Avon's softball team faced Ben Davis twice this year, once in the regular season and again in the sectional final. Saturday’s title match-up was a far cry from the mid-April game that went scoreless for six innings before the Orioles finally put up three runs to seal the win.
The sectional final, in fact, was in hand from the third inning, when the 4A No. 1 Orioles scored five or their 10 runs. Avon blanked the Giants in both contests, led by a stingy defense and masterful pitching. The offense, though, is showing up at exactly the right time.
Senior catcher Helen Rogers went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Senior shortstop Holly Wasmund and junior center fielder Bailey Smith knocked in two runs apiece, and freshman Jessie Mathieu went 2-for-3 and scored twice. Esparza allowed three hits, no walks, and struck out 12 in the complete game win.
With the sectional title safely in hand, Avon can now focus on the regional, where it has been knocked out of the tournament each of the past two years by Carmel. There is reason to believe that this year could be different, however, as the senior-laden Orioles have all aspects of their game clicking. Avon has won 13 in a row and put up 28 runs in its previous game against Manual.
Avon’s first-round regional match-up is on Saturday at Center Grove. Pitcher Emily Gwaltney struck out 10 for the Trojans, as they beat Franklin Central 4-0 in their sectional final. If the Orioles get past Center Grove, they would presumably meet No. 3 Carmel (25-3) in the second round.
More Softball: Cathedral rebounds from early-season struggles
Cathedral went through some serious rough patches during the regular season, but have come together at exactly the right time.
The Irish (10-13) took their eighth sectional crown in the last 10 years with a 2-0 win over Lawrence Central. The Bears (11-13) were hoping to earn their first sectional title in team history and out-hit Cathedral while playing an error-free game.
It was sophomore catcher Shelby Day that proved to be the difference for the Irish. Day knocked a fastball over the centerfield fence in the second inning and scored the other run on a single to left.
In the fifth inning, Lawrence Central loaded the bases with one out, but Irish pitcher Karley Olson got out of the jam with a grounder to the pitcher and pop-up to second. Olson allowed only six hits on the day.
Cathedral has a tough trip ahead of them, though. The win in the sectional gives the Irish momentum, but they face a tough test against No. 2 Carmel on June 6 in the opening round of a regional that includes Center Grove and Avon.
Baseball: Monday’s sectional finals
Center Grove vs. Franklin Central: Center Grove (21-8) will be seeking its 17th sectional crown on Monday, earning a spot in the title game with an 11-4 win over Franklin.
The Trojans were led by Tyler Allen, who knocked in the first run of the game on an RBI single and added a three-run double in the third to give his team a 6-0 lead. Pitcher Jonathan Martin allowed six hits and three earned runs in five innings.
Franklin Central (18-10) punched its ticket to the finals with a 7-2 victory against Whiteland. The Flashes fell behind 2-0, but put up four runs in the third inning.
Junior Nick Odle jacked a three-run home run to give Franklin Central a 4-2 lead and fellow junior Brent Massengale hit a two-run homer in the sixth.
Pitcher Jake Hartley, an Indiana State recruit, allowed only five hits and no earned runs for the Flashes while ringing up seven Warriors.
Westfield vs. Hamilton Southeastern: Westfield (20-4) will be defending its title after a 9-2 win over host Carmel.
Catcher Kevin Plawecki put up the Shamrock’s first three runs of the game with a two-out home run in the third inning. Westfield put up another six runs in the fifth inning with two outs, led by Brandon O’Conner’s grand slam and a solo blast by Taylor Luna. Senior pitcher Kyle Kramp allowed only six hits in the win.
Hamilton Southeastern upset Noblesville in a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest, 12-9.
The Royals scored in every inning but the first and quickly built a 4-0 lead over Noblesville, who won both meetings in the regular season. The Millers put up seven runs in the third inning, and it looked as though Noblesville was on its way to a third straight victory over Southeastern. The Royals took the lead back in the fifth inning with a four-run frame and never looked back.
Jake Straub went 3-for-4 with a three run home run and Jonathan Whitesell was 3-for-3 from the plate for the Royals. Reliever David Nash pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings to get the win.
Bishop Chatard vs. Brebeuf Jesuit: Chatard blanked Manual 22-0 in five innings behind Paul Mpistolarides’ home run and a 2-for-3 performance from Chris Janson.
Brebeuf trounced Roncalli 12-2, led by Tres Eberhardt and Brad Altum, both of whom went 2-for-4.
Boys Track and Field: Ben Davis seeks repeat
Top-ranked Ben Davis put up 130 points in regional action last Wednesday, 54 points ahead of second place North Central.
The defending champion Giants qualified for 10 individual spots and three relay spots while cruising to their fourth-straight regional title.
Senior Matt Terrell (10.58) was one one-hundredth off of his state-best time in the 100 meters. He won the 200 meters in 21.83 and has two state titles in the event.
Junior Robert Rose took the 110-meter high hurdles with a personal best time of 14.39, took the 300-meter title, and ran the anchor leg of the 1,600 meter relay. Teammate Duane Brown came in second in both hurdle events.
Ben Davis will compete in the state meet on Friday, June 5.
