With three golfers finishing within three strokes of each other, Shelbyville secured the final advancing position at Friday’s Greensburg Sectional.

Jake Garrison posted one of the best rounds of the tournament with a 73 and Brock Wischmeyer (83), Eli Baker (84) and DaMiles McDuffey (86) stayed close together to get the Golden Bears a team score of 326 – good enough for a third-place finish at the Greensburg Country Club.

Columbus North captured the sectional title with a 292, led by Tyler Wilks’ 71 and Jack Schiavello’s 72.

Columbus East was runner-up with Pierce Arnholt posting a 72.

Garrison had the next best round and helped Shelbyville hold off Greensburg (328), North Decatur (331), Batesville (332) and East Central (337). Also competing Friday were Milan (351), Hauser (365), Jac-Cen-Del (385), South Ripley (419), Waldron (Inc.), Southwestern (Inc.) and South Decatur (Inc.)

In addition to the three advancing teams to Thursday’s Providence Regional, the top three scoring individuals not on an advancing team qualified and advanced. They are North Decatur’s Carson Parmer (75) and Jack Koehne (78) and Greensburg’s Colten Schroeder.

Shelbyville’s scorecard was completed by Logan Reinhart’s 89.

For Waldron, Lucas Shaw shot 87. Lucas Mitchell (96) and Josh Kellems (99) completed the lineup.

Southwestern’s Brayden Dunbar posted 126.

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FAIRLAND -- The Indiana Crossroads Conference crowned four softball regional champions Tuesday night. Two are on the road to Ferdinand, Indiana, for Saturday’s Forest Park Regional.

Class 2A, No. 6 Cascade (24-4), the ICC champion, will take on 2A No. 1 North Posey (26-0) in the second semifinal game.

In the opener at 11 a.m. (EST), unranked Triton Central (20-5) will face unranked Hauser (24-7).

The semistate championship game is slated for 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Class 2A State Championship Game on June 9 or June 10 on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette.

Triton Central head coach Aaron Pyle took a huge gamble Tuesday night, trusted his sophomore pitcher, and prevailed 4-3 in eight innings at Union County to capture the program’s first regional title.

Leading 3-2 going to the bottom of the seventh inning, Pyle knew starting pitcher Brylie Couch would have to deal with Union County’s twin powerhouses, senior Shelby Hill (.539 average, 11 home runs, 55 runs batted in) and junior AnnaLea Adams (.813, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs), one more time.

With the tying run at second base and two outs, Pyle intentionally walked both to load the bases. A base hit would not only tie the game but, potentially, seal the regional title for the Patriots.

“We looked back throughout the game and it was their two top batters getting the majority of the hits,” explained Pyle. “We felt we had better luck with 4-9 (in the lineup).”

Couch ended up walking the ensuing batter to tie the game but got the next hitter out to send the game to extra innings. The escape provided momentum for the eighth inning.

Jadyn Capps led off the eighth with a triple and Hailey Harris doubled to quickly get Triton Central back in front.

Bolstered by the lead again and the bottom half of the order on tap, Couch set down the Patriots and closed out a complete-game performance where she had 16 strikeouts.

Triton Central had eight hits in the win, including Brooklyn Adkins’ first career home run.

The Tigers will now drive nearly three hours southwest to Ferdinand to battle a softball program located just 29 miles from its Fairland campus.

“We know it will be a good game,” said Pyle. “If we both play our game, it will be one of those 1-run or 2-run games. Whoever starts hitting the quickest will come out on top.”

Hauser (photo) will start junior Paige McDaniel (20-7, 2.78 earned run average, 138.1 innings, 155 strikeouts) in the circle. She eclipsed her 60^th career win earlier this season.

Triton Central will counter with sophomore Lillie Fillippinie (7-2, 1.53 earned run average), who has 102 strikeouts in 55 innings this season.

“We are going to go with Lillie starting out and ride with her,” said Pyle, who will then have Couch ready in relief if necessary. “I have total faith that she can go all the way.”

Pyle won’t let himself game plan just yet for a Saturday night game. The Tigers either will get a rematch with Cascade, who defeated TC, 9-1, on April 25 or face unbeaten North Posey and senior standout pitcher Erin Hoehn (17-0, 0.35 ERA, 119.2 innings, 261 strikeouts), who will pitch collegiately at the University of Michigan.

“I have kind of looked to kind of see, but that’s pretty much to the extent that I’ve looked at,” admitted Pyle.

The other two ICC teams playing Saturday for semistate titles are Beech Grove and Indianapolis Lutheran.

In the Class 3A Jasper Semistate, Beech Grove (21-6) faces 2022 3A state runner-up Tri-West (25-5), ranked No. 6 in 3A, in the first semifinal game. No. 9 Silver Creek (27-9) and No. 2 Gibson Southern (27-4) meet in the other semifinal.

Class A, No. 7 Lutheran (19-7) opens the North Daviess Semistate against No. 6 Lanesville (24-5). The other semifinal game pits No. 1 Tecumseh (22-9), the defending Class A state champion, against No. 13 Clay City (18-9).

“That just proves to show that the ICC is a tough conference,” said Pyle. “If you are going to be in the top half (of the standings), you are going to have to know how to play and be tough, play good defense and put offense together too.”

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The Indiana Crossroads Conference champions placed four athletes on the All-ICC Girls Tennis Team.

Triton Central finished 5-0 against ICC foes this season to earn the conference title.

Representing Triton Central on the All-ICC squad are Maryrose Felling, Lauren Grant, Audrey Canter and Maddy Brown.

The 10-player squad also included Indianapolis Lutheran’s Rachel Bolton and Malin Bullock and Speedway’s Alex DeLisle, Daniella Galvez, Hser Ler and Isabel Moreno.

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Shelbyville High School track and field coach Nick Blakey will conduct a Youth Track Clinic later this month.

Youth in incoming grades 4-8 interested in track sprinting will learn how to be better and faster sprinters under the direction of Blakey and several Shelbyville track athletes and alumni.

The clinic will go four days from June 26 through June 29 at Waldron High School. Shelbyville’s McKeand Stadium is getting a new track surface this summer and is unavailable for use.

The clinic runs four consecutive days from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Registration fee is $50 per athlete and can be completed online at feedthebears.run/youth.

Registration also can occur at the first session. Checks should be made out to the Golden Bear Booster Club with “Track & Field” in the memo line and brought to the first session the athlete attends.

All proceeds go directly to the Shelbyville High School Track and Field program.

All four camp sessions will start at 6 p.m. and follow a similar format with water breaks scheduled.

• 6 p.m. – brief warm-up
• 6:15 p.m. – sprint drills
• 6:45 p.m. – short timed sprints (10 meters, 20m, 35m, 40m)
• 7:15 p.m. – competitive time trial (100m, 150m, 200m, 400m)
• 7:25 p.m. – stretch and cool down
• 7:30 p.m. – session ends

To get the most out of the clinic, athletes should arrive in athletic clothing and running shoes (spikes optional) and have a water bottle.

For more information, contact Blakey at coachblakey1@gmail.com

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The Hoosier Heritage Conference announced the 2023 All-Conference Softball squad.

