (1-for-4) and Grant Shepherd (1-for-4, home run) each drove in one run apiece.
Conner Sims went 6.0 innings for the Cougars and held the Trojans to two hits, no earned runs and two walks. He struck out 16 of the 28 batters he faced. Jaden Markus pitched 3.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts in the loss.
Dragons split HHC series
The New Palestine baseball team evened its record and split its HHC series opener with Shelbyville on Wednesday.
New Palestine lost its season-opener at home against Shelbyville, 9-3, on Tuesday. The Dragons turned the tables the next day to conclude their series at Shelbyville, 8-4.
The Dragons wasted little time, establishing a 6-0 lead after three innings and pulled ahead 7-0 in the top of the fourth before Shelbyville plated two runs in both the fourth and seventh.
Wes Stiller (3-for-3) and Caleb Davis (2-for-4, triple) both drove in two runs.
Maddox Manes went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a home run. Luke Legault went 2-for-4 with a triple. Nolan Cox was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Blaine Nunnally was 1-for-3 with a double.
The Dragons posted 14 hits in the win.
Davis earned the win by throwing 4.0 innings of two-hit baseball with one walk and six strikeouts. Nunnally pitched 3.0 innings with five strikeouts and four hits allowed.
