Prep roundup for Wednesday, May 19: Cass wins girls T&F sectional
May 19—For the first since 1992, Lewis Cass' girls track and field team is a sectional champion.
Cass topped Western in a down-to-the-wire battle to win the Western Sectional on Tuesday. The Kings finished with a score of 102 and the Panthers finished with 99 1/2.
Western held a slim lead, 93 1/2 to 87, with only shot put remaining — but that is one of Cass' strongest events, especially with senior Averi Parker.
The two-time state qualifier and Hillsdale College recruit delivered as expected, winning with an impressive put of 44 feet, and freshman teammate Haley Miller also came through in a big way. Miller took fourth with a put of 32-9. Western's Haley Scott was third with a put of 33-10 — but Parker and Miller combined to score 15 points to Scott's six points and that difference lifted the Kings to the title.
Kokomo finished in third place in the 13-team field with 70 points. The rest of the standings showed Northwestern (61), Taylor (44), Logansport (42.5), Pioneer (37.5), Madison-Grant (35), Maconaquah (32), Peru (30.5), Eastern (30), Tipton (28) and Tri-Central (10).
Parker also won the discus competition with a throw of 136-10. Also for Cass, Liberty Scott won the 300-meter hurdles (:48.22) and was second in the 100 hurdles. In addition, Scott teamed with Jackie Wise, Mackenzie Dockery and Kendal Johnson to win the 4x400 relay (4:18.71). Cass had second-place finishes in both the 4x800 and 4x100 relays.
Cass and Western set the stage for their battle with a razor-tight finish in the meet's opening event, the 4x800. Western won in a time of 10:31.41 and Cass was second in 10:31.69.
Western's Madison Parr, Kourtney Lechner, Destiny Herr and Lauren Bradley teamed to win the 4x800 relay. Also for the Panthers, Chase Hayes sprinted to wins in the 100 dash (:13.14) and 400 dash (1:00.73). For good measure, she was runner-up in the 800 run.
Third-place Kokomo had wins from Julynne Spidell in the 3,200 run (11:54.73) and from the 4x100 relay team of Omarea Daniels, Mia Castillo, Brita Peerna and Keihera Lang (:52.82). Spidell added a runner-up finish in the 1,600.
Double winner Hannah Moore led Northwestern. She won the 1,600 run (5:15.78) and 800 run (2:27.61). The Tigers also won three field events with Lexi Hale winning the high jump (5-0), Joan Easter finishing first in long jump (16-11 3/4) and Catie Smith winning pole vault (9-6).
Taylor's Makala Pfefferkorn won the 100 hurdles (:15.83) and was second in both 300 hurdles and long jump. Sydnie Boley was third in the 100 and second in the 200.
Individuals and relay teams who had top-three finishes advance to the Goshen Regional.
SOFTBALL
EASTERN 20, CARROLL 3, 5 INN.
Eastern clinched the outright championship of the Hoosier Heartland Conference by rolling Carroll for Eastern's second straight title. The Class 2A No. 4-ranked Comets scored 10 runs in the first inning and at least two runs in every inning after that to end the game early.
Macy Coan led the offensive assault with two doubles and a triple. Cassidy Keene had a single and a triple. Hope Smith and Berenice Mendoza each had a single and double. And Laynie Ayres had two singles. Keene knocked in three runs while Smith, Coan, Mendoza, Emily Belt, Kendall Wilson, Allison Delgado and Emily Benson each had two.
Delgado earned the win by throwing four innings of relief after Eastern's starting pitcher was injured. Delgado gave up two hits, a walk, no earned runs and had seven strikeouts.
"[Tuesday] night was an important night as we had two girls go down with minor injuries early and we had to change course in the second inning," Eastern coach Steve Bratcher said. "Allison did a great job with little notice and really came in to close the game out.
"Winning conference was a goal we had at the beginning of the season and we dropped a game [in the HHC] early this season to Clinton Prairie, but we stayed focused and earned the right to win the championship outright. That's a testament to our girls, their focus, and their understanding that we just have to go 1-0 each day we play."
ELWOOD 4, NW 1
Northwestern led 1-0 through six innings but Elwood broke loose for a four-run frame in the top of the fourth to down the Class 3A No. 4 Purple Tigers.
"We really couldn't string any hits together," NW coach Chris Walker said. "They had a triple with bases loaded in the seventh."
Elwood (16-6) has won seven in a row. Northwestern fell to 19-5.
Ellie Boyer had two doubles to lead the Northwestern offense and Jaylyn Harrison had two singles. Harrison pitched all seven innings and took the loss.