The highly-competitive conference that has produced two regional champions in Pendleton Heights and Yorktown honored 20 athletes with its All-HHC designation.

Shelbyville seniors Kylee Edwards and Hailey Pogue, junior Cheyenne Eads and sophomore Addie Stieneker were selected to represent the Golden Bears.

Edwards, a Mississippi State commit, hit .557 this season with eight doubles, 16 home runs and 47 runs scored.

Pogue (main photo), an Indianapolis commit, hit .457 with 17 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 26 runs batted in and 32 runs scored. She also finished with a 7-2 record in the pitcher’s circle.

Eads, Shelbyville’s No. 1 pitcher, collected 13 wins and 193 strikeouts this season. She also hit .344 with nine doubles, four home runs and 23 RBIs.

Stieneker (photo) followed up her strong freshman season with a .436 batting average with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 40 RBIs.

Also selected All-HHC were:

• Greenfield-Central’s Camille Burelison and Olivia Roberts
• Mt. Vernon’s Shelby Rakosky and Easton Wampler
• New Castle’s Madi Moffitt
• New Palestine’s Aglaia Rudd, Allie Blum, Paige Ernstes and Sydney Oliver
• Pendleton Heights’ Bo Shelton, Katelin Goodwin, Kiah Hubble and Shelby Messer
• Yorktown’s Lexy Morris, Caitlyn LaFerney and Abbie Booher

Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley was named HHC Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Bears to a share of the HHC title for a second-consecutive season.

Shelbyville (20-8, 6-1 HHC) and New Palestine (23-5, 6-1 HHC) shared the HHC team title.

Pendleton Heights (24-5-1, 5-2) finished third ahead of Yorktown (17-8, 4-3), Greenfield-Central (18-9, 3-4), Mt. Vernon (14-11, 3-4), New Castle (9-15, 1-6) and Delta (1-24, 0-7).

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A pair of Triton Central baseball players were selected to the Indiana Crossroads Conference’s 18-player All-Conference squad.

Mathew Shircliff, a junior, and freshman Eli Sego – Triton Central’s two leading hitters this season – were honored with All-ICC status.

Shircliff hit a team leading .377 with four doubles, three home runs and 26 runs batted in.

Sego followed at .357 for Triton Central and had seven doubles and 25 runs scored.

Also selected as All-ICC:

• Cascade’s Logan Gibbs, Evan Lanphier, Jonas Johnson, Noah Dasgupta, Carson Bassett and Toby Savini
• Speedway’s Zach Warrum and Ben Heaviland
• Indianapolis Lutheran’s Josiah King and Owen Lecher
• Monrovia’s Darius Compton
• Beech Grove’s Cam Brown and Logan Muffler
• Indianapolis Scecina’s David Mendez and Adam Young
• Indianapolis Ritter’s Jake Dill

Cascade won the ICC title with a 12-2 record. The Cadets finished the season at 20-8.

Speedway was the runner-up at 15-13 (10-4 ICC) with Triton Central (14-14, 7-7) in third. Lutheran (16-12), Monrovia (10-17), Beech Grove (12-11) and Scecina (11-17) all finished 6-8 in the ICC standings. Ritter completed its season at 12-16 (3-11).

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Damon Lux is enjoying the down time in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, less than 24 hours before the first pitch of the NCAA Conway Regional.

Lux, a 2018 Shelbyville High School graduate, is a starting outfielder for Duke, the No. 2 seed at the four-team regional being played in Conway – just northwest of the South Carolina tourist destination.

 The Blue Devils (35-21) take on the No. 3 seed, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (34-21) at 1 p.m. Friday. At 7 p.m., No. 1 seed and host Coastal Carolina (39-19) takes on Rider (35-19).

The double-elimination regional continues through the weekend with the championship game slated for 6 p.m. Sunday. The “if necessary” game would be Monday.

The winner of the Conway Regional advances to the best-of-three Super Regional round to face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional, which includes Virginia, East Carolina, Oklahoma and Army.

The College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, follows from June 15-26.

Duke was playing like a World Series contender in late April and early May. A 4-3 win over Rider on May 10 pushed the Blue Devils’ record to 33-14 and they were ranked as high as No. 10 nationally.

However, Duke lost two of three in its final two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) series with Georgia Tech and No. 11 Miami and went 0-2 in the ACC Championship tournament.

“We had a hot streak there in April,” said Lux Thursday afternoon. “We were feeling good … playing good baseball. Then we finished up school and we got a little off offensively and our pitching gave up some hits and runs. It’s not that we’re playing bad baseball now, we’re just not playing as good as we were.”

Duke and UNC Wilmington did not face each other this season. Lux expects to get deeper into the scouting report on the Seahawks, the reigning Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament champion, later today and Friday morning.

“For them to get to this point, we are not taking them lightly,” he said.

Coastal Carolina earned the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA tournament and the right to host the regional. Lux sees the Conway Regional as an open battle between four hard-nosed squads.

“This regional has a whole lot of gritty baseball teams that won’t go down without a fight,” he said.

With each win, Lux extends his playing career, which will come to an end after this season, another day.

“This will be it,” said the fifth-year senior who has a bachelor’s degree and one-year Master’s degree in his back pocket. “I don’t have the desire to go and play at the next level. I’m satisfied with what I’ve done to this point.”

And he has no regrets about choosing Duke University.

“They always say it’s the best of both worlds because of the sports and the academics,” said Lux. “They are exactly right. It’s a great education and the sports teams are top notch.”

Lux will pursue a career in financial management when his playing days are over.

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Two Shelbyville softball players have earned All-State designation and senior Kylee Edwards has been selected to play in the 2023 North/South All-Star Game.

Edwards was one of 25 players named Class 3A/4A First Team All-State. The Mississippi State recruit led the Golden Bears with a .557 batting average, 16 home runs and 47 runs scored.

Other notable players honored with 3A/4A All-State status were Mooresville’s Alex Cooper, Roncalli’s Lyla Blackwell and Keagan Rothrock, Columbus North’s Maddi Rutan, New Palestine’s Aglaia Rudd, Connersville’s Sara Ruble and Columbus East’s Makenzie Foster.

Edwards also was one of 43 players selected for the June 24 North/South All-Star Game that will be played at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Shelbyville junior pitcher Cheyenne Eads (photo) was named Class 3A/4A Third Team All-State. She finished the season with a 13-7 record and 2.30 earned run average while leading the Golden Bears to their second-consecutive share of the Hoosier Heritage Conference title.

Eads was 5-1 with one no decision in starts against HHC competition. She also went 3-0 at the Columbus North Sectional to help the program capture its fourth sectional championship in the last six seasons.

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Shelbyville golf wrapped up its regular-season schedule with an 18-hole invitational Wednesday on its home course – Blue Bear Golf Course.

Frankton Gray captured the team title with a score of 333. Shelbyville finished runner-up at 335. Mooresville was third at 339.

Shelbyville’s Eli Baker earned the medalist honor with the low round of 80. Frankton’s Jace Scott and Shelbyville’s Jake Garrison each posted 81.

Also playing for Shelbyville were Brock Wischmeyer (86), Logan Reinhart (88) and DaMiles McDuffey (90).

