Eels win fourth straight sectional championship

May 23—Two statistics, one that took place early and one that accrued throughout the game, were instrumental Thursday evening as second-ranked Clay City won its fourth straight high school softball sectional championship.

Before the game had reached its midpoint, the eighth and ninth hitters in the Clay City batting order had two RBI each, a nice boost for the Eels' offense.

And when Clay City's 8-0 victory over North Central was over, Eels pitcher Lizzie Sinders had thrown just 76 pitches in seven innings, even though she'd recorded 11 strikeouts.

"I don't think she's had more than three or five walks all year," said coach Jason Sinders. "There are times when maybe she should throw a few more balls, especially against good hitters, but she's been phenomenal all year, and the seniors have been phenomenal . . . you don't get [a class that goes undefeated in sectional play throughout high school] very often."

Clay City had the lead after just two batters, Lexi Thompson blasting a one-out solo homer in the top of the first. Caroline Rexrode had a two-out, two-run single (to the base of the wall) in the second and a throwing error converted a Hannah Harris double into a run in the third.

The game got out of hand in the fourth. Kam Rhodes hit a two-run single, Rexrode's second hit led to some aggressive baserunning and a third run, and Thompson hit a sacrifice fly.

Lizzie Sinders, during that time, was perfect. North Central didn't have a hit or a baserunner until Lilli Gaines' one-hit single up the middle in the fifth, and that was all the Thunderbirds got.

North Central's third pitcher, freshman Hayden Crooks, didn't allow the Eels to shorten the game, and the Thunderbirds' sadness after the game, coach Samantha Green indicated, was mostly because they didn't get to play any more this season, which had been a good one for them.

"From last season to this [the Thunderbirds] completely flipped what they had been doing," Green said after the game, mentioning some individual highlights by leadoff hitter and base stealer Shelby Seay and the pitching that earned senior Mykenzie Wence a scholarship to Oakland City.

"They came together as a team," Green added, "and when we had our bats going it was really good to see." North Central loses four seniors: Gaines, Wence, Brynn Varner and Emmy Woodruff.

Coach Sinders is just happy to see his team have another chance to chase a championship — the regional is Tuesday on the road — after the seniors were on a state runner-up team in 2021.

"They're very talented," the coach said, "and as they got older they kept getting better and their leadership kept getting better."

CLAY CITY (AB-R-H-RBI) — Sinders p 4-0-1-0, Thompson ss 1-1-1-2, Harris c 3-1-1-0, Mitchell 1b 4-0-1-0, Smith 3b 4-1-1-0, Shearer 2b 2-2-0-0, Stoelting lf 3-1-1-0, Patton ph 1-0-0-0, Rhodes dp-1b 3-0-1-2, Crabb cf-pr 0-1-0-0, Rexrode rf 3-1-2-2, Harrison rf 0-0-0-0. Totals 28-8-9-6.

NORTH CENTRAL (AB-R-H-RBI) — Seay ss 3-0-0-0, Woodruff cf 3-0-0-0, Wence p-1b 3-0-0-0, Varner 3b-p-2b 3-0-0-0, Gaines lf 2-0-1-0, Dreiman 1b-3b 2-0-0-0, Crooks 2b-p 2-0-0-0, Hall-Rehmel c 2-0-0-0, Wright dp 1-0-0-0, Flesher rf 0-0-0-0, Grabbe rf 1-0-0-0. Totals 22-0-1-0.

Clay City 121 400 0 — 8 North Central 000 000 0 — 0

E — Hall-Rehmel, Seay. LOB — CC 5, NC 1. 2B — Harris, Mitchell. HR — Thompson. SB — Shearer, Stoelting, Crabb. SF — Thompson.

Clay City IP H R ER BB SO

Sinders (W) 7 1 0 0 0 11

North Central IP H R ER BB SOWence (L) 3 4 4 3 2 2

Varner 1 3 4 4 1 0

Crooks 3 2 0 0 2 1

WP — Crooks 2. T — 1:31.

Next — Clay City (22-1) plays the winner of Sectional 58, still to be determined, on the road Tuesday. North Central finished 13-9.