NEW PALESTINE
Indian Creek couldn’t seem to find the big hit during Thursday’s Class 3A sectional championship game.
Against top-ranked New Palestine, that proved costly.
The Braves got hits in each of the first four innings but never strung any together, failing to bring home a run. They saw their season end for the second straight year to the host Dragons, by the same 11-0 score as a year ago.
“Keep your heads up,” Indian Creek coach Gary Mitchell said he told his team after the game. “You guys showed up here to play, gave it all you had, played one of the best teams in the state, made some dynamic plays out in the field defensively. We just couldn’t put the hits together.”
The Braves got two hits each from senior Michaela Denney and junior Jozie Farris, who each were a perfect 2 for 2 at the plate. That was all the offense Indian Creek could muster, though.
“We challenged them that during the offseason, don’t put your gear away,” Mitchell said. “What’s challenged us all year is hitting. We’ve got to hit better. The whole coaching staff challenged them to get their sticks and work on it during the offseason. That’s what we’ve got to do. That’s going to be the difference maker for next year. We’ve got to hit better than we did this year.”
The Braves were within a few timely hits of the Dragons until the fourth inning, despite falling behind early. A leadoff home run by Dragons center fielder Jaylin Calvert was followed by four straight walks, prompting a pitching change in the first inning.
That pitching change, bringing in Delaney Heminger, slowed the Dragons down for a few innings. The hosts led 5-0 after the first but didn’t score again until a two-run home run in the fourth inning. A grand slam ended the game in the fifth.
Farris led off the second inning with a single, but three straight strikeouts ended that frame. Denny singled in the third inning, only for a flyout to retire the side. Farris singled again in the fourth, with one out, but two more popouts left her stranded.
Heminger and Alley Fleener combined to allow 10 New Palestine hits, striking out two and walking eight.
With just two seniors — Denny and Makayla Murphy — the Braves return most of the lineup from a team that finishes 2019 with a 9-14 record and a second straight trip to the sectional championship round.
Mitchell was happy with the effort and the way his team played, and he said he hopes to see an offseason focus on hitting continue the growth of his young team.
“Feel good not about the loss, but about how you played,” Mitchell said. “You showed up to play, and that’s what we expected.”