Other teams competing in the invitational were Heritage Christian (358), Franklin Central (377), Frankton Red (382), Eastern Hancock (397) and Waldron.

Lucas Shaw topped Waldron with a 96.

In another golf invitational Tuesday:

Triton Central Invitational

Triton Central senior Oliver Gearlds brought home the medalist honor in his final regular-season golf match.

Gearlds posted a 73 at Hawk’s Tail Golf Course in Greenfield and helped the Tigers to a third-place finish.

Mount Vernon won the team title with a 312. New Palestine was runner-up at 345 with Triton Central Green shooting 350. Shenandoah was fourth (354), finishing ahead of Frankton (380), Blue River Valley (401) and Triton Central White (423).

Also competing for TC Green were Chase Chandler (82), Max Ray (97), Derreck Uhls (98) and Garrett Eberhardt (101).

The TC White roster consisted of Braden Brown (95), Taggart Goul (108), Andrew Mennel (109), Dayne Bailey (111) and Mason Yeoman (117).

IHSAA Sectionals

Triton Central will return to Hawk’s Tail Monday for the 12-team Greenfield-Central Sectional.

In the sectional format, the top three teams advance to the regional round of the state tournament and the top three low individuals not on an advancing team will qualify for a regional.

Teams competing at the Greenfield-Central Sectional are Blue River Valley, Eastern Hancock, Greenfield-Central, Knightstown, Mt. Vernon, New Castle, New Palestine, Shenandoah, Triton Central, Tri and Union (Modoc).

The Greenfield-Central Regional is one of five sectionals that feed into the Muncie Central Regional, which will be played at The Players Club on June 8.

Golfers representing Shelbyville, Southwestern and Waldron will compete Friday in the Greensburg Sectional at the Greensburg Country Club.

The 14-team sectional also includes Batesville, Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Greensburg, Hauser, Jac-Cen-Del, Milan, North Decatur, South Decatur and South Ripley.

The teams and individuals advancing from the Greensburg Sectional travel to Henryville on June 8 for the Providence Regional that will be  held at Champions Pointe Golf Course.

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MOORESVILLE -- In Mooresville’s regular-season win over Shelbyville, Zoey Kugelman pitched a gem to lead the Pioneers over the Golden Bears.

In Tuesday’s Class 4A regional championship game, Kugelman did not get the call to start the game in the circle. So she set forth to do damage at the plate.

The Mooresville junior had three hits, including a solo home run in the  bottom of the first inning, and Kendall Lowry drove in three runs to lead the Pioneers to a 4-1 victory and the program’s first softball regional title.

Class 4A, No. 9 Mooresville (29-3-1) will face 4A No. 12 Pendleton Heights (24-5-1) in the second semifinal game Saturday at the Center Grove Semistate. The first semifinal pits 4A No. 1 Roncalli (29-3-1) against either Evansville North (24-3) or 4A No. 11 Floyd Central (26-7).

Kugelman set the tone early for Mooresville blasting a 2-2 pitch off Shelbyville starting pitcher Cheyenne Eads out of the facility for an early lead.

An Alex Cooper triple and Lowry groundout extended the lead to 2-0 before the inning was over.

Shelbyville, who finished the season 20-9, spent the first half of the game searching for the “big” hit.

Mooresville starting pitcher Reagan Bauer loaded the bases in the first and third innings but escaped unscathed with key strikeouts. The Golden Bears finished the game leaving 10 runners on base.

“We left the bases loaded twice. We were a hit away from cracking that game open,” said Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley, who informed the team after the game that he will be stepping down as coach. “When you leave 10 on base, especially seven through the first three innings, that could have been a totally different game.”

Two walks and a fielder’s choice in the top of the first inning loaded the bases for Shelbyville but Bauer struck out Riley Maulden to end the threat.

In the third, Pogue had a leadoff double and Bauer walked Stieneker and Abby Brenner to load the bases but struck out Maulden and Destiney Johnson to end the inning.

“It was a tough (loss) because we did so much work to get to this point and I felt like we had everything about where we wanted it and we just could not get over the hump,” said Hensley, who has led Shelbyville to all four of its sectional championships during his tenure.

The fifth inning sealed Shelbyville’s fate. Kugelman reached base on a two-out single and moved to second on a throwing error. With first base open, Shelbyville intentionally walked Cooper – the Indiana University commit, and Lowry made them pay with a two-run double to make it 4-0.

Shelbyville’s lone run came on senior Kylee Edwards’ 16^th home run of the season in what fittingly was her final at bat as a Golden Bear.

“Kylee’s last at bat was a home run and Hailey’s last pitch was a strikeout. Even though we didn’t win the game, that was a really nice way to end their careers,” said Hensley.

Pogue, also a senior, pitched the sixth inning and struck out two of the three batters she faced. She will play collegiately at the University of Indianapolis next season.

Shelbyville graduates four – Edwards, Pogue, Brenner and Riley Maulden -- from a squad that added a third straight season with at least 20 wins and back-to-back Hoosier Heritage Conference titles.

Over the last three seasons, the Golden Bears were 68-20 (18-3 in HHC games) and won two sectionals and a regional title and played in the 2022 Class 4A Semistate championship game.

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Triton Central’s 20^th win of the season netted the softball program’s first regional championship.

On Tuesday in Liberty, Indiana, Brylie Couch stifled Class 2A, No. 10 Union County for eight innings and got enough run support to secure a 4-3 win in eight innings.

Triton Central (20-5) will travel south to the Forest Park Semistate Saturday to face Hauser (24-7) in an 11 a.m. semifinal contest. The second semifinal at Forest Park will feature 2A No. 1 North Posey (26-0) and 2A No. 6 Cascade (24-4).

The semistate championship game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.

Triton Central, making just its second regional appearance, scored solo runs off Union County starting pitcher Bailey Mathews in each of the first two innings Tuesday to stake Couch to the lead.

Union County countered with a solo run in the third to cut the lead to 2-1.

Both teams scored again in the sixth inning before the Patriots pushed a run across in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

Jalynn Keith was the only Tiger with two hits in the win. The freshman scored one of TC’s four runs.

Lillie Fillippinie, Hailey Harris and Brooklyn Adkins, who had a solo home run in the win, delivered big hits that produced runs.

Couch struggled to get Auburn-recruit AnnaLea Adams out as most pitchers have this season. Entering the game hitting over .800, the junior had three hits, two doubles and a home run, and scored two runs but Couch limited the rest of the Patriots to just four hits and struck out 16.

Mathews surrendered eight hits and three walks while striking out 10 for Union County.

Triton Central and Hauser did not play each other this season.

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The Indianapolis 500 purse record was shattered for the second year in a row after a monumentally successful 107^th running of the Indianapolis 500, with race winner Josef Newgarden (photo) of Team Penske earning $3.666 million from the total purse of $17,021,500.

After record-breaking payouts in 2022, this is the largest purse and largest winner’s payout in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The year’s average payout for NTT Indycar Series drivers was $500,600, which also exceeds last year’s average of $485,000.

In 2022, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $16,000,200 and the year’s winner payout was $3.1 million. Prior to 2022, the largest Indianapolis 500 purse was $14.4 million for the 2008 Indianapolis 500.

