PREP ROUNDUP: Caston rolls past North White at sectional
May 23—The Caston baseball team stayed hot with an 11-1 win in five innings over North White at the Class 1A North White Sectional on Wednesday.
The Comets (13-10) have won eight of nine with the only loss coming against No. 1 Lafayette Central Catholic two nights before the sectional while pitching a pair of freshmen. North White finishes 5-11.
Pete DuVall was once again in command for the Comets. The senior righthander allowed one run on and three walks with seven strikeouts in the five-inning game.
The Comets needed just six hits to score 11 runs as they took advantage of 12 North White walks by three different pitchers.
It was a 2-1 game when the Comets exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fourth and five more in the fifth to end it early.
The Comets got on the board in the first when Lance Hanna stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
The Comets added another run in the third when Hanna stole home on a play Gavin Mollenkopf was caught stealing at second.
The Vikings got on the board in the fourth on an error to make it 2-1.
The Comets broke the game open in the fourth which included a bases loaded clearing triple by Gavin Mollenkopf that made it a 6-1 game.
The Vikings' wildness caught up to them in the fifth before the game ended on a walkoff single by Noah Herd that scored Talon Zeider for the 11th run.
Hanna, Mollenkopf, Herd, Caleb Stinson, Eli Holloway and Edison Byrum each had a hit for Caston.
Southwood beat Northfield 2-1 in the earlier semifinal.
Caston plays Southwood (7-18) at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by North Miami (6-16) vs. West Central (7-8). The final is at 1 p.m. Monday.
BREMEN 6, PIONEER 4
Defending sectional champion Bremen was again the stopper for Pioneer at the Class 2A Wabash Sectional.
The game saw the end of the career of Pioneer senior standout Brayden Erickson (4-2), who finishes the season with a 1.24 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched while also hitting .437 with five home runs and 24 RBIs.
Erickson allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks with nine strikeouts in five innings. Noah Miller allowed one run on two hits and one walk in one inning.
The Panthers (10-14) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI double by freshman Brodie Howard.
The Lions (11-11) had a four-run fourth to take the lead. Aden Hunziker hit a three-run triple to give them a 3-1 lead. They added a fourth run on an error.
The Panthers came back to tie it in the fifth. Erickson hit a two-run single. Lucas Perry hit a sac fly to score Erickson to tie it at 4.
The Lions drew a one-out walk in the fifth and Hunziker hit a two-out RBI single to give them the lead.
They added a run in the sixth on a two-out RBI infield single.
Lane Weldy added a double for Pioneer. Perry, Miller, Drew McKaig and Eli Guffey each added a single.
Bremen advanced to play Rochester at 1 p.m. Saturday.
BENTON CENTRAL 8, CASS 3, 10 INNINGS
The game was tied 1-1 after nine innings before Benton Central pulled away in the 10th at the Class 2A Delphi Sectional. The game didn't end until 11:30 p.m.
Cass junior Brody Williams held the Bison to one run on seven hits and two walks in nine innings, striking out eight.
But three Kings relievers struggled with wildness in the 10th, combining for four walks and two hit by pitches while allowing three hits and seven runs.
Wade Tocco led the Kings at the plate going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Nolan Hahn and Julian Davidson added two hits apiece. Owen Cotner-Graves had a single and two runs scored.
The Bison took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI double in the first.
The Kings tied it in the bottom of the sixth on Tocco's two-out RBI single to center that scored Cotner-Graves.
Benton Central (13-13) advanced to face Clinton Prairie in a semifinal. Clinton Prairie knocked off Carroll 9-8 Wednesday. Cass finishes 4-16.
NORTH JUDSON 6, WINAMAC 5
Winamac completed a conference sweep of North Judson with a 5-0 win on the road last Friday but fell in the rematch Wednesday at the Class 2A North Judson Sectional.
Freshman Cody Wheeler did most of the work on the mound in the shutout victory last week.
Junior Brody Wenzler got the ball Wednesday and allowed six runs (one earned) on three hits and five walks in four-plus innings, striking out eight. Addison Allen pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
John Malchow hit a grand slam that gave the Warriors a 5-1 lead in the top of the third.
But the Bluejays answered with two runs in the third and two more in the fourth to tie it and one more in the fifth to take the lead for good. The game-winning run scored on a two-out error. Winamac finished with three errors in the game.
Wyatt Wheeler had an RBI single in the first for Winamac. He finished with two hits. Wenzler and Maddox Bucinski each added a double. Allen added a single.
Caleb Ginder allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and six walks with 13 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for North Judson. Trey McGowen got the final two outs for the save.
North Judson (12-10) advanced to face Wheeler in a semifinal Saturday. Winamac finishes 10-10.
