Published: May 20, 2008 12:10 am            

SECTIONAL ROUNDUP: Hornets roll on; Dragons lose heartbreaker

Henryville brought out the big bats as it began its defense of its Class A Lanesville Sectional title on Monday.

The Hornets pounded 14 hits, scored 16 times in the bottom of the second inning and saw junior Kelcey Pierce hit a grand slam as they beat the Warriors, 17-0.

“Really it’s just about coming out and playing well in our first tourney game,” said Henryville coach Jenny Odle.

Pierce had a pair hits in the victory, including her slam in the second inning. She and teammate Kelsey Kuntz each doubled in the victory. Freshman Ashley Dickerson picked up the victory on the mound, allowing two hits.

As impressive as her clubs overall offensive display may have been, Odle was even more complimentary to her opponent. CAI is in its first year back in the IHSAA postseason after disbanding its program for five seasons.

The Warriors went winless in the return to the diamond, but came away with at least one fan in the Henryville head coach.

“Their attitudes was great to see,” said Odle. “The way they work together and keep eachother into the game is something that speaks volumes about their team.”

Kelsey Biggs doubled in the loss for CAI.

We wrapped up our season this evening on a good note. We held a great Henryville team scoreless in two innings which is a big accomplishment for our team,” said CAI coach Emy Lorigan. “Our two pitchers, Emily Butts and Madison Westfall did their job to night by putting the ball where their hitters could hit it.

“Although, we didn't win any games this season the girls demonstrated a great work ethic and wonderful attitudes. As a coach and a team, it would have been nice to get a win in the win column, but the fact that this team showed up everyday ready to learn and to improve meant a lot. We had to overcome a lot of obstacles this first season. I look forward to next season. We will have seven of our ten players back and we have some eighth graders coming up that are eager to join the team.”



Corydon 1, Silver Creek 0

Silver Creek softball coach Dave Harvey knows well that the game is one of inches.

And that’s about how close this Dragons came to a sectional upset on Monday.

Silver Creek put up a valiant effort against the top-ranked team at the Crawford County Sectional.

Riding a strong performance from pitcher Jessica Wells all the way into the seventh inning, where Class 3A No. 10 Corydon finally came up with the break it needed. The Panthers plated a single run in the bottom half for a 1-0 victory over the Dragons.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls,” Harvey said. “They made sure the 10th-ranked team knew it was in for a battle the whole way.”

Wells allowed six hits, but struck out 14. The Panthers finally broke through with a two-out hit that should have gotten Wells out of a ham unscathed, but the throw bounced off a runner’s leg and allowed the run to cross.

“It’s a game of bad hops and inches, and we were a bad hop and an inch away from winning,” Harvey said.

It was the final appearance for four Silver Creek (5-14) seniors in Samantha Block, Brandy DeGroat, Kaitlyn Cook and Amber McFarland. Harvey said that, while they will be missed, the momentum they generated this season will be crucial to the program’s future success. The Dragons scored victories this season over New Albany and Class A power Lanesville, and played two tight games with both Jeffersonville and Henryville.

“Those seniors will be hard to replace,” he said. “But we’ve been seeing what we might have to step in for them next season and we’ve got two fine pitchers (sophomore Wells and junior Danielle Fleming) to build on. A game like this can be a real momentum-builder. Neither team deserved to lose.”

        

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