New Palestine’s Katie Kottlowski delivers a pitch against Plainfield on Friday, April 8, 2022.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
NEW PALESTINE — The New Palestine softball team hit the 20-win mark on Wednesday night. The Dragons improved to 20-3-1 overall with a 16-0, five-inning shutout of the visiting Indy Marlins homeschool team.
Katie Kottlowski and Courtney Study combined for a one-hitter, with Kottlowski striking out five over three innings and Study striking out two over two perfect innings.
The Dragons scored five runs in the first and broke the game open with an eight-run second, which included a grand slam by Allie Blum. Eight of the Dragons’ 14 hits were for extra bases.
Blum was 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, three runs and four RBI. Paige Ernstes and Katie Hirschy were each 2-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
Study was 1-for-1. Reese Rosenbaum was 1-for-2. Kottlowski was 1-for-2 with a double and a run. Kayla Bain was 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
Maddie Engle was 1-for-1 with a double, a run and an RBI. Sydney Hughbanks was 1-for-1 with an RBI. Delaney Barton was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Sydney Oliver was 1-for-4 with a run.
Royals win fourth straight MEC
The Eastern Hancock softball team capped its regular-season schedule with an outright championship.
The Class 2A Royals blanked host Wed-Del, 16-0, in five innings on Thursday night to finish a perfect 8-0 in the Mid-Eastern Conference and captured the programs’ fourth straight league title.
Eastern Hancock improved to 17-4-1 on the season by posting 17 hits, including eight going for extra bases, to secure the outright championship.
Brooklyn Willis swung the hot bat for the Royals, finishing 3-for-4 with six RBI, three runs, a triple and two home runs.
Kaylee Kline (2-for-2, double, triple) and Sammie Bolding (4-for-4, double, home run) each drove in a pair of runs.
Caroline Stapleton (3-for-3, three runs), Grace Stapleton (1-for-3, run, triple) and Taylor Koch each logged one RBI apiece.
Madison Stephens picked up the pitching win, going four frames with one hit allowed and five strikeouts. Emily Hodges pitched a one-hit inning in relief with two strikeouts.
The Royals won the MEC last season with an 8-0 league record. Their 2018 title was seized with a 6-2 record, and the Royals were 7-1 in 2019, which netted them the MEC championship.
Cougars fall to Golden Bears
The Greenfield-Central softball team lost to HHC foe Shelbyville, 14-3, on Friday night.
The Cougars were coming off a solid 7-4 road win over Carmel on Thursday night, netting head coach Jason Stewart’s 302nd career victory.
Unfortunately, No. 303 will have to wait.
The Cougars fell behind, 2-0, early on and faced an 14-0 deficit after the fourth before plating three runs in the top of the fifth.
The game ended by run-rule after the top of the fifth.
Shelbyville out hit Greenfield-Central 16-7 and dropped the Cougars to 3-4 in the HHC and 14-7 overall.
Addison Herrin, Ellie Ewald and Alyssa Greenwalt drove in G-C’s runs.
Morgan Hornaday and Ella Redman both finished 2-for-2. Hornaday posted a double.
Baseball
Cougars fall to Warriors
The Greenfield-Central baseball team lost 3-2 to visiting Warren Central on Thursday.
The Warriors out hit the Cougars narrowly 9-8 to protect their 3-1 lead after two innings.
The Cougars plated their second run in the bottom of the third, but neither team would add anymore the rest of the way.
Andrew Zellers and Jaden Markus drove in both G-C runs, while A.J. Oden went 2-for-2.
Corbin Tilley absorbed the tough loss, going seven frames with seven hits allowed, one walk, one earned run and six strikeouts.
Greenfield-Central is now 9-14 on the season.
