SOFTBALL: Zimpleman, Caston top Winamac 10-0 in six innings

May 8—FULTON — The Caston softball team won its 20th consecutive Hoosier North Athletic Conference game with a victory against Winamac on Tuesday.

It was another impressive performance as the Comets beat a good Warriors team 10-0 in six innings.

The Class 1A No. 8 Comets (13-4, 5-0 HNAC) haven't lost a conference game since the current seniors were freshmen when they lost to the 2021 Pioneer team that went on to win a Class 2A state title.

Addison Zimpleman held that outstanding Pioneer team to one run on three hits in three innings three years ago.

She continued her good work on the mound Tuesday, shutting out a Winamac team (12-7, 2-3) that entered averaging 8.8 runs per game.

Zimpleman allowed no runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

"Addison was on," Caston coach Jon Burks said. "First-pitch strikes have got to be there a little more but other than that she did come back. Defense worked real well. I'm really pleased with the defense. But Addison, she's just warming up. I think she'll find her groove here in the next few days and I think she's starting to feel it a little more. We've got all the trust in her as far as how far she's going to want to take us."

Isabel Scales hit an RBI double to right center to the Comets out to a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Comets took advantage of two Winamac errors to score five runs in the second. Macee Hinderlider had an RBI single and Kylee Logan had a two-run single. Natalie Warner added an RBI sac fly.

The Comets ended it early with four runs in the sixth. Warner had a two-run double followed by a walkoff two-run home run to left center by Scales, her fourth of the season.

Warner went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Scales had a home run, double and three RBIs. Hinderlider and Myli Rude had two hits apiece. Zimpleman, Logan and Annie Harsh each added a hit.

Burks said he has yet to settle on a lineup but added he was happy to see the Comets hit up and down the order on Tuesday.

"I'm really liking what I've seen in the last couple days," he said. "Myli had a couple nice hits. That's what we have to do. We have to get that bottom to roll that top and be productive down there. Tonight and last night [against LaVille] we were productive in that lineup."

The Warriors were playing without one of their top players, Maggie Smith, who was competing at the HNAC track meet.

Lauren Bruce led them at the plate going 2-for-3. Makayla Werner, Corrin Combs, Brody Goodman, Brooke Rausch and Isabelle Decker each added a hit.

Rausch, a sophomore righthander, took the loss to fall to 3-7 with a 3.72 ERA. Freshman Adrianna Hall is 8-0 with a 2.20 ERA for the Warriors.

Winamac coach Jenny Belcher said Rausch and Hall give the Warriors two good options on the mound.

"They rotate a lot. We like to put the ball in both of their hands," she said. "We'll probably use Brooke a little bit more when we're going against a little bit tougher competition. She just seems to have a little bit more movement, a little bit more finesse, so we go with her a little bit more often. But Adrianna and Brooke have both been doing a heck of a job for us, especially considering we're putting a freshman and a sophomore in the circle every night."

The Warriors entered having won seven of their last eight which included wins over Kokomo and Delphi at the Delphi Tournament last weekend.

"We've been playing really well. I've been really pleased with our team," Belcher said. "We've done really well the past couple weeks, had a really good weekend over at the Delphi Tournament. Tonight is not the norm for us. That's good that it's not the norm, but we've got to figure out how to throw this one away, learn from it and move on. Hopefully we can get that done."

The Comets travel to Triton Thursday and to Class 2A No. 9 Pioneer Tuesday for a chance to run the table in HNAC play for a third straight season.

The defending Class 1A state runner-up Comets have a special senior class that includes Zimpleman on the mound.

"She throws well. She seems to have good control. She seems to not back down," Belcher said. "She likes to go right at batters. It's probably more I think of her attitude and her approach to it probably more than the pitching itself. She just very much wants to be in control, wants the ball and wants to get the job done."