Second-place finisher Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing took home $1.043 million, exceeding the take-home prize for last year’s second-place finisher.

“This is the greatest race in the world, and it was an especially monumental month of May featuring packed grandstands and intense on-track action,” Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Now, we have the best end card possible for the 107^th running of the Indianapolis 500: a record-breaking purse for the history books.”

The month of May was full of major milestones as Indianapolis Motor Speedway welcomed more than 330,000 fans to the Racing Capital of the World for Sunday’s race, making it the second-largest Indianapolis 500 crowd in more than two decades.

A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Benjamin Pedersen earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance during the month. Pedersen earned a $50,000 bonus for being named Rookie of the Year, adding to a take-home prize of $215,300.

Renew Tickets for 2024

Fans can renew or upgrade their Indy 500 tickets at ims.com/review, by calling 317-492-6700 or by visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office. The renewal window will continue through June 20.

These are the best prices of the year for renewals and upgrades. Prices will increase when tickets go on sale this fall, and again in 2024 before each event.

“More than 325,000 fans filled IMS on Indianapolis 500 Race Day for the biggest and most memorable celebration of all that is May,” said IMS President J. Douglas Boles. “Whether 2023 was your first trip to IMS or your 50^th, we encourage you to renew or request an upgrade for seats by June 20 to reserve their spots for next year for another great celebration of speed and tradition.”

Steve Bush photo

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A Final Four team in 2022 with its pitching staff intact and a Miss Softball candidate in the lineup appears to be labeled an underdog in the 2023 postseason. Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley is fine with that notion.

“I love it,” said Hensley ahead of Monday’s final practice before tonight’s regional championship game. “I don’t want the target on my back. All the pressure is on everybody else. We are probably one of the lowest seeds in (Class) 4A still alive. If we can somehow find a way to squeeze past Mooresville and get down to where there are only eight teams left, I like our chances.”

Unranked Shelbyville (20-8) travels to 4A No. 9 Mooresville (28-3-1) today for a one-game regional championship game at 7 p.m. The Pioneers defeated Shelbyville, 2-1 on May 6 at Shelbyville.

“I don’t think they played their best game and we definitely didn’t play our best game so I am assuming this game may look a lot different than that first one,” said Hensley. “It still may be kind of low scoring but I felt like our energy level wasn’t great when we played them.

“We came out a little flat and gave up a couple of runs. I don’t think they played their best game either. They didn’t look like they were all that excited to play on a Saturday morning either and they had a little bit more in the tank on that particular Saturday.”

The pitching matchup sets up for a low-scoring game. Shelbyville junior Cheyenne Eads is 13-6 this season with a 2.17 earned run average and 187 strikeouts over 122 innings. After giving up two runs in the first inning against the Pioneers she faced just four batters over the minimum over the final six innings.

On Friday, she limited nationally-ranked Columbus North to five hits and two walks in another complete-game performance.

“Nothing was going to keep me from finishing that game,” said Eads, whose six losses this season have come by a combined nine runs. “I was really dead set on staying in that game and getting it done for my team.”

Mooresville will likely counter with junior Zoey Kugelman, 11-0 with a 1.30 ERA. She limited the Golden Bears to five hits and one run on May 6.

“She is not going to blow it past anybody. She reminds me a little bit of the East Central pitcher in that she won’t blow it past you. We don’t have many strikeouts against that type of pitcher but we also don’t seem to square them up very much either,” said Hensley.

The game also features a battle of two of the top shortstops in the state – both signed to Division I programs.

Shelbyville senior Kylee Edwards, a Mississippi State recruit, is hitting .558 with eight doubles, 15 home runs and a team-high 46 runs scored. In three sectional games, she had six hits and two walks and scored six runs.

Mooresville senior Alex Cooper is committed to Indiana University. She is hitting .576 with 11 doubles, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs. In sectional wins over Center Grove (11-5), Bloomington South (10-0) and Martinsville (6-1), Cooper also had six hits, including four home runs, scored six runs and drove in 10 runs.

“There is a reason she is a Division I shortstop,” said Hensley. “That girl can flat-out hit. We will have to be real careful and pick and choose the pitches we want to throw to her. Hopefully we can find a way to keep the ball in the park when she swings at it.”

Also dangerous for Mooresville are senior Kendall Lowry (.500, 12 doubles, 36 RBIs), junior Madison Poulson (.440, 50 runs scored) – an Indiana State commit, Kugelman (.388, 36 RBIs) and senior Maddie Gainey (.367, 28 RBIs).

Shelbyville has its own wicked trio at the top of the batting order with Edwards, senior Hailey Pogue (.467, 16 doubles, 32 runs scored) – a University of Indianapolis commit, and sophomore Addie Stieneker (.451, 12 doubles, seven home runs, team-leading 40 RBIs). Those three went 7-for-10 in Friday’s 5-2 sectional championship win over 4A No. 2 Columbus North, which was labeled an upset in the minds of the Bull Dogs’ followers.

“(Columbus North) had some pretty high rankings and if you lose one game all year and tie another one you probably deserve to get a lot of press,” said Hensley. “I think they were as high as No. 14 in the country when we beat them. I guess in most people’s eyes it was an upset. We came in to that game fully expecting to win. I don’t think anybody in our dugout thought it was an upset.”

Shelbyville’s Final Four run in 2022 also featured Eads (.337, nine doubles, four home runs, 23 RBIs) and sophomore catcher Kali Laycock (.253, seven doubles, 15 RBIs) but the rest of the 2023 roster has limited postseason experience.

“There are seven or eight that were on that team last year when we made that run all the way to the Final Four,” said Hensley. “Our girls believe, there are 16 teams left in 4A, I think they all believe they are one of the best 16 teams in the state.

“Confidence is a factor with that and obviously some experience. We still have a lot of youth on our team with four sophomores and a handful of freshmen. Even though they are young, they’ve all sort of been there, done that. Even most of our freshmen have played fairly high-level travel seasons and played in big games.”

Mooresville captured its eighth sectional championship but just the program’s first since 2007.

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The last words Triton Central head coach Aaron Pyle told his team after its final practice Monday morning before the regional championship was give 100% on the field, make the plays the best you can so you don’t beat yourselves.

For the first time since 2015, and just the second time in program history, Triton Central advanced out of the sectional round of the softball state tournament. The Tigers (19-5) travel to Liberty today to face Class 2A, No. 10 Union County (21-4) at 6 p.m.

The Patriots, winners of four straight sectional tournaments, will have the experience edge on a Triton Central roster that features no seniors and three underclassmen pitchers.

“They do have a little bit more experience at this stage of the game,” said Pyle. “They are solid top to bottom.”

Union County has a devastating one-two punch in junior AnnaLea Adams (.806 batting average, 14 home runs, 55 runs batted in) and senior Shelby Hill (.554, 11 home runs, 55 RBIs). Adams, one of the nation’s leading hitters, is committed to Auburn.

“We will not take them lightly but we’re not going to focus on just those two,” said Pyle.

Union County has four more hitters in the lineup batting at least .360.

