Mt. Vernon’s Austin Hear (1) waits to make the tag of New Palestine’s Carter Stogsdill (10) as he tries to score during their game on April 19, 2022 at Mt. Vernon High School.
Rob Baker | Daily Reporter
NEW PALESTINE — The New Palestine baseball team refuses to lose. The Dragons extended their winning streak to 11 straight Saturday, sweeping Connersville, 8-0 and 10-4, in a senior day doubleheader.
In the opener, the Dragons’ Eli Bruns pitched a four-hit shutout. He struck out eight in the complete-game victory.
The Dragons (17-5) scored four runs in each the third and sixth innings.
In the third, Andrew McAtee led off with a triple and came home on Carter Stogsdill’s base hit. Zayden Stiller followed with a single. Stogsdill scored on Luke Legault’s flyout. Blaine Nunnally and Bruns added two-out singles, the latter plating the third run. Nunnally came home on a wild pitch.
In the sixth, Ben Morwick, Stogsdill and Stiller loaded the bases with consecutive hits. Maddox Manes forced in a run with a walk. Legault then cleared the bases with a three-run double.
Stogsdill led the Dragons’ 13-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, a run and an RBI.
Stiller was 2-for-4 with a run. Bruns was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Manes was 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Legault was 1-for-3 with a double and four RBI. Nunnally was 1-for-4 with a run. Caleb Davis was 1-for-3. McAtee was 1-for-2 with a triple and a run. Morwick was 1-for-1 with a run.
In the nightcap, the Dragons broke a one-run game open with a six-run fifth inning before the game was called in the sixth due to weather.
Leading 4-3, the Dragons loaded the bases. Blaine Nunnally’s sacrifice fly plated a run. A wild pitch brought home another run. Davis later hit a two-run triple and back-to-back errors brought home two more runs.
With the Dragons trailing 1-0 in the third, Morwick and Stogsdill hit back-to-back singles and scored on an error and a wild pitch. Connersville tied the game in the top of the fourth, but a walk to Bruns, an RBI triple by Davis and a run-scoring single by Morwick gave the Dragons a 4-2 lead.
Michael Thorpe picked up the win in relief, allowing three runs and five hits while striking out four in four innings.
Stiller led the Dragons’ 12-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a run. Davis was 2-for-3 with two triples, two runs and three RBI. Morwick was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Stogsdill was 2-for-3 with a run. Manes was also 2-for-3. Bruns was 1-for-1 with two runs.
MV gains ground in HHC
The Mt. Vernon baseball team pulled into a first-place tie in the Hoosier Heritage Conference with a come-from-behind win over visiting New Castle, 5-4, Saturday.
The Trojans led early 4-0 through the top of the third before the host Marauders chipped away with one run scored in the bottom of the third and four more in the fifth and sixth innings.
The fourth-straight victory improved Mt. Vernon’s season record to 12-7 overall and 10-2 in the HHC. New Castle is now 13-3-1 on the year and 10-2 in the conference.
New Palestine (17-5) remains a game back in the HHC standings at 9-3. All three teams face two-game HHC series this week to decide the final outcome.
Mt. Vernon was out hit by New Castle 9-6 overall. The Trojans also posted four doubles and one triple compared to the Marauders’ one triple by Landon Clark.
However, Mt. Vernon’s batters drew eight walks while its pitching staff only issued five free passes.
Nathan Criss earned the pitching win in relief, going 1.2 innings with four strikeouts, one walk and no hits allowed.
Nick Heitman started the game for MV, lasting 5.1 frames with seven hits allowed, one earned run charged, four walks and three strikeouts.
Konnor Scheidt went 1-for-3 with two RBI for MV. Eli Bridenthal was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Clark went 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.
Gavin Johnston (1-for-2) score two runs and drew two walks. Gavin Sullivan went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Criss scored a run.
Cougars drop two to Guerin
The Greenfield-Central baseball team dropped a pair to visiting Guerin Catholic on Saturday.
The Cougars fell 14-13 in the first game and 7-4 in the second.
Greenfield-Central led early 2-0 in the first game and tied the game 4-4 after the bottom of the third inning. The Cougars’ lead increased to 10-4 before the Golden Eagles charged back with 10 runs scored in the final three frames.
G-C posted 14 hits in the game led by doubles from Andrew Zellers (2-for-5) and Kirk Knecht (3-for-3, four RBI). Conner Sims (2-for-4, three RBI) had a home run.
Karson Gantt (1-for-4) drove in three RBI. Jaden Markus (2-for-4) had two RBI. A.J. Oden went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
In the second game, the Cougars led 3-0 after the bottom of the first before trailing 5-3 after the third.
Brodie Mayberry, Landon Brooks (1-for-2), Gantt (1-for-3) and Markus (1-for-2) each drove in one run.
Zellers went 1-for-2, and Alex Tresh was 2-for-3.
The Cougars are now 9-12 on the season.
Royals fall to Knights
The Eastern Hancock baseball team lost 8-6 at Northeastern on Monday.
The Royals split with Winchester at home on Saturday, winning 13-6 and losing 6-5.
Against Northeastern, EH led 1-0 in the first and charged back to tie the game 3-3 in the fourth before taking a 4-3 advantage in the top of the fifth.
