New Palestine’s Maddox Manes (30) delivers a pitch during their game against Franklin Central in the championship game of the Class 4A Sectional 11 tournament at Franklin Central High School on Monday, May 31, 2021.
file photo
NEW PALESTINE — The New Palestine baseball team is keeping pace.
After dropping their season opener at home against Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Shelbyville, 9-3, on April 5, the Dragons have caught fire.
New Palestine (4-1, 3-1 HHC) has won four consecutive games, including a sweep of HHC foe Yorktown this past Friday, setting up a key two-game conference series with defending league champion Mt. Vernon this week.
On April 6, the Dragons split their two-game HHC series against Shelbyville with an 8-4 road win.
A 19-3 victory at Knightstown two days later in five innings foreshadowed the team’s two-game sweep of Yorktown. The Dragons beat the host Tigers, 5-2, Tuesday, April 12, and secured their fourth straight win at home Friday against Yorktown, 7-2.
The Dragons led for good Friday on Luke Legault’s homer in the third inning and never looked back.
The Dragons outhit the visiting Tigers 12-4 and got a stellar pitching performance from Maddox Manes, who allowed one earned run and struck out five in five innings. Blaine Nunnally fanned four in two perfect innings in relief.
The Dragons went up 2-0 in the first when Manes’ triple drove in Carter Stogsdill. Luke Legault’s single plated the second run.
Yorktown tied the game in the third, but the Dragons reclaimed the lead two batters in. Manes doubled on the first pitch, and Legault sent the next pitch over the center field fence.
Nunnally’s RBI single added a run in the fifth. The Dragons added two more runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Legault and a passed ball.
The Dragons travel to Mt. Vernon (5-2, 4-0 HHC) today for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The series concludes Wednesday at New Palestine with a 6 p.m. start time.
Marauders split road doubleheader
The Mt. Vernon baseball team improved to 5-2 overall Saturday with a doubleheader split at Harrison (West Lafayette).
The Marauders dropped the first game, 4-0, before bouncing back to win big in the the second game, 15-2, in five innings.
Mt. Vernon scored all 15 runs with five hits and 14 walks drawn. Landon Clark went 1-for-3 with a triple and three RBI. Nick Heitman finished with a double, a stolen base and three RBI. Gavin Johnston recorded MV’s second double and drove in one run.
Nathan Criss, Hunter Smith and Konner Scheidt each had one RBI, while Eli Bridenthal went 1-for-3 with three runs scored, two stolen bases and two RBI.
Heitman earned the win, pitching five innings with three hits allowed, two walks, two earned runs charged and four strikeouts.
The Marauders were one-hit in the opening game with Gavin Sullivan breaking up the no-no bid with a single. Sullivan took the loss. He pitched four frames with two hits surrendered, seven walks and seven strikeouts. Mt. Vernon had two fielding errors.
Criss pitched two, two-hit innings with three strikeouts for Mt. Vernon.
The Marauders are a perfect 4-0 in the HHC this season with a pair of two-game series sweeps this spring against Delta and Shelbyville.
They outscored Delta 14-5 in two games on April 5 and 7. Against Shelbyville, the Marauders won their series opener on the road Tuesday, April 12, by a wide margin, 11-1, before winning, 12-6, at home on Friday.
The Marauders host New Palestine (4-1, 3-1 HHC) to open a two-game HHC series today at 6 p.m. The Dragons host on Wednesday.
Cougars take one from Tigers
The Greenfield-Central baseball team defeated host Fishers, 11-3, to open its doubleheader Saturday before dropping the second game, 9-3.
The Cougars are 4-4 overall on the season and stand 2-2 in the HHC.
In their non-conference meeting with Fishers, Jaden Markus led the charge from the mound, pitching six innings with two hits allowed, one earned run charged, seven walks and 12 strikeouts.
G-C logged 12 hits from eight different players. A.J. Oden finished 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Kirk Knecht (1-for-4), Grant Shepherd (2-for-5), Karson Grant (1-for-2) and Markus (1-for-1) each drove in one run apiece. Andrew Zellers went 2-for-4 and Conner Sims finished 1-for-2.
The Cougars face HHC foe Yorktown this week for a two-game series, beginning today at Greenfield-Central. The second game is at Yorktown on Wednesday.
