Shelbyville softball has found a successful game plan grabbing early leads then trusting its defense and senior pitcher Cheyenne Eads to do the rest.
On Friday at Columbus East, the Golden Bears scored a pair of runs in the top of the first and added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to close out a busy week with a 7-2 victory.
Eads, a University of Indianapolis commit, improved to 8-3 this season in the circle with a 12-strikeout performance. She allowed three hits and one walk. She also had three hits including a solo home run in the fifth inning to help her team extend the lead over a potential sectional opponent to 4-0.
In the top of the first, Eads singled and Destiney Johnson walked before Anna Shearer delivered a two-run double off Columbus East starting pitcher Hermione Robinson for a quick lead.
In the third, Johnson and Kali Laycock produced back-to-back doubles for a 3-0 advantage.
Following Eads’ second home run of the season in the fifth, Johnson walked and stole second base. A pair of groundouts plated her for a 5-0 lead.
Addie Stieneker blasted her fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning that scored Addysyn Wettrick and countered the Olympians’ two-run fifth inning that cut into the lead. Stieneker has a team-high 19 RBI this season.
Shelbyville won four games this week by a combined score of 30-9 and pushed its win streak to six straight. On Monday, the Golden Bears travel to Class 3A, No. 10 Greensburg (9-0).
In other prep events:
Baseball
Triton Central 9, Eastern Hancock 7, 8 innings
At Charlottesville in game one of a doubleheader Saturday, the Class 2A, No. 6 Tigers scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to secure the victory.
Hayden May pitched the final two innings and kept the Royals scoreless to earn the win. Nick Riggins had four hits, including a pair of triples, and scored two runs.
Eastern Hancock 13, Triton Central 11
In game two, the Tigers took an early lead but could not slow down the Royals, who pinned the first loss of the season on Triton Central (9-1).
Colton Dishman earned the win for Eastern Hancock (4-8). Carson Borden had three hits and drove in two runs.
Brayden Hoover took the loss for Triton Central, pitching two innings and allowing seven hits and seven runs. Janssen Capps, Logan Plew and Eli Sego all pitched in relief.
May had four hits and drove in three runs.
The Tigers travel Monday to Morristown (3-5), who defeated Herron 16-3 Saturday.
Whiteland 8, Shelbyville 2
At Whiteland Friday, Kayden Wilson and Blake Lyle limited the visiting Golden Bears to six hits and struck out 11 to win the battle of potential sectional opponents.
Whiteland (7-3) scored two runs in the first and five more in the second to chase Shelbyville starting pitcher Luke Brinkman. Reece Prickett allowed just two hits, a walk and two runs in four solid innings of relief work.
Dalton Jones had four hits for Shelbyville (5-5), who host Franklin Central (5-7) Monday.
Hauser 10, Waldron 0
At Hauser Friday, Simeon Wasil scattered five hits and struck out nine Mohawks to complete the Mid-Hoosier Conference sweep for the Jets (6-5, 3-0 MHC).
Hauser used a 6-run fourth inning to break open a 3-0 game. Kameron Blair had three hits while Holden Pittman and Lukas Christian combined to drive in eight runs.
Jacob Bennett took the loss for Waldron (4-4, 0-2 MHC). The senior pitched into the fourth inning, allowing three hits, two walks and seven runs (four earned) before Hunter Dodson took the mound and completed the game.
Waldron hosts Purdue Polytechnic (1-6) Monday.
Southwestern 8, Morristown 1
The visiting Spartans scored runs in five of the seven innings Friday to split the MHC series with Morristown.
Isaac Bunch allowed two hits and struck out 10 Yellow Jackets in a complete-game performance.
Tucker Simmons had two hits and Ian Bunch drove in two runs to improve the Spartans to 1-4 (1-2 MHC). Southwestern hosts South Decatur (4-3, 1-0 MHC) Monday.
Morristown (3-5) hosts Class 2A, No. 6 Triton Central (9-1) Monday.
Boys golf
Triton Central 179, Jac-Cen-Del 198, Southwestern Inc.
At Timbergate Golf Course, Chase Chandler continued his strong start to the season with another medalist honor Friday. Chandler’s 42 bested the field.
Also competing for Triton Central were Cael Butler (43), Derreck Uhls (46), Garrett Eberhardt (48), Max Ray (48) and Taggy Goul (60).
