Homers, gems and steals: Vote for IndyStar softball players of the week (May 6-11)

IndyStar will be recognizing the top softball players in Indiana with our players of the week poll.

Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon Friday.

Congratulations to Cascade's Tara Gruca on being voted Player of the Week for April 29-May 4! The junior infielder batted .526 with 10 hits, a homer, three RBIs and 12 runs scored. She was also perfect in the field on nine chances. Gruca’s week was highlighted in the first two games of the Twin Lakes Invite when she went 7-for-7.

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Emma Chism, Greenwood

Chism was 6-for-9 with six runs scored, seven RBIs, three doubles and a dinger over three games. She went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, three runs scored, a double and a homer to help beat Franklin, then capped her week with a two-double, three-RBI effort vs. Greenwood Christian. Chism is batting .571 on the year.

Bella Dittemore, Eminence

Dittemore tallied six hits, eight runs and five RBIs to help the Eels secure three wins last week. She also stole two bases, pitched 5.2 shutout innings (one hit and 11 strikeouts) and picked up a pair of assists in the field. The senior is batting .500.

Kylie Fish, Plainfield

Fish came up big in a two-game sweep of Mooresville. She doubled and homered with three RBIs and a run in game one, then went 4-for-4 with a triple in game two. The sophomore also had three putouts and an assist, and is batting .377 this season.

Lexi Hatmaker, East Central

The senior went hitless vs. Connersville, but tore through the remainder of the week, recording 11 hits, five runs and six RBIs over five games. She doubled twice in three of those games, and was 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 5-3 loss to Cathedral. Hatmaker is batting .585 with 24 RBIs and 16 doubles.

Emma Hiss, Columbia City

Hiss spun a three-hit shutout with 13 Ks and only one walk vs. East Noble. She fanned seven and allowed three earned runs in a loss to Leo, but came back with four strong innings vs. Central Noble which included five Ks and only two walks. The junior secured the win, improving her record to 8-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 117 strikeouts.

Cailyn Hurst, New Palestine

The sophomore pitched 15.2 shutout innings with zero walks across three appearances. She spun a three-hit shutout of Fishers (three strikeouts), a two-hit shutout of Munster (six strikeouts) and held Pendleton Heights to one hit over 1.2 innings in a 5-1 win. Opponents are batting .197 vs. Hurst, who boasts a 1.78 ERA.

Alex Kiemeyer, Hamilton Southeastern

Kiemeyer broke up a no-hitter with a solo homer vs. Westfield, her second dinger of the week. She finished the week with four hits in five at bats with a double and four RBIs. The senior catcher, who was 2-for-2 vs. Westfield, is batting .341 on the year.

Kylee Logan, Caston

The sophomore played a key role in a five-win week for the Comets. She notched 10 hits, nine runs and nine RBIs, with a 4-for-4 showing vs. LaVille (three runs, three RBIs), and had 28 putouts and three assists in the field. Logan is batting .391 this season with 27 RBIs, 23 runs and four homers.

Audrey Lowry, Tri-West

The senior Oklahoma commit was incredible, dazzling, dominant — all the superlatives Saturday. She pitched a perfect game vs. Linton-Stockton, striking out 20 of 21 batters faced. The Miners did not make contact until a fourth-inning foul and did not put a ball in play until a bunt attempt to lead off the seventh. How did Lowry follow the first seven-inning perfect game of her career? By spinning a two-hit shutout of Corydon Central with 20 strikeouts. Oh, she was also 3-for-3 at the plate vs. L-S with a grand slam, a sacrifice fly and five RBIs.

Izzy Neal, Brownsburg

Neal lifted the Bulldogs to a win over West Lafayette Harrison, going 3-for-5 at the dish with a couple doubles, a couple RBIs and three runs scored. She also swiped a base, then secured three more hits, four more runs and five more steals in wins over Lawrence North and Franklin Central over the next two nights. Neal is batting .421 and has stolen 23 bases.

Samantha Saalfrank, North Central

The junior went 11-for-19 with five doubles, 12 runs and a couple RBIs over six games last week. She had four hits, three runs and an RBI vs. Brebeuf, stole four bases on the week and was perfect on 21 chances in the field with a double play. Saalfrank is batting .462 this season.

Kristen Soots, Indian Creek

The freshman swiped seven bases in five games, and collected 10 hits, eight runs and an RBI at the dish as Indian Creek reeled off three straight wins, including a pair at the Johnson County tournament to reach the final opposite Center Grove.

Scarlette Tegtman, Crown Point

The sophomore helped the Bulldogs to four wins in five games, collecting nine hits, six runs and a couple RBIs. Her week was highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance vs. Kankakee Valley that included a couple runs and a couple RBIs, as well as a three-hit, two-run effort vs. New Palestine. Tegtman is batting .416 with 41 RBIs and 49 runs for Crown Point (20-5), which knocked off New Pal, 4-3, and went to extra innings vs. Lake Central (lost, 2-1).

Jadyn Tinsley, Franklin Central

Tinsley went yard in the Marion County championship game vs. Lawrence North, then went 3-for-4 with an RBI in an 11-10 win over Fishers. She also logged a putout and five assists on the infield. The junior is batting .429 with five homers, 18 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

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Brooklyn Willis, Eastern Hancock

The senior unleashed seven bombs last week, three of which came against Connersville in the Spartan Rumble championship game. Willis finished the four-game week batting .706 with 12 hits, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored. She’s batting .588 on the season with 40 hits, 37 runs, 35 RBIs, 10 doubles and 13 home runs.

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Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school softball players of week (May 6-11)