Illiana Christian wins second straight 2A title with win over Covenant Christian
A well-struck ball hit directly at a defender rarely results in a positive play and Covenant Christian learned that the hard way during Friday's Class 2A state title game against defending champion Illiana Christian.
The Warriors made solid contact on Vikings starter Kevin Corcoran Jr.'s pitches, but few balls found the outfield grass. None of their six hits went for extra bases, making it difficult to produce runs.
Corcoran stayed around the strike zone, walking just one batter. The Vikings capitalized on Covenant's miscues and hit just enough to earn a 3-0 win over the Warriors.
Corcoran went the distance, striking out eight. Covenant (16-16) starter Ethan Kimmerle also went the distance, striking out nine and allowing one earned run. The win gives Illiana Christian (25-9) two straight Class 2A titles.
"Corcoran was pretty dominant tonight," Kimmerle said. "He did a great job staying in the strike zone and being able to compete against every hitter. I think a big part of it was their defense. Their defense played a very good game. We had a ton of barreled balls out to the outfield, they were just making plays."
The Vikings didn't need to barrel balls to take the lead. Cody DeJong led off the fourth with a single. Tanner Post followed with a single to right. The ball bounced in front of right fielder Gavin Tindall and rolled to the warning track, allowing DeJong to score and Post to advance to third. Post came home on a ground out. DeJong scored Illiana's final run on a delayed steal in the sixth.
Covenant left five runners on base, one in scoring position. Corcoran picked off runners at first and second in the third and fourth innings, respectively, squashing Covenant's chances at scoring. Kimmerle led the offense with two hits. Nolan Jones, Brad Nardi and Jameson Laughlin had one hit each.
As a 2A school, the Warriors play a tough schedule filled with 3A and 4A schools. A losing skid midway through the season brought Covenant's record to 7-14. Despite their struggles. No one within the program gave up hope on making a postseason run, and the Warriors answered the call game after game during the postseason.
Standing on Victory Field after the game, Covenant coach Chris Stevenson chose to focus on the winding journey it took to reach the championship game and not its final score.
"I don't think there's a lot of sense in reflecting on the loss here today," Stevenson said. "We're gonna go out and celebrate the season that we had. I'm proud of the boys and the work that they put in all year. The message is gonna be get back to work and get back down here next year.
"It's certainly a special thing to be here at Victory field at the state championship game. That's something that I can't ever take away from those boys. The foundation had already been laid, they built on it, and we just want to keep it going with the program."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school baseball: Illiana Christian wins 2A title over Covenant Christian