Pyle knows he will start a sophomore pitcher tonight, but which one will be a close-to-game-time decision. Sophomores Brylie Couch (7-3, 1.91 earned run average) and Lillie Fillippinie (7-2, 1.53 ERA) have been equally impressive this season.

“I am going to have both warm up and based on which one warms up the best (will be the choice),” said Pyle. “Both will be ready to go.”

Freshman Madi Peterson (5-0, 1.65 ERA) also is part of a pitching staff that has not allowed a run in 25 consecutive innings.

If the pitching staff and defense can do its part, Triton Central just needs to find a way to put runs on the scoreboard.

Union County will counter with junior Bailey Matthews in the pitcher’s circle. She is 18-3 this season with a 2.33 ERA and 174 strikeouts over 114 innings.

“I will be expecting something like the Beech Grove game (2-1 win) or the Southport game (1-0 win) or even the last Heritage Christian game (3-0 win) where it is who gets the bat on the ball first and who gets that first run.”

Fillippinie leads the TC offense, hitting .557 with eight doubles, five home runs and a team-high 31 RBIs. Couch follows at .508 with 12 doubles, six home runs and 26 RBIs.

Madison Collins, another sophomore, is hitting .478 with seven doubles and 26 RBIs.

Triton Central finished the 2015 season at 9-12 but broke through with the program’s first sectional title, just one season after Pyle stepped away from coaching the program. The Tigers lost in the regional semifinal to Monrovia that year, 26-0.

Now with a program-record 19 wins and a roster full of experienced travel ball players, Pyle does not expect his team to be nervous.

“I don’t think the girls will have too much nerves but I know the coaching staff will have some nerves,” said Pyle.

Win or lose, the experience will be invaluable for the Triton Central program in the coming seasons.

“Setting the school record for most wins, having a young crew pitching and catching with them being sophomores and freshmen makes this easy going forward,” said Pyle. “The next 2-3 years we will be solid. And we will know going forward, we can do this.”

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A defensive error in the fifth inning proved too much to overcome for Waldron.

In the Sectional 60 semifinal round Monday afternoon at Jac-Cen-Del, a costly error allowed South Decatur to score three unearned runs that finished off a 5-1 victory.

Devin Pate pitched into the seventh inning for South Decatur (17-8) and allowed three hits and three walks while striking out 12. Brock Lane needed three pitches to secure the final out and propel the Cougars into the championship game.

Pate and Colby Rathburn each had two hits to lead South Decatur.

Jacob Bennett matched up with Pate on the mound and was equally as impressive. The junior allowed eight hits in six innings and struck out seven. Of the five runs allowed, only two were earned.

Senior Bryce Yarling pitched a scoreless seventh inning to cap off his career. He also had two hits at the plate to raise his batting average to .463 this season. He finished the season with 31 stolen bases for Waldron (7-20).

In the championship game Monday night, North Decatur topped South Decatur, 8-4, to earn a regional championship game berth against Greenwood Christian, winner of the Morristown Sectional.

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COLUMBUS – Kylee Edwards came to pick a fight – and she brought some hungry Golden Bears with her to the Sectional 14 championship game.

The defending sectional champions had not had much success against Columbus North ace Maddi Rutan over the last three seasons. So Edwards did not want to waste time making a statement Friday and whacked the first pitch of the game off the fence for a leadoff double.

Addie Stieneker quickly delivered the senior home, one of three RBIs the sophomore would collect in the game. Hailey Pogue attacked a fifth-inning pitch from Rutan and sent it to the wall that scored two more and Shelbyville captured the program’s fourth sectional championship, 5-2 over the No. 2-ranked Bull Dogs.

The Golden Bears (20-8) will travel to Class 4A, No. 9 Mooresville (28-3-1) Tuesday for the regional championship. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Edwards played with a heavy heart all week. Her grandfather passed away Sunday. Two days later she belted her 15^th home run to help Shelbyville to a 2-0 win over East Central in the sectional opener. On Thursday, she had two hits and a walk, scored two runs and drove in two in an 8-3 win over Franklin.

She wasted little time getting to work Friday.

“As the leadoff batter I was attacking,” explained Edwards. “Starting the game, I knew she was going to throw me a strike first pitch to start off in a good way so I knew I was going to attack it. In my other at bats I had that same mindset. I was going to get to her before she got to me.”

Edwards tripled in the third inning on the first pitch from Rutan and after getting up in the count 3-0 in the fifth was intentionally walked. She added a double in the seventh inning and was part of a devastating trio of hitters at the top of Shelbyville’s lineup that went 7-for-10 with four extra-base hits, four runs scored and all five RBIs.

“Those first three hitters we have in the lineup, when they go we are hard to beat,” said Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley. “Those are three of the best hitters in the state that we go back-to-back-to back with. They make a lot of chaos and make a lot of issues for people.”

While the top three did the discernible damage, the entire lineup put pressure on Rutan. The leadoff hitter reached in all seven innings.

“To do it against a pitcher like that … as far as I’m concerned she is a top-10 in the country type of player,” said Hensley of the Eastern Kentucky commit. “When you are a pitcher like that you can win every single day. You have a shot.”

The same can be said of Shelbyville pitcher Cheyenne Eads. The junior limited Columbus North (25-2-1) to just five hits, two walks and notched 10 strikeouts.

“That’s the difference, too,” said Hensley. “When ‘Chey’ is on and she is working her pitches, she is as good as anybody in the state. I think some people have kind of missed the boat on that but if you look out there and she is five-foot-four and about 130 pounds, some people don’t realize just how good she is. I’ve been screaming it from the rooftops for three years now to realize how good she is. Some of these colleges have been slow to the party with her but whoever pulls the trigger on that one is going to get a good one.”

The Bull Dogs quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first inning when Rutan doubled to score Kelsey Lovelace.

Both teams were held scoreless until the fifth.

Kali Laycock led off the inning with her second hit of the game. Edwards drew a one-out walk and Pogue laced the first pitch she saw past Columbus North second baseman Josephine Lemmons into the gap. Both runners scored to give Shelbyville a 3-1 advantage.

Stieneker brought Pogue home for her second RBI of the game.

Kaylee Cowan blasted a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 4-2.

Edwards doubled to start the seventh and scored on another Stieneker single to get Shelbyville within three outs of the title.

Miley McClellan started the final half inning with a single and Cowan ripped an Eads pitch into left field but Riley Maulden got a quick jump and made a diving catch to quell any momentum for Columbus North.

“I think that’s the best high school outfield catch I’ve ever seen,” said Hensley.

Eads struck out pinch hitter Bailee Scruggs and, fittingly, got Lemmons to roll a grounder at Edwards. The shortstop gobbled it up and fired it across the diamond to set off the celebration.

The sectional champions show appreciation to the large crowd in attendance Friday in Columbus.

“We all worked together really well. We all wanted this game so bad,” said Edwards. “You could tell on the field because our energy was up. Everybody was communicating. We were talking strategy the whole time. Our energy was way higher than theirs and I think that got us the win this game.”

Edwards and her family laid Pat Settles to rest today after she went 6-for-9 in the sectional with five extra-base hits, six runs scored and three RBIs.

