PLAINFIELD — One bad inning.
The New Palestine baseball team’s season came to an end at Saturday’s Plainfield Semi-State.
The Mt. Vernon Sectional and Mooresville Regional champions lost 7-3 to Castle in one of two semi-state semifinal games at Plainfield High School.
Castle went on to play for the semi-state championship, losing to No. 1 Center Grove, which will go on to play for the Class 4A title this weekend.
With New Palestine (23-10) leading 1-0, the Knights scored five runs in the third inning.
Castle (25-6) sent 10 batters to the plate. They hit five singles, two on bunts, drew a walk and one batter was hit by pitch.
“We did things today that were uncharacteristic of the way we’ve been playing this year, defensively,” New Palestine coach Shawn Lyons said. “We work every day on bunt coverages and who covers what base. We knew, like us, they bunt the baseball and put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense. We just didn’t do a real good job of executing our bunt defense, which we worked on, diligently, all week. We had two ground balls to the right side that our pitchers didn’t get over.
“It’s disappointing that we just didn’t play the way we’ve been playing and are coached to play. That’s what’s hard to take.”
The multi-run cushion for Castle pitcher Cam Tilly, considered one of the state’s top arms, was more than enough for the Knights.
Tilly, who has committed to play at Auburn next season, struck out 14 batters. The Dragons rallied for two sixth-inning runs to cut the Knights’ lead to 6-3, but Castle added another run in the sixth. Tilly got the Dragons out in order in the seventh.
“When you get down four or five runs against that young man it’s difficult,” Lyons added.
New Palestine scored first in the first.
Leadoff hitter Ben Morwick was hit by a pitch. He went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a Nic Deering groundout to second base and home on Tilly’s second wild pitch of the inning.
In the sixth with two outs, New Palestine’s Wes Stiller broke up Tilly’s no-hitter with a double to right-centerfield. Blaine Nunnally followed with an RBI-single to left. On the throw home, Nunnally went to second base. He stole third base and scored on an errant throw by Castle catcher Landin Lis.
The back-to-back sixth-inning hits were the only two hits for the Dragons.
“When we were down 5-1, I told them, ‘We’re going to fight to the bitter end,’” Lyons said. “We’re not going to let (Saturday) define our season.”
In Castle’s big third inning, No. 9 hitter Garrett Fultz led off with a single to center field. Will Coleman and Drew Behny each beat out sacrifice bunts for singles. With the bases loaded, Tilly singled to left field to score two runs and give the Knights the lead.
A hit batsman, sacrifice fly and strikeout followed. With two outs and the Knights lead increased to 3-1, Ryan Lambert singled to right field to score two more.
“I, obviously, didn’t have my stuff out there on the mound,” Nunnally, the Dragons starting pitcher, said. “That’s just really what it was. I couldn’t keep hitters off balanced today … I didn’t have it on the mound.”
While Saturday’s outcome was disappointing to the Dragons, their season was quite accomplished.
Graduating 11 seniors from the 2022 regional finalist club, the Dragons, with a lot of new faces on the roster, began the year 5-5 before finishing strong to win sectional and regional titles. The regional championship was the program’s first since 2014.
Along with a pair of titles, the team won 10 of its final 13 games. The 20-plus win season was the program’s third straight. Since 2012, there have been six season with 20 or more victories and two others with 19. There was no season in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“We’re all disappointing right now, but nobody can take away what we’ve done this year, especially the expectations across the state on what they thought we’d do this year,” Nunnally said. “…We came to work every day and wanted to get better every day. We did whatever we could. That’s all you can ask for.”
“They’re disappointed like they should be,” Lyons added on his club. “…there are tears, but that’s the way it should be. We’ve got a lot invested. The only disappointing thing I have today is that we just didn’t play like the way we should have played defensively. That’s what we’re going to have to live with.
“In a couple weeks, after some time to reflect on it, they’re going to probably realize what they’ve done,” Lyons said. “When you’re in the middle of the battle you don’t have time. I’m proud of them. They battled to the very end.”
Lyons and the Dragons had another strong senior class. Saturday’s semi-state was the final game for Morwick, Stiller, Nunnally, Nolan Cox, Brayden Marrow, Chase Ankney, and Brock Whitaker. The majority have plans to play at the collegiate level.
Castle 7, New Palestine 3
New Palestine (23-10);100;002;0; —;3;2;0
Castle (25-6);005;101;x —;7;9;1
Blaine Nunnally, Michael Thorpe (5), Brayden Marrow (6) and Wyatt Matheis. Cam Tilly and Landin Lis. 2B: NP – Wes Stiller; 3B: C – Carter Walker. WP: Tilly. LP: Nunnally (7-2).
