GREENFIELD — After their two-game Hoosier Heritage Conference baseball series, New Palestine’s and Greenfield-Central’s roles have reversed.
With a 4-1 victory at Greenfield-Central’s Molinder Field Wednesday, the Dragons have jumped over the Cougars into first place.
Junior Rigg Mahurin struck out 10, and the Dragons got their second complete game performance on the mound in as many nights to improve their HHC record to 6-2. Greenfield-Central dropped to 5-3.
Coming into this week’s conference games, Greenfield-Central was 5-1 and had a one-game lead over New Palestine, Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights.
Mt. Vernon beat Pendleton Heights Wednesday and the two play again Thursday in Pendleton.
New Palestine has a one-half game lead over Mt. Vernon (5-2), a one-game lead over Greenfield-Central and 1.5 game advantage on the Arabians. The conference season includes 14 games, two games against each school.
“I don’t know if we were on top of our game offensively (Wednesday), but it’s nice to get a sweep against a really good Greenfield team,” New Palestine coach Shawn Lyons said. “We know (G-C ace Parker Rhodes) didn’t throw in the series, so things could be different if we meet them again, but we had a good pitching performance from Michael Thorpe (Tuesday) and Rigg (Wednesday). He threw 73 percent strikes.
Mahurin gave up five hits, two came in the first inning when Greenfield-Central scored its only run. Thorpe fanned 11 on Tuesday.
“Our pitching has been pretty strong for us,” Lyons added.
G-C coach Mitch Gibson said he expects Rhodes to throw in next week’s conference series. He sat out this week’s series for precautionary reasons with some leg soreness. Combined with the cold weather, the coach thought it was best for the long term to hold Rhodes out this week.
The junior right-hander, who has committed to Xavier University, is 2-1 on the season with a 1.94 earned run average. He has struck out 40 in 18 innings pitched.
The Cougars were also missing home run and RBI-leader Kyle Oden, who was out sick.
“We’ve got to get back in the hitting lab,” coach Gibson said after Wednesday’s loss. “We’ve got to start having more one-on-one approach talks with our guys. Striking out (10) times (Wednesday) and 11 (Tuesday), you can’t strike out that many times and expect to win a ballgame.”
New Palestine had its struggles on offense, too, leaving 11 runners on base, but the Dragons were able to put one run across in the first, third, fourth and seventh innings.
The Dragons scored their first time up. Nic Deering was hit by a pitch and came around to score following a Jacob Morris single, a wild pitch and a Jackson Kamp ground out. The Dragons left the bases loaded.
Greenfield-Central evened it with one run in the bottom half. Lefty Mahurin struck out the side, but the Cougars got Brady Johnson on base with a hit batsman. He scored after singles by Zander Cobb and starting pitcher Gavin Markus.
The Dragons took a 2-1 lead with a run in the third. Deering and Morris opened the third inning with singles, both moved up a base on a wild pitch. Deering scored on a Mahurin sacrifice fly to rightfield.
In the fourth, the Dragons extended their lead to 3-1. Gavin Neal reached on a one-out bunt single. After a walk to Henry Thorpe, Adam Rickey hit a liner to centerfield that bounced off the glove of a diving Kirk Knecht, Neal was able to score from second base.
“(Rickey) got a big hit to left-centerfield and Gavin Neal putting a bunt down, it put pressure on them,” Lyons said. “We’ve got to try to put pressure on defenses.”
In the seventh, the Dragons added an insurance run with the help of two Greenfield-Central errors. With one out, Mahurin reached on a dropped pop fly. Wyatt Matheis’s ground ball was fielded cleanly but an errant throw attempting to force the runner at second gave the Dragons runners at first and second. Ben Hirschy singled to centerfield to score courtesy runner Trase Quillen.
Mahurin gave up a two-out single to Dylan Luther in the sixth. After Luther stole second, Mahurin got the third out on a infield pop out. In the seventh, after a leadoff walk to Karson Gantt, Mahurin retired the next three batters.
“It was a real big (series),” Mahurin said. “Now we’re in the lead and have almost full control of the conference.”
On Friday, New Palestine hosts East Central and will also honor its 2004 state championship team. After a Monday home game against Warren Central, the Dragons take on Delta for their Tuesday-Wednesday HHC series.
Greenfield-Central hosts North Central Monday before next week’s conference series with Pendleton Heights.
“I think it’s good, for multiple reasons,” Gibson said of the recent setbacks to his young team. “One, it’s a good learning experience, and No. 2, I believe every team that has a successful finish to the postseason has adversity.
“We’re going through some adversity right now, injuries, some kids sick and just being on the go-go-go … For me, it’s more about here’s what we’re about, here’s what we’re going to do and here’s how we are going to handle ourselves. Guys are buying in. With being young, we’ve got to keep reminding them, because at some point it’s going to click and we’re going to be dangerous.”
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New Palestine 4, Greenfield-Central 1
New Palestine (12-2, 6-2);101;100;0;—;4;7;0
Greenfield-Central (7-5, 5-3);100;000;0;—;1;5;2
Rigg Mahurin and Jackson Kamp; Gavin Markus, Kaden Snodgrass (5) and Karson Gantt. 2B: G-C – Zander Cobb. WP: Mahurin (2-1). LP: Markus (1-2).