Softball
Hauser 10, Waldron 0
Hauser senior Paige McDaniel extended her career wins and career strikeout records Friday against the Mohawks. McDaniel allowed just two hits and no runs while striking out 13 in six innings of work to improve the Jets to 4-3 (2-0 MHC).
McDaniel and Campbell each had two hits and drove in two runs.
Alyssa Benson allowed six hits and eight runs in four innings for Waldron (2-2, 0-2 MHC).
The Mohawks travel to South Decatur (1-3) Thursday.
Morristown 17, Irvington Prep 4
At Morristown, Nevaeh Cox had two hits including a grand slam to drive in five runs for the victorious Yellow Jackets (2-3). Madi Espich had three hits and drove in two runs.
Abby Hawk earned the win, allowing six hits and striking out six in five innings. The freshman also had two hits and drove in four runs.
Girls tennis
Shelbyville 4, Pendleton Heights 1
The Golden Bears swept the doubles matches and got strong performances from Renee Aldridge and Ava Muckerheide to secure their first Hoosier Heritage Conference win of the season.
At No. 1 doubles Friday, Sydney Baker and Sophie Asher defeated Addie Aldredge and Esper Fernandez, 6-0, 6-3.
Faye-Lynn Voss and Reese Fortune needed three sets to dispatch of Reagan Friedman and Maddie Dutton at No. 2 doubles, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Aldridge produced a 6-1, 6-3 win over Sarah Ghosh at No. 1 singles. Muckerheide bested Bella Ritchey at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-1.
Ella Connolly lost a three-set match at No. 3 singles to Carla Fargas, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Triton Central 5, Southwestern 0
Ellie Gast won a three-set match Friday at No. 1 singles to complete the sweep for the host Tigers (4-3).
Gast defeated Southwestern’s Ella Rice, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
At No. 2 singles, Anniston Evans bested Aurora Belton, 7-5, 4-0 (retired). Olivia Williams collected a win at No. 3 singles over Kelsey Stringer, 6-2, 6-4.
At No. 1 doubles, Audrey Canter and Lauren Grant topped Tori Burkhart and Tanna Tatlock, 6-1, 6-4.
Estelle Gearlds and Neve Kahler rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles over Lily DeSpain and Kate Coffman.
Waldron 5, Edinburgh 0
The Mohawks won all five matches in straight sets to stay unbeaten this season.
At No. 1 singles, Emerson Lindsey defeated Jessica Walsh, 6-3, 6-1. Emily Tyree and Riley Thursday followed suit with straight-set wins at No. 2 singles and No. 3 singles, respectively.
At No. 1 doubles, Audrey Berauer and Riley Price bested Lily Turner and Mia Dodson, 6-4, 6-4.
Kathrynn Ross and Jackie Corlette blanked Gracie Lawson and Bella Turner, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles.
On Saturday, Waldron improved to 5-0 with a sweep of Morristown which clinched the MHC title for the Mohawks (4-0 MHC).
Track and field
Shelbyville
Shelbyville split its squad to attend a meet Thursday at Whiteland and Friday at Warren Central.
On Thursday, individual event winners were Jaylen Eads (10 feet, six inches in pole vault), Isaac Zermeno (18.8 seconds in 110-meter hurdles) and Ellie Simpson (6:21.32 in 1,600).
Also scoring top-four finishes were John Turner (47.82 in 300 hurdles and 20.17 in 110 hurdles), Kamden Turner (8-0 in pole vault), and Avery Keller (6:49.62 in 1,600).
The quartet of Ella Johnson, Emily Tellez, Amanda Esquivel and Diana Gasca finished third in the 1,600 relay (4:55.42).
Kamden Turner joined with Logan Addis, Saul Alvarado and Eli Davis to place fourth in the 1,600 relay.
On Friday, Ethan Lambert produced Shelbyville’s top finish. The senior placed fourth in the discus with a best throw of 161-10.
Waldron
Braylon Williams won the discus throw Class B event Saturday at the Muncie Central Invitational with a best throw of 131-4. The Waldron senior also finished runner-up in the shot put (42-0).
Waldron’s 3,200 relay team of Sam Jones, Max Jones, Will Larrison and Mason Kuhn finished fourth in the Class B race in 9:44.05.
Luke Meyers also produced a top-5 finish in the discus throw (106-1).
The event featured 13 boys track and field teams. Waldron’s girls will compete in the Muncie Central Invitational on April 27.
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