The last time Westfield stepped onto Victory Field in Indianapolis, the Shamrocks saw an 11-hit effort end in a disappointing 3-2, eight-inning loss to Fort Wayne Snider in the 4A state championship game.
This time, the Shamrocks made sure they walked off the field with a win, scoring 12 runs on 12 hits and knocking off Center Grove (Greenwood) 12-2 in six innings.
Westfield scored four times in the bottom of the first, but Center Grove was able to cut the lead in half in the top of the second. Sophomore pitcher T.J. Ehrman walked four batters in the second inning, allowing the Trojans some easy scoring opportunities. He then came out strong in the third inning and walked just one batter in the final four innings and allowed only two Center Grove hits in the game, fanning six Trojans in the process.
Senior rightfielder Brandon O’Connor led the way for Westfield (11-3), going 3 of 4 from the plate with a home run and five RBI. Nick Crouse, Andy Gehr, and Nick Saldutti each went 2 of 4 from the plate for the Shamrocks. Cam Harding had both of Center Grove’s hits, going 2 for 3 in the game.
Wrap-up
Avon (10-3) topped Roncalli (Indianapolis) 7-4 on Saturday behind Jared Miller’s three RBI and seventh-inning save with two runners on base. Alex Ritchie went 3 of 3 for Roncalli. Miller also came on in relief in the seventh to earn the save.
No. 8 Brownsburg had dropped three of its last four before Saturday's game, when the Bulldogs (14-3) topped Pike 9-5 behind a seventh-inning, three-run home run from Jason Catron, his first of the season. Brownsburg beat county rival Avon 11-5 on Tuesday.
Track and field: Plainfield girls take conference crown
Only a week after earning the Hendricks County title, the Plainfield girls track team distanced itself from the competition again, posting 155.75 points in the Mid-State Conference Meet. Second-place Franklin managed just 97.5 points.
Seven Quakers earned first-place finishes in the meet, led by Morgan Ford in the shot put (39 feet, 3 inches) and discus (132-5) and sprinter Kasey Johnson, who topped the 200 meters and the 400 meters (1:00.49). Courtney Erlenbaugh won the 100 (13.00), Kristin Mercer won the 100 hurdles (16.46), and Plainfield took first in the 800 relay. Martinsville won the boys meet with a score of 143 points.
Giants, Warriors top MIC meets
The No. 2 Ben Davis boys track team and the No 1 Warren Central girls track team came out on top of a crowded Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet, each beating a field that contained five other top-11 teams.
Two-time defending state champion Ben Davis ran on its own track, beating No. 4 Warren Central handily, 140-108. The Giants took first place in six events, led by their 3,200 meter relay team (8:01.19) and 400 meter relay team (42.04). Alex Rowe won the high jump at 6-4, while Wesley Schenck took the pole vault crown with a height of 14-3.
Jerry Wilson won the 100 meters (10.71) and Robert Rose took top honors in the 400 (50.33). Perhaps the strongest performance came from Terre Haute South's John Mascari in the 3,200. Mascari (9:10.02) knocked off defending state champion Futsum Zeinasellassie of North Central (9:11.53), breaking Zeinasellassie's meet record in the process.
The Warren Central girls' win margin was a bit narrower, as they posted 115.5 points to No. 7 North Central's 101.5. The Warriors finished first and second in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 400 meters, led by Logan Hayes, who topped all three events, including a meet-record time in the 400 of 55.54. Ashley Spencer of Lawrence North also set meet records in the 100 hurdles (14.36) and the 300 hurdles (43.99), while Center Grove's Mackenzie Kitchel tied the meet record in the high jump with a height of 5-6.
Boys golf: Brebeuf takes Marion County title
No. 2 Brebeuf was on point Monday, as the Braves earned their first Marion County title in 35 years, posting a 305. Lawrence Central shot a 309, while No. 6 Warren Central finished third with a score of 316.
Pat Hermiller shot a 73, one stroke off Lawrence Central medalist Andrew McCarthy, to lead the Braves. Showing the depth that has made them 4-0 in tournaments this season, Hermiller entered the tournament as Brebeuf's No. 5 golfer on a team that returned its top four golfers from last year's state-qualifying squad. Only three of the players were in the lineup for the tournament, however, as the Braves continued to shuffle their lineup to suit the course and competition. Jacob Gould shot a 76, earning all-county honors, while Eric Ong and Gus Gilmore each posted a 78 and Wil Pahug shot an 80.