Northeastern built an 8-4 advantage after the sixth.
CJ Titara went 2-for-4 with a home run for EH with two RBI. Nash Hensley was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Brayden Sullivan finished 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Chase Stewart went 2-for-4.
The Royals now 6-16 on the season.
Tennis
Dragons tame Arabians
The New Palestine tennis team won its final home match of the season Friday, beating Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Pendleton Heights, 4-1.
Anna Luker won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and Kaitlyn Mitchell 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3 singles. At doubles, Maddy Potter/Josephine Harvey and Lily Haeberle/Bethany Blachly each won 6-2, 6-3.
The Dragons are now 12-6 on the season and finish HHC play with a 5-2 record.
Cougars win Lapel Invite
The Greenfield-Central girls tennis team took first place at the Lapel Invitational on Saturday.
The Cougars defeated host Lapel, 4-1, in the first round and later beat Jay County, 4-1, in the championship round.
The Cougars are now 12-5 on the season.
Against Lapel, Zoe Starks won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Jaclyn Layton won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Brianna McConnell won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.
Leah Puckett/Emma Berty won 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in doubles play.
In the title match, Starks won 6-2, 6-0. Layton won 6-0, 6-1. McConnell won 6-2, 5-7, (10-5). Puckett/Berty prevailed again, 6-4, 6-3.
Softball
Dragons sweep weekend foes
The New Palestine softball team swept past visiting Munster, 6-1, and Crown Point, 15-2 on Saturday.
In the opener against Munster, the Dragons did all their offensive damage early, tallying all six runs in the first three innings.
In the first, they staged a two-out rally to plate three runs. Aglaia Rudd doubled and Paige Ernstes followed with an RBI single. Two Munster errors allowed two more runs to score. Delaney Barton and Allie Blum hit doubles in the second inning to push the lead to 4-0. Katie Hirschy hit a two-run homer in the third to extend the edge to 6-1.
Katie Kottlowski picked up the pitching win with four innings of scoreless relief. She allowed two hits and struck out five.
Ernstes was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI to help lead a six-hit attack. Four of the Dragons’ six hits went for extra bases. Blum was 1-for-3 with a double, Rudd 1-for-2 with a double, Barton 1-for-3 with a run and a double and Hirschy 1-for-3 with a homer, two runs and two RBI.
Against Crown Point, the Dragons scored seven runs in the first inning and tallied multiple runs in each of their four at-bats in a 15-2 five-inning win.
The Dragons scored their 15 runs on just seven hits. Hirschy was 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, a double and a three-run homer. Blum was 2-for-3 with three runs, three RBI and a three-run homer. Rudd was 1-for-3, while Barton was 1-for-2 with a run and three RBI. Sydney Oliver drove in two runs.
Alexa Holman picked up the pitching win, allowing a run, three hits and striking out three in four innings. Courtney Study pitched a hitless fifth, allowing one unearned run and striking out one.
The Dragons are now 18-3-1 on the season.
Royals fall to Arabians
The Eastern Hancock softball team lost 3-1 at Pendleton Heights on Monday.
The Royals scored first, going up 1-0 in the top of the fourth, but the host Arabians responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame and added one more run in the sixth.
Caroline Stapleton went 3-for-3 with a triple and a stolen bases, and Kaylee Stewart was 1-for-3 for the Royals. Emma Bolding finished 1-for-2 with a double and the team’s lone RBI.
The Royals are now 15-4-1 on the season.
Marauders run-rule Indians
The Mt. Vernon softball team won 10-0 over visiting Anderson in five innings on Monday.
The Marauders posted 12 hits with a home run by Easton Wampler and doubles from Wampler, Graci Hines, Mya Fields and Shelby Rakosky.
Wampler finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. Hines went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Fields was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Victoria Jenson (1-for-1), Rakosky (3-for-4) and Lilli Jenkins each drove in a run apiece.
Hines earned the win, pitching five frames with three hits allowed and eight strikeouts.
The Marauders are now 9-8 on the season.
Cougars win Classic
The Greenfield-Central softball team blew past the competition to win the Cougars Classic championship on Saturday.
The host Cougars defeated Columbus East, 14-3, and also beat Seymour and Frankton by 10-4 counts.
Against Columbus East, the Cougars posted 14 hits.
Ella Redman went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a home run. Olivia Roberts was 3-for-4 with three RBI and a double. Ellie Ewald was 1-for-2 with two RBI and a home run. Leileanna Faitele was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a double.
Megan Wineinger (2-for-4, double), Josie White (3-for-4) and Lilly Stewart each drove in a run apiece.
Madysen Herbert earned the win, pitching three frames with five hits surrendered, one walk and five strikeouts.
Against Seymour, Ewald (2-for-4, four RBI) homered again and Faitele (1-for-1, RBI) had a double.
Roberts went 1-for-4 with two RBI. White was 3-for-4 wtih an RBI. Addison Herrin had an RBI. Redman was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Herbert struck out two in 3.2 frames for the win.
Against Frankton, Ewald made it 3-for-3 with another home run, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Faitele went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. White drove in a run. Morgan Hornaday went 2-for-3 with a double.
Herbert picked up her third win, pitching six frames with one strikeout.
The Cougars wrapped up the weekend with a 14-6 record on the season.