“We have a lot going on with my grandpa,” admitted Edwards. “I wanted to go out and do this for my parents and my family. I wouldn’t want this any other way. I think this is a great opportunity and I was playing for him.”

Notes: Columbus North entered the game ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 14 nationally by MaxPreps. The Bull Dogs tied the program record for wins in a season. … Columbus North head coach Ron McDonald is retiring after building the program up since 2017. … Prior to the game, each Shelbyville player presented a rose to Mindy Edwards, daughter of Pat Settles. … With the win over Columbus North, Shelbyville is set up for a “revenge tour.” After losing 1-0 to Columbus North early in the season, the Golden Bears avenged that loss and now face Mooresville, who defeated Shelbyville 2-1 on May 6. The semistate bracket pairs the Shelbyville-Mooresville winner with the winner of the Lawrence North (22-7)-Pendleton Heights (23-5-1). HHC-member Pendleton Heights defeated the Golden Bears 4-3 on May 13. And the semistate championship game could yield a rematch with top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Roncalli, who topped Shelbyville 2-0 on May 9.

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MORRISTOWN -- When Morristown missed its chance to take the lead, Indianapolis Lutheran capitalized.

Ryan Redding ripped a full-count offering into the gap to score Nate Hughes in the bottom of the fifth inning for what turned out to be the sectional semifinal game’s only run.

Lutheran eliminated Morristown from Sectional 59 Saturday, 1-0. The Saints (16-11) will face either Greenwood Christian or Indianapolis Metropolitan, making its first sectional appearance, Monday in the championship game.

Hughes needed help to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top half of the fifth inning and Hudson Mills threw just one pitch to get the third out of the inning. The lefty then struck out five of the seven batters he faced in the final two innings to secure the win.

Grant Kessler took the hard-luck loss for Morristown (12-12). The lefty surrendered seven hits but struck out 10 Saints and saw his defense make several outstanding plays.

“I challenged them to play clean baseball and they did just that for me,” said Morristown head coach Brandon Kessler. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

Hughes only allowed two Yellow Jackets to reach second base in the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth when he hit Owen Rinzel, allowed a Dyllan Rutledge single and hit Kessler to load the bases and bring Bryce Bryant to the plate.

Bryant was aggressive on the first pitch he saw from Mills but grounded out to end the inning.

“We couldn’t piece a couple of hits together,” said Kessler. “It was a little frustrating. I couldn’t say enough about our hitting, it just wasn’t timely hitting. We’ve been struggling with the sticks the last couple games and that part I was pleased with (today). We just couldn’t put a couple together.”

Bryant, a junior, came into the sectional semifinal hitting a team-leading .594.

“There is nobody more frustrated than that young man right there,” said Kessler of Bryant. “He is leading the conference in hitting and ranked pretty high in the state. He has a solid stick and always has.”

Kessler worked out of a jam in the bottom of the first inning and kept the Saints in check the entire game.

Hughes produced a one-out single in the fifth inning and leadoff hitter Jackson Brandenburg sacrifice bunted him to second. Hughes stole third base and scored when Redding doubled into the left-centerfield gap.

Morristown matched its 2022 season record and finished third in the Mid-Hoosier Conference standings. Graduation will take Rutledge (.391 batting average), Zachary Noel (.368), Tyler Schonfeld (.295), Kamdyn Gaines (Morristown’s starting centerfield Saturday) and Kessler, a Mount St. Joseph commit, who finished with more than 140 strikeouts this season.

“I’m pretty dang excited,” said Kessler with regard to the state of the baseball program. “With our junior high program, we are almost evenly balanced across the team with 5-6 guys in each class. We’ve got guys coming in from the eighth grade and we will expect a lot more out of our freshmen next year, and sophomores as well.”

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The Shelbyville High School boys basketball program will host its 2023 summer youth basketball camp from June 5-7 at the SHS auxiliary gymnasium.

Youth that will be in grades K-5 this fall will meet for three days beginning June 5 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Youth rising into grades 6-8 this fall will follow from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

The cost of the camp is $30. Payment may be made by cash or check with checks payable to “Golden Bear Booster Club.”

The camp will be conducted by the SHS coaching staff and will include small group periods that focus on fundamental skills: shooting, passing, ball-handling, defense and rebounding.

There also will be 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 scrimmages and skills competitions.

Each participant will receive a camp T-shirt.

For more information, contact Shelbyville basketball head coach John Hartnett at jahartnett@shelbycs.org to register or receive additional information.

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COLUMBUS -- Franklin got the spark it needed then Shelbyville stomped it out.

Following a two-run home run by Aubrey Leugers in the top of the fifth inning that tied the Sectional 14 semifinal game, the Golden Bears responded with back-to-back three-run innings to salt away an 8-3 victory and a berth in the sectional championship game.

Shelbyville (19-8) will face Class 4A, No. Columbus North (25-1-1) at 7 p.m. tonight for the right to take on No. 9 Mooresville (28-3-1) in a one-game regional Tuesday in Mooresville. Columbus North defeated Shelbyville, 1-0, on April 6.

On Thursday, Shelbyville staked starting pitcher Cheyenne Eads to a quick 2-0 lead after one inning. Kylee Edwards and Hailey Pogue worked walks from Franklin pitcher Bryleigh Carlisle-Haltom and scored on an Addie Stieneker double and Eads sacrifice fly.

The Golden Bears failed to extend the lead over the next three innings which kept the Grizzly Cubs (15-14-1) in contention.

In the top of the fifth, Madison Stearns battled Eads for a walk and Leugers belted her fifth home run of the season over the centerfield wall.

A team Shelbyville defeated 13-5 earlier in the season was now tied with it in an elimination game. The Golden Bears were not bothered by the mounting pressure, though.

Hailey Maulden drew a leadoff walk. Pinch-runner Makinah Noel scored on a Kylee Edwards double. The senior went to third on the throw home and then scored on a Pogue single up the middle to make it 4-2. An Abby Brenner groundout plated Pogue for a 5-2 lead.

Pogue took over for Eads in the pitcher’s circle in the sixth and delivered a quick inning, bringing the Golden Bears back to the plate.

A Riley Maulden walk and back-to-back pinch-hit singles by Sydney Brown and Noel loaded the bases for Edwards, who collected her second hit and run batted in for a 6-2 lead.

Laycock, returning to the bases to run for Brown, stole home as Edwards distracted the Franklin catcher on the base paths.

Pogue followed with a sacrifice fly for her second RBI.

Franklin plated a run in the top half of the seventh ahead of the final out.

Sectional Championship Preview

The pitching duel is set. Shelbyville junior Cheyenne Eads against Columbus North senior Maddi Rutan.

Columbus North is 4-1 against Shelbyville over the last three seasons with the Golden Bears’ lone win coming in the 2022 sectional, 2-1.

Rutan, an Eastern Kentucky commit, can be overpowering – both in the circle and the batter’s box. She had three hits and three RBIs as a sophomore in the Bull Dogs’ 9-5 win at Shelbyville. At the sectional that year, she had two more hits and struck out nine Golden Bears in a 4-2 victory.

