Mt. Vernon head coach Veronica Kirby gives Easton Wampler a high-five during their Class 4A Sectional 9 championship game at Mt. Vernon High School last season.
FORTVILLE — There’s no place like home.
After dropping their season opener at Zionsville, 3-1, last week, the Mt. Vernon softball team bounced back Monday night and rediscovered its offense with a five-inning, 13-2 victory over visiting Pike.
The Marauders led their home opener, 13-0, after three innings and connected for 12 hits overall to improve their season record to 1-1.
A total of seven players logged at least one hit for Mt. Vernon, including five extra-base knocks.
Mya Fields, a junior, set the pace with a pair of doubles. She finished 2-for-3 with four RBI.
Easton Wampler, a sophomore, went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
Hayvin Turner, a junior, had a triple and finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Shelby Rakosky, a sophomore, was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
The pitching victory went to freshman ace Graci Hines, who threw a five-inning, three-hiter with one walk and 12 strikeouts. She surrendered two earned runs against 19 batters faced.
The Marauders posted a .462 batting average for the game with four batters lacing two or more hits.
Ainsley Baer (1-for-4), Drew Fithian and Alexis Beeler (1-for-2) each drove in one run apiece.
In their season opener last week, the Marauders were limited to two hits — one from Wampler and another by Rakosky.
Mt. Vernon will look to chase down its first road victory on Saturday when the team returns to the diamond to face host Indianapolis Lutheran at 11 a.m.
Royals win big over Tigers
The Eastern Hancock softball team secured its first victory of the season Tuesday night, winning at Triton Central, 17-1, in five innings.
The visiting Royals (1-0-1) led 7-0 before erupting for a 10-run top of the fifth to win by run rule.
Eastern Hancock logged 16 hits overall, including a double by Kaylee Stewart and a home run from Grace Stapleton.
Stapleton went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI. Stewart finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Kaylee Kline went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Taylor Koch had three RBI behind her 3-for-4 performance at the plate.
Sammie Bolding (1-for-3), Brooklyn Willis (1-for-4) and Caroline Stapleton (3-for-4) each had one RBI apiece. Stapleton added three stolen bases.
Tatem Adams earned the pitching victory, going 4.0 innings with two hits allowed, one walk and two strikeouts against 16 batters faced.
Madison Stephens pitched the final inning, walking one and striking out another while not allowing a hit.
The Royals travel to rival Knightstown today with the first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Baseball
Marauders drop season opener
The Mt. Vernon baseball team lost its season opener, 11-1, in five innings at Franklin Central on Monday night.
The Marauders’ lone run was driven in by Eli Bridenthal, who finished with an RBI.
Konnor Scheidt, Austin Hear and Nick Heitman each recorded one of the Marauders’ three hits. Heitman’s hit went for a double.
Franklin Central posted nine hits and pushed across eight earned runs, walking eight times and striking out thrice.
The Marauders (0-1) opened Hoosier Heritage Conference play on Tuesday at Delta and host the Eagles tonight at 6 p.m.
Cougars fall to Wapahani
The Greenfield-Central baseball team dropped to 1-1 on the season, losing to visiting Wapahani, 9-1, on Monday night.
The Raiders built a 7-0 lead after two innings and led 9-0 before the host Cougars broke up the shutout bid with a run scored in the bottom of the sixth.
Cougars’ Andrew Zellers, Elliott Thresh, Grant Shepherd and Karson Gantt each had one hit apiece during the team’s home opener.
Gantt drove in the Cougars’ run. Thresh and Zellers had a double each.
Greenfield-Central opened HHC play on Tuesday at home against New Castle. The two-game series concludes today at Shenandoah High School at 5:30 p.m.
Royals win season opener
The Eastern Hancock baseball team grabbed an early lead Tuesday night and held on to win its season opener, 4-3, over visiting Cambridge City Lincoln.
The host Royals (1-0) built a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and led 3-1 after three frames. Eastern Hancock added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to extend its advantage to 4-2.
Brayden Sullivan earned the win, pitching 3.0 innings with one hit allowed, four walks and six strikeouts.
Reed Hedrick threw 4.0 innings with three hits surrendered and two strikeouts. None of the Golden Eagles’ runs were earned.
The Royals’ four hits were recorded by Chase Stewart (1-for-3, double), Brandon Ridgway (1-for-4, RBI), Nash Hensley (1-for-2, RBI) and Griffin Brown (1-for-3, RBI). Sullivan helped his own cause with an RBI.
The Royals travel to Anderson Prep Academy today with the first pitch set for 5:30 p.m.
