Greenfield-Central’s Brianna McConnell returns a serve during her team’s sectional match on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Starks and the Cougars improved to 5-4 this season with a 5-0 win over visiting Knightstown on Wednesday.
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield-Central girls tennis team rolled to a sweeping 5-0 victory over visiting Knightstown on Wednesday.
The Cougars improved their season record to 5-4 with the sweep, which was powered by four straight-set match wins.
Zoe Starks won at No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-1, while Brianna McConnell replicated the feat, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2 singles.
Hallie Smith and Lauren Chastain posted a perfect result at No. 1 doubles, 6-0, 6-0, for the win. At No. 2 doubles, Allison Lowe and Emma Berty won 6-0, 6-1.
The Cougars’ fifth point was awarded via forfeit at No. 3 singles.
The Cougars returned to their home courts on Thursday for a Hoosier Heritage Conference meeting against New Castle.
Marauders cruise against Tigers
The Mt. Vernon girls tennis team bounced back strong on Thursday night.
Days after falling short against Alexandria, 3-2, on Monday, the Marauders rebounded with a 5-0 sweep of HHC foe Yorktown.
Kylie Brandes won at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0. Carly Wilkerson followed up with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles.
Anna Hawks concluded the singles sweep with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3.
Liv Lugo and CeCe Bulmahn won their No. 1 doubles match 6-3, 7-5. Maddie Swingle and Shay Shipley won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.
The Marauders improved to 10-2 on the season and 4-1 in the HHC.
Dragons drop first dual
The New Palestine girls tennis team suffered its first loss of the season Wednesday, falling 5-0 to Roncalli.
The Dragons are now 6-1 in dual matches.
Anna Luker made her season debut at No. 2 singles and played a strong match before falling 6-4, 6-3 to lead the Dragons.
Royals remain unbeaten
The Eastern Hancock girls tennis team improved to 6-0 on the season with a 3-2 victory over Southwestern on Wednesday night.
The Royals swept in all three singles matches to secure the win.
Bianca Di Vittorio won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Violette Sagalowicz prevailed 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles. Tori Parker won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles.
The Royals No. 1 doubles team battled but fell in a third-set super tiebreaker 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 8-10. Eastern Hancock’s No. 2 doubles team lost 5-7, 2-6.
Softball
Marauders fall to Bulldogs
The Mt. Vernon softball team lost a tug-of-war, 3-2, against host Lapel on Tuesday night.
The Marauders grabbed a 1-0 lead after the first inning before the Bulldogs tied up the game 1-1 after the second.
A one-run top of the sixth put the Marauders ahead again, but Lapel rallied with a two-run bottom of the seventh to escape.
Mt. Vernon’s Drew Fithian (1-for-2, home run) and Easton Wampler each drove in one run apiece.
Haywin Turner finished 1-for-1, Alexis Beeler was 1-for-3 with a double, Mya Fields went 1-for-4 and Shelby Rakosky hit a double.
Victoria Jenson pitched six innings for the Marauders, striking out seven, walking none with six hits allowed and two earned runs charged against.
The Marauders are now 4-3 on the season.
Top-ranked Tigers beat Cougars
The Greenfield-Central softball team lost to top-ranked Class 3A Yorktown, 7-1, on Wednesday night.
The host Tigers built a 4-0 lead after three innings and scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to keep the Cougars at bay.
Greenfield-Central posted five hits compared to HHC foe Yorktown’s 11.
Olivia Roberts (1-for-2) drove in the Cougars’ lone run and finished with a double and a sacrifice fly.
Megan Wineinger went 4-for-4 with a run scored.
Faith Butler pitched six innings with two strikeouts, three walks, 10 hits surrendered and three earned runs charged against.
The Cougars are now 7-4 on the season and 1-1 in the HHC.
Dragons take down Trojans
The Class 4A second-ranked New Palestine softball team won its 11th straight game Wednesday, beating 4A No. 10 Center Grove 4-1.
The Dragons improved to 11-0-1 with the victory in their first of four consecutive games against ranked teams.
Holman pitched a three-hit complete game for the victory. She allowed one earned run, two walks and fanned none. The Dragons defense was perfect behind her.
Holman also led the Dragons’ nine-hit attack, going 3-for-3 with a triple, a run and an RBI. She also drew a walk. Aglaia Rudd was 2-for-4 with a run. Alaina Miller was 1-for-4. Paige Ernstes was 1-for-2 with a run and two RBI. Reese Rosenbaum was 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Sydney Oliver was 1-for-3.
The Dragons are next in action Thursday at No. 11 Shelbyville. After a day off, they travel to No. 1 Roncalli Saturday for a three-team doubleheader. The Dragons will also face Chicago Marist, the No. 1 team in Illinois’ largest class.
Track and Field
Cougars finish second at PH Invite
The Greenfield-Central girls track and field team tallied 69 points to finish second out of 12 schools overall at Tuesday’s Pendleton Heights Invitational.
Kayana Maroska was first in the 100- and 200-meter dash races for the Cougars. She added a second-place run in the 400.
Savannah Lake placed second in the 100 and fourth in the 200. Reagan Crouch took second in the 300 hurdles, was fourth in the high jump and eighth in the 100 hurdles.
The Cougars’ 4×100 relay team finished second.
Dragons take third at PH
The New Palestine girls track and field team finished third at Tuesday’s Pendleton Heights Invitational, tallying 63 points.
Noblesville won with 188 points, while Greenfield-Central tallied 69. The Dragons finished ahead of Mt. Vernon (60), Cathedral (56), Delta, (53), Yorktown (48) and five other teams.
Rylee Hurst won the 400 in 1:02.34. Quin Lumbley was runner-up in shot put (38-10.5), with Sydney Miller fourth. Miller finished second in discus (128-0).
Alaina Doran placed fifth in the 100 hurdles. Ezra Wagner was fifth in pole vault, with Rebecca Johnson seventh. Lexi Baynes was sixth and Tylar Whitaker seventh in the 800. Doran finished seventh and Anne Bauer eighth in the 300 hurdles. Hurst was seventh in the 100. Ashlyn Sanford finished eighth in the 1600.
The Dragons’ quartet of Baynes, Emily Adam, Morgan Stone and Whitaker finished third in the 4×800 relay. The Dragons also finished seventh in the 4×100 relay, sixth in the 4×400 relay.
Cougar boys place sixth
The Greenfield-Central boys track and field team placed sixth overall at the Miller Invitational in Noblesville on Tuesday.
Griffin Wheeler finished second in the 800, third in the 1,600 and fifth with the 4×400 relay team.
Elliot Ryba tied for second in the high jump at 6-feet. The 4×800 relay team of Lucas Tutrow, Liam Brinkruff, Masan Kojima and Jacob Presser placed third.
Brinkruff also finished sixth in the 3,200 and Presser was seventh in the 800.
All three discus throwers set PRs with Reese Hill taking fifth (130-05) and Caleb Nelson in eighth (118-03). This season, Nelson and Hill have improved their PRs by 20 and 25 feet, respectively.
Ian Jack finished fifth with the 4×400 relay team (Wheeler, Logan Stoeffler and Michael Runions), seventh in the 100 and seventh with the 4×100 group.
Kirk Knecht placed seventh in the long jump.
