After months of uncertainty, Riley Henson is back and 'a game changer' for Center Grove.

GREENWOOD — At some point before Friday's game vs. Pendleton Heights, Center Grove senior Riley Henson sought advice from teammate Sydney Herrmann.

Should I tell coach I want to pitch two innings tonight?

"If you want to, go for it," the junior infielder replied.

Let's go.

An Indiana State commit and one of the area's best pitchers, Henson had been shelved with an elbow injury (and the subsequent offseason surgery) since last April. Though cleared to throw up to 80 pitches per appearance, the southpaw wasn't entirely comfortable with going all-in right away, so she's easing into her return. A one-inning limit in March, two innings in April, then by May they "really start dancing with what she has."

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Patience and communication have been of the utmost importance during Henson's recovery, so when she approached coach Alyssa Coleman about working an extra inning a few days ahead of schedule: "I loved it. Riley told me 'it's feeling good, so let's see.'"

Entering an inning earlier than planned thrust Henson directly into a high-leverage situation: A 6-6 tie in the top of the sixth with three of Pendleton Heights' biggest bats due up.

Henson surrendered her first hit of the season to lead-off the sixth, then retired the next three in order, including a strikeout of Skylar Baldwin who'd already homered twice. She returned to the circle for the seventh and following a hit-by-pitch, the lefty struck out the side to preserve the tie and set up Herrmann for the walk-off winner.

Thirty-seven pitches over two shutout innings, with a hit and five strikeouts for the game; six innings pitched, no runs, one hit, 11 strikeouts and a walk through five appearances this season.

Riley Henson is back — getting there, at least — and it's great to see.

"(My arm) feels pretty good," said Henson, who is 24-7 with a 2.17 ERA and 370 strikeouts in three-plus varsity seasons. "I mean, my arm's still there, so we're doing good."

Henson's senior season was preceded by months of uncertainty.

Herrmann cringed as her friend described the gnarly symptoms she pitched through last spring, later recalling photos Henson sent after games of her inexplicably bruised elbow and the "giant bulge" that she could pull away from her elbow.

Henson was initially reluctant to tell the CG coaches, determined to pitch through the discomfort instead. But something was clearly off. She wasn't as sharp with hitting her spots, Coleman said, an unusual development by a player who struck out 246 and walked only 33 as a sophomore.

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Following a particularly rocky outing against Avon on April 20 (10 runs on 14 hits, both career-highs), Henson knew it was time to see a doctor. "I was like, 'Yeah, I'm done," she said. "(The pain) was bad."

Those initial doctor visits yielded little clarity on Henson's situation. In fact, it took 4-5 months before they even figured out what was going on, then it wasn't until late August that she underwent surgery — a "more in-depth" form of Tommy John surgery, as she described it. Henson's ulnar nerve was damaged, so doctors moved it to the top of her arm instead of running it along the bottom; they placed an internal splint for her ulnar collateral ligament, which was stretched out and partially torn; and they also worked on her tricep, which had grown abnormally.

“It was a lot of stress mentally," said Henson, who was in regular communication with her Indiana State coaches, travel coaches and parents, making sure everyone was on the same page. "I was scared, but I was like, I can get through this. It's not the end of the world."

Doctors told Henson she wouldn't be fully back for another year and likely wouldn't pitch at all this spring. But the senior's recovery was jump-started when, after spending two months in a cast, it was discovered she already had full mobility. Henson was able to focus on strengthening as she gradually got back to pitching, eventually building toward three workouts per week.

There was a lot of uncertainty, Herrmann said, but when they heard Henson got a positive evaluation following a recent doctor's appointment: "I was like, she’s coming back. She’s got this. I have full faith in her.”

Seven months after surgery…

"I'm back, kind of. We'll see," laughed Henson, adding she's been working on her fastball and pitching inside.

"It's really a game-changer," Herrmann said of Henson's return. "She's all around just that girl. She comes in and throws that heat after our (starters) … and gives us that last-inning boost."

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Watching Henson pitch Friday — two scoreless innings against one of the state's best teams — confirmed what her statistics against similarly daunting opponents have suggested: She's still really stinkin' good.

"She looks like she never left," Coleman said.

"Riley's awesome. She trusts herself and she knows she has her defense behind her," Coleman continued. "And man, it just makes me smile. Seeing her be happy out there is all you can ask for."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Center Grove softball ace Riley Henson back from serious elbow injury