Rutan racked up 13 strikeouts in the 2022 regular-season meeting – a 2-0 victory. And she threw two scoreless innings of relief in early April in her team’s 1-0 win at Shelbyville.

Eads, the losing pitcher in each of Shelbyville’s four losses to the Bull Dogs, has grown in confidence and effectiveness since her freshman debut in 2021.

With two dynamic pitchers starting – and both teams having strong No. 2 pitchers – runs should be hard to come by. Defensive mistakes could prove devastating.

Rutan is hitting .545 this season with 12 doubles and eight home runs. Kelsey Lovelace follows at .433 with nine doubles and 29 RBIs. Kirsten Danford, who had a home run in Thursday’s 8-2 semifinal win over Whiteland, is hitting .416 with 38 RBIs.

Mississippi State commit Kylee Edwards is hitting .542 from the leadoff spot for Shelbyville with a team-high 15 home runs.

Hailey Pogue has been hot down the stretch, raising her batting average to .471.

Addie Stieneker is hitting .437 with 13 doubles, seven home runs and a team-leading 37 RBIs.

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Ethan Lambert could not find more distance. Brayden Wilkins could not find more speed.

The Shelby County track and field season came to a conclusion Thursday at the Greenfield-Central Regional.

Lambert (photo), a Shelbyville junior, finished sixth in the discus with a best throw of 149 feet, four inches – just short of his sectional best of 151-0.

Center Grove’s Garrett Messer won the regional title with a 175-foot throw. Warren Central’s Damien Shanklin (171-1) and Whiteland’s Tayton Schakel (169-1) finished second and third to earn berths in the state championship meet.

Roncalli’s Seth Brosseau (157-10) and East Central’s Will Kemper (150-10) placed fourth and fifth ahead of Lambert.

Wilkins, a Triton Central junior, finished fifth in the 200 meters in 22.93 seconds. Whiteland’s Matthew Wray (21.93), Warren Central’s Jaelyn Reeves-Lile (21.95) and Center Grove’s Micah Coyle (22.21) earned the state championship berths. Greenfield-Central’s Ian Jack was fourth in 22.74.

Wilkins also finished seventh in the 100 in 11.39. Greenwood’s William Riley won the 100 in 10.80 with Reeves-Lile (10.84) and Warren Central’s Davis Taylor (11.00) also qualifying for the state meet.

Triton Central’s Ethan Cales placed 12^th in the 110 hurdles (16.28).

Morristown’s Cade Mahin finished 11^th in the 400 (52.0).

Shelbyville’s Blake Hughes ran a personal-best 51.62 in the 400 to finish ninth.

Shelbyville’s Beau Kenkel fought through illness and placed 15^th in the 800 (2:11.85).

And the Shelbyville quartet of Elijah Von Werder, Ben Price, Teegan Ervine and Kenkel finished 14^th in the 3,200 relay (8:44.45).

In another IHSAA postseason event:

Softball

Edinburgh Sectional

Edinburgh 17, Morristown 0

MacKenzie Bieker pitched a two-hit shutout to propel Edinburgh into the Sectional 59 championship game.

Bieker had 13 strikeouts over five innings and was bolstered by a five-run first inning and nine-run third.

Gracie Barrett, Alix Streeval and Bieker each had three hits. Barrett drove in four runs. Eloise Cox had three runs batted in.

Rhylee Coppage took the loss in the pitcher’s circle for Morristown (11-10).

Edinburgh (14-12) will face Class A, No. 7 Indianapolis Lutheran (17-7) in today’s sectional championship game. The Saints defeated Providence Cristo Rey Wednesday, 13-0.

Steve Bush photo

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Eastern Michigan baseball swept a three-game series against Northern Illinois to secure its first winning season since 2011.

The Eagles closed out the series Saturday with a 7-1 victory that improved them to 27-26 (12-18 Mid-American Conference).

Cory Taylor, a Shelbyville graduate, belted his seventh home run of the season in the win. The junior went 1-for-3 in the game with a walk and his 32^nd run batted in for the Eagles.

In Thursday’s series-opening 11-2 win, Taylor had his 12^th double of the season and drove in two.

He had two walks and a stolen base Friday in a 10-9 victory.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate was one of 39 Franklin College student-athletes to be named to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tom Bohlsen Academic All-Conference list. Athletes must have at least a cumulative 3.5 GPA, be a varsity athlete, and have completed the equivalent of a full academic year to be considered.

Anspaugh is a senior Exercise Science major.

Elizabeth Kemper

The Triton Central graduate finished 121^st overall Wednesday for Taylor University in the NAIA National Championships at TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

Kemper shot rounds of 85 and 87 for Taylor, who missed the top-17 cut by three shots and finished 20^th in the tournament.

Charlie Rife

The Shelbyville graduate had a double Friday in his final at bat of his freshman year at Bellarmine University.

Bellarmine lost to Liberty, 12-2, Friday and closed out its season with a 13-42 record (8-22 Atlantic Sun).

Damon Lux

The Shelbyville graduate had a hit and was hit by a pitch Tuesday in Duke’s 8-7 loss in 11 innings to North Carolina State in Pool D play of the ACC Tournament.

The loss dropped Duke to 35-20 this season.

The Blue Devils continue Pool D play Friday at 3 p.m. against Miami, who won two games in the three-game series with Duke that ended Saturday.

Hannah File

The Shelbyville graduate smashed her 12^th home run of the season Saturday in Louisville’s 9-1 win over Northern Kentucky in the NCAA Regional in Knoxville, Tennessee.

File’s home run set the Louisville team record for home runs in a season (64).

The Cardinals opened the regional Friday with a 4-3 loss to Indiana and closed out their season Sunday with a 4-2 loss to the Hoosiers.

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ST. LEON – Shelbyville had no answer for Drew Helton.

The Whiteland junior twirled a no-hitter Wednesday to lead Whiteland to a 6-0 win over Shelbyville in game two of the Class 4A, Sectional 14 baseball tournament at East Central High School.

Helton allowed two walks and struck out 11 in completely shutting down Shelbyville (14-14).

“Kudos to Drew Helton,” said Shelbyville head coach Royce Carlton. “He threw the game of his life tonight.

“It was one of those you can’t ever anticipate. Our guys were swinging at it. It wasn’t like we were watching a whole lot of stuff. He had some good movement. He was bringing it and spotting it up. It is hard to do much when a guy pitches that well.”

Aiden Smith took the loss for Shelbyville in his postseason debut. The freshman struggled to command his pitches but kept working out of trouble to keep the Golden Bears in the game.

Maalik Perkins led off the game with an infield single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Blake Riddle’s fly out to centerfielder Donovon Martin.

Helton followed with a sacrifice fly to left field and it was all the run support he needed.

Logan Prickett earned a two-out walk in the bottom of the third inning but a Luke Brinkman infield grounder ended the inning.

Dalton Jones worked a two-out walk in the seventh inning but Helton struck out Eli Sheppard to end the game.

The Golden Bears entered the sectional with great expectations but the execution was non-existent – no hits, 11 strikeouts, five walks and two hit batters, and four defensive errors.