MAC 9, TAYLOR 1
Maconaquah improved to 10-12 with the victory. Taylor fell to 5-15.
"Not the outcome we wanted," Taylor coach Robert McGuire said. "We knew going into the game, after losing Maci Pyle for the rest of the year because of an injury, it was going to be a test to see where we are as a team. When one goes down, it should always be next man up, so we need to shake this one off and start putting into practice what we have worked on all year long."
BASEBALL
KOKOMO 11, TWIN LAKES 1, 6 INN.
Kokomo (9-17) had a 4-0 lead after two innings and scored in five of the six frames, putting the game away early with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Kokomo's pitchers were in command. Mason Keller pitched five innings for the win. He gave up just two hits, three walks and an unearned run with six strikeouts. Ashton Sexton threw a no-hit inning with a strikeout.
No. 9 hitter Preston Sanford led the Wildkat offense, going 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs. John Curl was 2 for 3 with two RBI. Cooper Hansen was 2 for 4. Sanford, Curl, Caydan Belt and Hansen each had a double.
EASTERN 2, CARROLL 1
The Comets upset the Class 2A No. 5-ranked Cougars in a Hoosier Heartland Conference game at Flora.
Owen Taylor and Levi Mavrick pitched for the Comets. Taylor started and worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run. He struck out seven and walked six. Mavrick slammed the door shut for the save. He pitched 1 1/3 innings and did not allow a hit or run. He struck out two.
"What an outstanding performance by junior right-handed pitcher Owen Taylor," Eastern coach Erik Hisner said. "He had great command of two pitches and was an absolute bulldog on the mound."
Carroll pitcher Will Eldridge took the hard-luck loss. He pitched all seven innings, allowed just one hit, struck out nine and walked four. Both of Eastern's runs were unearned.
"Offensively, we faced one of the area's best pitchers and put together some good at-bats," Hisner said. "We were able to manufacture two runs in the third inning, and our pitching and defense made it stand up. This was a great win. I'm really proud of our guys."
In the third inning, Zane Downing and Cayden Calloway scored on Eldridge's throwing error.
Bryson Russell had Eastern's lone hit. Clay Metzger had two hits for Carroll.
The Cougars (20-3, 13-2 HHC) visit the Comets (17-8, 8-7) today to conclude the home-and-home series.
NW 5, WABASH 3
A.J. Burkhalter and Eastin Whaley pitched the Tigers to the road win.
Burkhalter earned the win after starting and working five innings. He allowed three hits and two runs (one earned). He struck out nine and walked five. Whaley pitched the final two innings to earn the save. He allowed two hits and one run with one strikeout and one walk.
"A.J. gave us a great start and I thought Eastin Whaley, in a big moment for him being a freshman and being put in a tight game, pitched well," Northwestern coach Ryan Ward said.
At the plate, Cole Wise led the Tigers, going 2 for 2 with a double. Burkhalter was 2 for 4 with an RBI double and Tate Mullens had a triple.
"Offensively, even when we lost the last couple games, I think we've been doing much better," Ward said.
LCC 7, CASS 0
Bryce McCammon combined with three relievers to pitch a four-hit shutout for Class 2A No. 3 Lafayette Central Catholic (22-4) against visiting Cass (6-12).
Kaine Fowler allowed three runs on two hits and three walks in 1/3 of an inning to take the loss. Robert Fitch III allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks, striking out five in 5 1/3 innings of relief.
David Woolever, Tyson Good, Nate Moss and Wyatt Orpurt each had a hit for Cass.
BOYS GOLF
CASS 178, PERU 187
Cass' scoring four recorded rounds within five strokes of each other to down Peru in a match at Rock Hollow. Mason Hahn led the Kings with a 42, followed by Blake Brown (43), Jaden Younts (46), and Rowdy Frey (47).
Kash Bellar led the Bengals with a 38 to grab medalist honors. Also for the Bengals, Jake Van Baalen shot 46, Reese Smith shot 51 and Riley Smith 52.
TIPTON WINS 3-WAY
Tipton posted a score of 157 to beat Hamilton Heights (178) and Lapel (185) in a three-team match at Tipton Municipal.
The Blue Devils showed great balance. Maverick Conaway was medalist with a 2-over 37, Gavin Hare shot 38, Mylan Swan shot 39 and Nolan Swan rounded out the team score with a 43.
"It was a nice night," Tipton coach Kenny Day said. "It was our senior night. We honored Mylan Swan. He's the only senior in our top five. It was a good night all around."