Softball
Dragons remain unbeaten
The Class 4A third-ranked New Palestine softball team won its fifth straight with a 12-2, five-inning victory over host Carmel on Friday.
The Dragons scored four runs in each the fourth and fifth innings to break open the game.
The Dragons got on the board first when Alaina Miller doubled and scored on Aglaia Rudd’s single. The Dragons added three more runs in the second. Miller hit a run-scoring double and Allie Blum followed with a two-run single, to push the lead to 4-1.
Maddie Engle opened up a four-run fourth with a solo homer. The Dragons added three more runs, taking advantage of a two-out error, with back-to-back RBI hits from Blum, Rudd and Alexa Holman. Rudd had another two-run hit in a four-run fifth. A bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice brought in more runs.
Holman pitched a complete-game victory, allowing six hits and two earned runs in five innings.
Rudd was 3-for-4 with four RBI. Miller was 2-for-3 with two doubles, four runs and two RBI. Blum was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. Holman and Engle each had hits.
The Dragons (5-0-1) defeated visiting Hamilton Southeastern, 12-10, on Thursday.
After falling behind 6-2 in the third, the Dragons scored 10 runs in the next three innings to seize the lead and take control of the game.
Aglaia Rudd led the Dragons’ offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Alexa Holman was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run and an RBI. Alaina Miller was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs.
Allie Blum was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and three runs scored. Paige Ernstes was 1-for-2 with two RBI. Alyssa Mumaw and Katie Hirschy each had RBI singles. Sydney Oliver had a single and a run. Delaney Barton also had a single.
Marauders split with Olympians
The Mt. Vernon softball team defeated visiting Columbus East, 11-1, in six innings Saturday and lost 8-6 in the second game of their doubleheader to even up at 2-2 on the season.
The Marauders posted 17 hits during their 10-run victory to open the doubleheader, including two home runs and five doubles.
Ainsley Baer (2-for-4, double), Drew Fithian (2-for-4, home run), Graci Hines (2-for-3, home run) and Victoria Jenson (3-for-3, double) each drove in two runs apiece.
Shelby Rakosky (3-for-4, two doubles) had three RBI. Easton Wampler finished 2-for-4. Alexis Beeler went 2-for-4.
Hines earned the win by going six innings with five hits allowed, two walks and 10 strikeouts.
The Marauders led the second game 6-2 after six innings, but a six-run top of the seventh powered the Olympians to victory.
Hines (3-for-4) drove in one run with a home run for the Marauders, while Jenson had two RBI. Rakosky went 2-for-4 with two doubles.
Cougars fall to Eagles
The Greenfield-Central softball team scored 15 runs Friday night on the road at Zionsville, but it wasn’t enough as the host Eagles prevailed 17-15.
The visiting Cougars led 8-4 after the first inning and trailed 11-8 after four, but they rallied back to take a 12-11 lead in the fifth. A six-run bottom of the fifth put Zionsville back in front 17-12.
A three-run top of the sixth brought the Cougars closer but they couldn’t narrow the gap any further.
The Cougars are now 4-3 on the season after dropping their third straight. Friday’s game was their first since April 8.
Josie White went 2-for-5 for the Cougars with four RBI and two triples. Ella Redman was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.
Morgan Hornaday connected for a double and drove in one run. Megan Wineinger (3-for-4), Olivia Roberts and Lilly Stewart (3-for-5) each had one RBI.
Royals’ bats thrive again
The Class 2A ninth-ranked Eastern Hancock softball team posted its consecutive 17-run game Saturday to improve to 4-1-1 on the season.
The visiting Royals defeated host Tri, 17-4, two days after run-ruling Mid-Eastern Conference foe Shenandoah, 17-0, at home on Thursday.
The Royals are 2-0 in the MEC.
Against Tri, the Royals logged 11 hits in their non-conference win.
Sammie Bolding (3-for-4, double, home run) drove in two runs. Kaylee Kline (1-for-3, home run) had three RBI and Caroline Stapleton (1-for-3, triple) had two RBI.
Brooklyn Willis (1-for-2), Kaylee Stewart (2-for-3), Grace Stapleton (1-for-3) and Alina Alford each had one RBI.
Tatem Adams earned the win, pitching six innings with six hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts.
