Senior staff writer
Softball and baseball sectionals will be decided in the coming days, depending on the site.
Softball sectional championships on the Southside are scheduled at Lutheran (1A) at 5 p.m. Thursday and at noon Saturday at 4A Southport at Holder Field, next to Mary Bryan Elementary.
On the opening day of softball sectionals Monday, host No. 3 Center Grove defeated rival Greenwood 4-1 to snare the Johnson County softball title as well as advance and play No. 11 Franklin Central, a 5-1 victor over Whiteland.
The Trojans and Flashes met Tuesday, as did No. 10 New Palestine and Franklin (results too late for deadline); the winners advance to today’s title game at 6 p.m.
Center Grove advanced Monday behind pitcher Abby Pratt, who had given up only one hit until the seventh, when the Woodmen scored their only run on an infield hit and RBI double by senior Emily Ott.
The Trojans scored four runs in the third on two passed balls, which allowed two runs and a one-out double by senior Brandy Heath that drove in two runs.
“Heather put the nail in the coffin,” CG coach Russ Milligan said. “Her double came at the right time because they brought in a different pitcher to try to change things up for us.
“Pratt was phenomenal, and Maddie Keeley had two hits that were timely. We faced a really good pitcher (Megan Overton), and we had to avoid striking out which we did.”
The Trojans collected only four hits off Overton.
Franklin Central’s Raegan Sparks slammed a towering two-run home run over the left center field fence that extended the Flashes precarious 3-1 led into a 5-1 sectional win against Whiteland.
The Warriors had 10 hits but left nine runners stranded, including the bases loaded with only one out in the fourth inning.
“We’ve had games where we have hit well and games when we have hit poorly,” FC coach Kathy Striker said. “We hit the ball today, and we had some really clutch pitching.”
Flashes starter Shelby Herron worked through two innings with runners on third; reliever Dani Wyse allowed only two runners on base in the last three innings.
The game ended on a throw from right fielder Brooklyn Hutchinson to third-baseman Delainey Thompson, who tagged Skye Scott as she was trying to advance from first base.
Roncalli defeated Lawrence North 15-2 Monday in the 4A Warren Central Sectional opener, and Lutheran’s Blakelee Steeb pitched a five-inning no-hitter as the Saints downed Eminence 15-0 in 1A.