“This was a series of the most unfortunate events all compiled into one,” said Carlton. “I would say this is probably my most disappointing loss in my career. Nothing got started. Nothing went right. It was one of those where you hope something happens to get a little momentum and we couldn’t even get a little bit.”

Peyton Emberton delivered a two-out single in the fourth that scored Brayden Roy with the game’s second run.

In the fifth, Perkins scored on a Helton double to make it 3-0. Riddle scored on a Donavin Woodall sacrifice fly and a fielding error allowed Helton to score for a 5-0 lead.

In game one of the sectional Wednesday, East Central defeated Columbus East, 8-0. The Trojans (18-7) will host Whiteland (12-13) Friday at 6 p.m. in the first sectional semifinal game at Benner Field.

In game two, Columbus North (15-10) will take the field against Franklin (14-13-1).

Shelbyville started just one senior Wednesday and its top three pitchers will return next season.

“We have a lot of talent and we have talent coming up from the eighth-grade level,” said Carlton. “We have a very bright future.”

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Kade Rogers got Morristown to the finish line but needed a little help from Grant Kessler to get the Yellow Jackets to the 6-3 sectional win.

Morristown took a 5-0 lead after two innings Wednesday and was up 6-1 going to the bottom of the seventh when the Lancers threatened.

Rogers got the first out of the inning before Morristown turned to Kessler, one of the state leaders in strikeouts, to get the final two outs. Kessler walked a batter and struck out two to earn the save.

Rogers got the win, allowing four hits and seven walks while striking out five.

Bryce Bryant had four hits and scored three runs for Morristown (12-11). Rogers, Kane Snyder, Owen Rinzel and Tyler Schonfeld each drove in runs.

Gabe Bennett took the loss for Edinburgh (3-22). The junior allowed six hits and five of Morristown’s six runs. He had eight strikeouts.

Jared Myers had two hits and drove in all three of the Lancers’ runs.

In the other Class A, Sectional 59 quarterfinal game Wednesday at Morristown, Indianapolis Lutheran defeated Eminence, 13-3.

Jackson Brandenburg and Josiah King each had three hits and two RBIs for Lutheran (15-11).

Micah Mackay and Zander Scearce combined to strike out 10 Eels.

Trevyn Burnett took the loss for Eminence (7-12).

In Saturday’s sectional semifinal games at Morristown, the Yellow Jackets will face Lutheran at 10 a.m. with Greenwood Christian (12-12-1) following against Indianapolis Metropolitan (0-6).

The sectional championship game is set for 10 a.m. Monday.

In another sectional baseball game Wednesday:

Jac-Cen-Del Sectional

Jac-Cen-Del 14, Southwestern 9

The host Eagles built an early 5-0 lead only to fall behind 9-6 and needing a rally to keep their season going.

Jac-Cen-Del scored the final eight runs of the contest to bring an end to Southwestern’s postseason.

Brady Borgman, Clark Dwenger, Devin Grieshop, Landon Comer and Carson Hughes each had two hits for Jac-Cen-Del (9-13). Grieshop had three runs batted in. Dwenger and Comer each drove in two runs.

Comer pitched into the fifth inning and allowed all nine Southwestern runs (none were earned) and struck out seven. Borgman allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three in getting the final seven outs of the game.

Southwestern finished the season 8-12.

Jac-Cen-Del will host North Decatur (7-15) Monday at 10 a.m. in one sectional semifinal contest. South Decatur (16-7) takes on Waldron (7-19) in the second semifinal.

The sectional championship game is at 7 p.m. Monday.

Park Tudor Sectional

Park Tudor 7, Triton Central 0

Brady Redman and Cole Burkman combined for three hits and five RBIs to lead the Class 2A, No. 5 Panthers over the Tigers (14-14) in the sectional opener for both teams.

Bryce Haney pitched four innings and allowed five Park Tudor runs. 

Carter Hall earned the win for the Panthers (21-7), pitching six innings and allowing two hits while striking out eight. Burkman pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Haney and Eli Sego had TC's only hits.

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A pitcher’s duel was expected. Triton Central’s pitcher just happened to be a little bit better.

Brylie Couch did not allow a hit and struck out 15 Wednesday to lead Triton Central to a 3-0 victory over Heritage Christian in the Class 2A, Sectional 42 championship game in Fairland.

The sectional title is the first for the Tigers since 2015 and just the second in program history.

Lillie Fillippinie provided the offensive spark, collecting a double and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in two of TC’s three runs. Madison Collin drove in the other TC run.

Heritage Christian pitcher Alayna Tesnar went the distance, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out nine.

The Eagles finished the season 19-9.

Triton Central (19-5) will travel to 2A No. 10 Union County Tuesday for a one-game regional. The Patriots (21-4) defeated 2A No. 9 Eastern Hancock Wednesday, 6-5, to get the program a third-straight sectional championship.

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Nine Shelby County athletes were named to the Mid-Hoosier Conference All-Conference Baseball and All-Conference Softball squads.

Morristown Nevaeh Cox and Alexia Rogers were selected to the 13-member All-MHC Softball Team.

Joining the Yellow Jackets were Hauser’s Lucie Asher, Izzy Brunner, Paige McDaniel, Kyra Meister and Hannah Taylor; Edinburgh’s MacKenzie Bieker, Gracie Crawhorn, Kenna Streeval and Kyah Streeval; South Decatur’s Molly Eden; and North Decatur’s Sarah Swain.

Hauser was crowned the MHC champion with a perfect 12-0 mark. Hauser head coach Andy Brunner was named Coach of the Year.

Edinburgh finished runner-up in the standings at 9-2 followed by North Decatur (8-4), Morristown (6-5), Waldron (3-9), South Decatur (3-9) and Southwestern (0-12).

Eight more athletes were named All-MHC Honorable Mention. They were Hauser’s Haylin Campbell and Reagan Johnson, North Decatur’s Sami Luttel, Kacie Ogden, Macy Scudder and Kennedy Stier, Edinburgh’s Alix Streeval, and South Decatur’s Lydia Witkemper.

The All-MHC Baseball Team features two Mohawks, two Spartans and three Yellow Jackets.

Waldron’s Bryce Yarling and Jacob Bennett, Southwestern’s Matthew Clements and Jonah DeArmitt, and Morristown’s Bryce Bryant, Grant Kessler and Dyllan Rutledge were all honored for their performances this season.

Joining them on the All-Conference list are North Decatur’s Nolan Burkhart and Reid Messer; Hauser’s Stryker Gill, Zayne McCanlis, Owen McIntyre and Nathan Worland; and South Decatur’s Brady Lane, Devin Pate and Avery Seegers.

Hauser and South Decatur shared the MHC title with 10-2 records. Morristown finished third at 7-5 with North Decatur (6-5), Waldron (5-7), Southwestern (3-8) and Edinburgh (0-12) trailing.

Hauser head coach Nate Long was named MHC Coach of the Year.

Nine more players were named All-Conference Honorable Mention. They were North Decatur’s James Evans and Brayden Hancock, Southwestern’s Caleb McCracken, Edinburgh’s Jared Myers and Jarrett Turner, Morristown’s Zach Noel, Hauser’s Holden Pittman and Simeon Wasil, and Waldron’s Donovan Russell.

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