Madison-Grant runs past Elwood for fourth-straight sectional title
May 23—FAIRMOUNT — A Cinderella run vs. a three-time champion. That was the scene in Thursday's Sectional 39 championship game at Madison-Grant Junior/ Senior High School.
After five innings, it was Madison-Grant who surrounded home plate and pulled sectional champion shirts from a box after defeating Elwood 12-0 for the Argylls' fourth-straight sectional title.
"It's the kids," Madison-Grant coach Travis Havens said. "We've had a lot of good players, and we still have a lot of good players. ... This stuff doesn't just happen. (My assistant coaches) have a passion for (the game) and Madison-Grant."
Madison-Grant struck first, grabbing two runs — on an Elwood error and an RBI groundout — in the bottom of the first.
After the initial scores, both defenses settled in for the next few innings. Even though hits were not an issue for either team, moving the baserunners became difficult. However, the Argylls found the spark they needed.
In the bottom of the third, the Argylls loaded the bases. After Madison-Grant sophomore Patricia VanMatre drew a run-scoring walk, the floodgate was opened as the Argylls scored five runs in the inning to take a 7-0 lead.
"If you don't play that way, you're not going to win in a tournament," Havens said. "If you get to this point, all of the teams (you play) are going to be good."
In the following inning, Madison-Grant added four more runs to its total after Elwood (10-18) committed multiple errors and the Argylls (20-9) continued to hit the ball. The Argylls finished the victory with eight hits while the Panthers had six.
"We're just a strong team," Argylls freshman starting pitcher Olivia Dunham said. "We know what we have to do to win."
In the circle, Dunham pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and recording two strikeouts. Junior McKenna Craig finished the game, only giving up one hit.
At the plate, Madison-Grant senior Maddy Moore and junior Demie Havens each had two hits. Moore has been a part of every sectional title and was excited to do it again in her final season.
"We started rough (in the beginning of the season)," Moore said. "The improvement we showed makes this team special."
The Argylls will move on to and face Lapel — which defeated Alexandria 4-2 — in the regional championship on the road Tuesday at 6 p.m. Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs defeated Madison-Grant 9-3 on May 1.
"(Lapel) earned that (sectional title)," Havens said. "They put it on us, so we'll have to play well to win."
Contact Zach Carter at zach.carter@heraldbulletin.com
