BEDFORD — New Palestine got all the runs it needed Saturday to advance to the Class 4A South Semi-State softball championship game against No. 5 Center Grove tonight.
For insurance, the Dragons’ fourth-ranked softball team added four more today in the resumption of Saturday’s suspended semifinal game against Avon (19-10) to earn a 6-0 victory over the Orioles at Bedford North Lawrence High School.
At 7 p.m., New Palestine (25-4) will take on Center Grove (25-6) for the semi-state championship and spot in the Class 4A state title game.
“We’re going to take the momentum today and hopefully carry it into tonight,” New Palestine head coach Ed Marcum said. “I’m excited for the opportunity. As I told them, we haven’t won anything yet. We won an opportunity to win something. That was the same talk I gave them in the sectional after we beat Pendleton Heights (in the semifinal).”
The Trojans have won 15 straight since losing 14-9 to the Dragons on April 24. They earned a spot with a 6-5 win over Castle on Saturday, the first of two scheduled semifinal games. New Palestine got two innings in against Avon and led 2-0 before the game was suspended due to rain.
The resumption couldn’t have got off to a better start.
Sydney Oliver reached on a fielder’s choice and, with two outs, Maddie Engle drove a pitch over the center field fence for a two-run home run and 4-0 Dragon lead. It was Engle’s eighth home run of the season.
On Saturday, New Palestine got out to a 2-0 lead before the game was stopped.
In the first, Jersi Gross and Allie Blum reached on walks. Oliver followed with a two-run double to right-center field.
New Palestine pitcher Courtney Study got out of trouble in the bottom of the second. There were two Avon hits and two walks, but no runs.
Lylah DeArmond got a one-out infield single on a liner off third baseman Paige Ernstes’ glove. Shortstop Blum picked the ball up in foul territory and threw DeArmond out trying to stretch the hit into a double. The two walks and another single came after two outs. The inning ended on a fly out to Ella Holman in left field.
Study was strong in her five innings on Monday. Overall, she threw a three-hitter — with only one hit on Monday — and struck out four. She retired the final nine faced and 15 of 16 in the last five frames.
Leading 4-0, New Palestine got its third two-run hit of the game.
In the seventh, Gross drew a one-out walk. Blum hit a deep fly ball to center field. It bounced off the center fielder’s glove to the top of the fence and then over for a two-run home run. It was her state-best 20th home run of the season.
“Maddie coming out today and hitting that in the first inning, that was a laser shot. My only question was it going to be high enough,” Marcum said. “That helped us and then we kind of eased up a bit, so Allie’s in the last inning was big. I felt like if we could get Ella or Jersi on Allie was going to do something positive. Their center fielder made a great attempt on it.”
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New Palestine 6, Avon 0
New Palestine (25-4);202;000;2; —;6;6;0
Avon (19-10);000;000;0;—;0;3;0
Courtney Study and Reese Rosenbaum; Madeline Herman, Addie Forst (4) and Lylah DeArmond. 2B: NP – Sydney Oliver, Paige Ernstes. HR: NP – Maddie Engle (8), Allie Blum (20). WP: Study (16-2). LP: Herman (6-6).
