Whether in a shootout or a blowout, two-time defending 3A softball champion New Palestine has made a habit out of winning tough games against the state’s best competition. On Monday, the Dragons topped No. 9 Roncalli (Indianapolis, Ind.) 7-5, then pummeled Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 18-1 on Wednesday.
Thursday saw New Palestine play host to 4A No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.), a hard-hitting 5-1 team that took the Dragons to the wire. The Royals chipped away at a six-run deficit, but fell just short with a runner on base in the seventh inning, losing 9-8.
"Our schedule is always loaded," said New Palestine head coach Ed Marcum. "Our main goal is to succeed in the postseason, and anytime you can play a great team like Hamilton Southeastern and walk away with a win is a good feeling and a good learning experience."
Hamilton Southeastern was down 9-3 after New Palestine posted five runs off a trio of extra-base hits and three with throws in the fifth inning. The Royals looked on the verge of being crushed, but fought back with a two-run homer by sophomore Taylor Shuey in the sixth and three more runs in the seventh inning. Senior Jenna Abraham went 2 for 5 from the plate with a solo blast, while Shuey, sophomore Amanda Banitt and junior Alicia Wilson each went 2 for 4.
Sophomore catcher Audrey East led the Dragons with a 3 for 4 performance that included three RBI. Senior catcher Lauren Schroeder went 2 for 2 with a pair of walks and shortstop Alexa Cavin went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI. Other than the loss of 25-win pitcher Sara Evans, New Palestine returned the core of its 28-1 team from a year ago.
Senior Michelle Marcum, the team’s best hitter last season, has moved to pitcher from third base, where she has compiled a 6-1 record and a 2.67 ERA this season. Marcum is batting .429 on the season and leads the team in walks (11) and is tied for the team lead in RBI (11) with Schroeder and East. New Palestine boasts a strong lineup, with six of the Dragons' starters hitting .400 or better. Marcum has emphasized getting the most out of each trip to the plate this season, as the distance between the mound and home plate has increased by 3 feet, prompting a surge in offensive production.
"We returned a strong lineup from last year and we've got good hitters 1-through-9," said coach Marcum. "We're maybe at a little bit more of a disadvantage this year, because we've always worked really hard to be good hitters against good pitchers, and now the playing field is a little more level. But we can still score runs and our (infield defense) has really been pretty strong for us."
New Palestine (6-1) will travel to Jennings County for a four-team tournament starting on Saturday.
Center Grove gets back on track against Brownsburg
Defending 4A champion Center Grove (Greenwood) returned just three starters from last year's championship team, but that has not stopped the Trojans from having big expectations for the 2010 season. For the first time in the 19 years that Russ Milligan has coached at Center Grove, his team fell to conference rival Ben Davis on Tuesday, losing a shootout 8-7.
"Very rarely have I ever been in a slugfest like that," said Milligan, whose team gave up only 17 runs all of last season. "I'm sure that it's more fun for the fans, but I've seen the backs of my outfielders more than I'd like to so far this year, and it's pretty stressful on the coaches."
Milligan's comments were jokingly directed at the increased pitching distance, but he was pleased with how his young team has handled the pressure of entering the season as the No. 1 team in 4A.
"We're very young, but we might actually be a little bit ahead of where we were at this time last year," said Milligan. "We're consistently ranked in the top-10, so having a target on our backs isn't anything new. We always get our opponents' best efforts, but we've got a solid lineup and a lot of speed on the base paths and in the infield, so I think we've got a shot (at a repeat championship)."
Center Grove found its rhythm once again, defeating Brownsburg 15-4 on Thursday evening. The Trojans (7-1) will travel to Boonville for a tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Wrap-up
The New Palestine baseball team is off to a 6-0 start that includes wins over conference rival Pendleton Heights (Pendleton, Ind.) and double-digit victories over Eastern Hancock (Charlottesville, Ind.) and Knightstown (Knightstown, Ind.). ... In three contests, the Brownsburg baseball team outscored its opponents 26-1 for its seventh consecutive Hendricks County championship, including a 7-0 win over Avon. ... The Avon softball team captured its fourth consecutive Hendricks County title with an 8-2 win over Brownsburg. The usually pitching-laden Orioles have gotten stronger at the plate, evidenced by the 12 hits they garnered against a solid Bulldogs squad. ... After losing a couple of close games, Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.) hit its stride at the plate, topping Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) 12-8 on Thursday.