
Senior staff writer
Center Grove’s drive to advance in the state playoffs in girls tennis and softball ended over the weekend.
The tennis team was outed by No. 2 Cathedral 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the state finals at Carmel. Center Grove junior Jillian Garrett defeated Cole Spau 6-4, 6-1 for the Trojans’ lone win.
Seniors and No. 1 singles Isabella Schoolcraft (Valparaiso University recruit) and No. 1 doubles Emily Hoy, finished their careers. Hoy and freshman Ashlee Fisk fell to Cathedral’s Meg Coleman and Claire Koscielski 6-4, 6-0.
CG coach Debbie Burton expects to return with No. 2 doubles Holyn Auckerman and Abby Hoard and No. 2 singles Ellie Strube.
The Trojans finished 17-4.
In individual singles, Roncalli sophomore Emma Hess fell to Bishop Chatard junior Alysa Guffey 6-3, 6-2 in the Fishers Regional.
No. 1 Center Grove came within one win of reaching the 4A softball state championship game.
The Trojans edged No. 3 Castle 1-0 on Lexi Fair’s game-winning RBI in the seventh of the Center Grove semistate before falling to No. 9 Decatur Central 4-2 in the nightcap.
Held to only one hit for six innings, CG pitcher Abby Herbst reached first on a blooper and Lexi Fair’s drive to center field scored Addie Homeier with the winning run. Herbst allowed only three hits and struck out six Knights (29-3).
Against the Hawks (31-4), Herbst drove in a run in the first but DC came back with two runs. The Hawks went up 4-1 in the fourth, and Jordyn Rudd’s double drove in Piper Belden in the fifth for the final margin.
DC pitchers Karli Ricketts and Kenzee Smith combined to end the Trojans’ title hopes with a 30-2 record, losing only to rival Franklin in the regular season.