Lutheran softball has been a top-teir 1A program for the past several years, routinely scheduling and beating many bigger schools in the Indianapolis area and advancing deep in the 1A tournament. The Saints (20-1) surprised everyone, though, by running through what head coach Don Pietz deemed "Murderer's Row" to take the Marion County championship with a 1-0 win over 4A No. 4 Ben Davis (Indianapolis) for their first title since 2004.
"I don't know that anyone expected us to win, and I knew that it would be really tough just because of the draw," said Pietz, whose team had to top Beech Grove, 3A No. 15 and defending county champ Roncalli (Indianapolis), and 4A Southport (Indianapolis) simply to reach the championship game. "We want to play the toughest schedule that we can; it only helps us. But when I saw how the tournament was drawn up, I knew we'd have to be at our best and our defense was great and (starting pitcher Morgan Lewis) was outstanding."
Lewis may not have pitched her best game after going the distance in the three previous games, but she was still throwing heat, striking out nine Giants and allowing just two hits in the game. Lewis' record now sits at 18-1 with a 0.41 ERA and 212 strikeouts.
The Saints managed six hits on the game, led by senior Amanda Korb, who went 2 for 3 from the plate. Oddly, in a game that many thought would be a slugfest, Lutheran's only run came in the first inning on a throwing error by the third baseman. Hailey Reed, who scored the run, reached base after getting hit by a pitch.
"Not for a second did I think that a one-run lead would hold up against a team like that," said Pietz. "I have to give (the players) a lot of credit for that. They've been in big games before and they know that just one mistake can cost you the win, so they just didn't let up."
Lutheran will travel to Warren Central on Wednesday, when Pietz will face off with one of his former players, head coach Kim Richards.
Scecina takes city title
Scecina Memorial (Indianapolis) captured its seventh consecutive City Tournament title on Saturday, beating Cathedral 2-1 on a single by catcher Megan Kehl in the seventh inning. The 2A No. 10 Crusaders were down most of the game until senior third baseman Ty Brenner drove in center fielder Kimberly Strattman with a single. Kehl went 3 for 4, while Bremmer went 2 for 4. Strattman scored both runs for Scecina.
Track and field: Hamilton Southeastern girls top conference
After finishing third in the Hamilton County meet, Hamilton Southeastern was able to rebound in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference meet. The Royals finished first with a score of 147, topping rival and county champion Noblesville, which posted 117 points, and Brownsburg with 105.
Hamilton Southeastern won just three of the 14 events on the day but scored in nearly all of them. Danielle Polk won the 200 meters in 26.87 seconds, Mallory Slyder was tops in the 300 hurdles in 46.83, and the 400-meter relay team won with a time of 50.71.
Noblesville had just two individual champions, Ali Charles in the long jump (16 feet, 9 inches) and Izzy May in the discus (138-6 1/2). Brownsburg won the most events, five, led by Kristen Gaerke in the 400 meters (59.46), and Maddie Webster in the 1,600 (5:01.50) and the 3,200 (11:13.54) in meet record times. The Bulldogs also won both the 1,600-meter relay and the 3,200-meter relay.
Lawrence Central tops crowded field to win county title
For the first time in 11 years, the Marion County champion was not Warren Central or North Central. The No. 1 Warriors and No. 7 Panthers finished sixth and fourth, respectively.
For just the second time in school history, the title belonged to No. 2 Lawrence Central. The Bears won five events and posted 107 points to come out on top of a crowded field that included four other teams in the state's top 10 and three more in the top 20.
The Bears won the discus (Taja Moore at 132-4 1/2), long jump (Lauren Cowden, 17-10), 1,600 meters (Maddie Roach, 5:09.51), high jump (Camille Hayes, 5-6), and the pole vault (Margo Tucker, 12-9). No. 8 Lawrence North finished in second with 86 points and four individual champions, and No. 17 Franklin Central finished in third with 73. Park Tudor's Abby Farley (2:13.83) and Warren Central's Logan Hayes (2:13.89) came in first and second in the 800 meters, both breaking the meet record.
Football: Former Warren Central coach Wright to take over at Carmel
Former Warren Central head coach Kevin Wright will take over the head coaching duties at conference-rival Carmel. Wright led the Warriors to three consecutive 5A titles from 2003-05. He inherits a Greyhounds team that has gone to the 5A championship game each of the past four seasons, earning a championship in 2007.