Brazil — Coach Jack Kirchner didn’t know how his Terre Haute North softball team would respond in the annual Big Four Classic after losing on the road to Carmel and Center Grove late Friday night and getting home at 1 a.m. Saturday.
As it turned out, the Patriots did just fine.
For the first time since 2003, North won the Big Four title in softball, defeating Northview 5-0 and West Vigo 18-1 in five innings on a windy Saturday at Northview High School to finish 3-0 in the tournament.
The Patriots also defeated Terre Haute South 9-0 Tuesday at South as part of the Big Four.
In the other Big Four contest played Saturday at Northview, South routed West Vigo 15-5 in six innings.
Northview placed second in the tourney with a 2-1 mark, thanks in part to its 15-0 home triumph over West Vigo on Tuesday. But the Knights — playing without standout Erica Conrad, who’s been recovering from pneumonia — couldn’t manufacture much offense against North pitcher Bethany Sullivan in Saturday’s most important matchup.
“Defensively, we played strong in both games today,” Northview coach Bethany Jones said. “Offensively, we struggled in that North game. We knew Sullivan had a change[up] and a rise[ball] and we told our hitters to stay off of them. We weren’t as selective as we normally are.”
North seized an early advantage with three unearned runs in the second inning. Freshman Kelsey Coffey led off with a walk. One out later, Brittney Isom singled and stole second base. With two outs, Kelsey Rosselli reached on an infield throwing error, which allowed Coffey to touch home. Then Carly Butwin dumped a two-run single into right-center field.
The only earned run allowed by Northview pitcher Katie Smith occurred in the sixth on a solo homer to left-center by Kelly Meggs.
The Patriots’ final run came in the seventh, again unearned. With one out, Rosselli walked and stole second. With two outs, Danielle Ketner singled sharply and the ball rolled past the left fielder, enabling Rosselli to race home.
Sullivan, a sophomore right-hander, gave up only three hits to the defending Big Four champions.
“Jack’s got a strong team this year — solid throughout,” Jones mentioned. “We were expecting it to be a tough game. We’ll play them again in a week and a half [May 14] at our place and maybe again in the sectional. We’ll be looking for them next time and hopefully we’ll be ready to play from Pitch 1.”
“It was a good ballgame,” Kirchner assessed. “Carly Butwin stepped up and got the big two-out hit to give us that three-run lead.”
In the afternoon, North jumped ahead of West Vigo in the first inning on a two-run homer to left by Meggs. Her second roundtripper of the day also was her second of the season.
“I got two pitches right down the middle,” Meggs said, trying to explain her newfound power. “I just hit ’em on the nose.”
The Vikings answered with one of their own in the bottom of the first, then the rest of the game belonged to the Patriots.
Ketner added a three-run blast to left in North’s seven-run third frame. The sophomore third baseman ended up with four runs batted in.
Four more North runs in the fifth increased the margin to 18-1. Isom pitched a three-hitter to pick up the victory.
“It was a rough day,” admitted West Vigo coach Amanda Woelfle, whose squad hit slightly better against South earlier Saturday but still lost.
The Braves got three hits, including a double, from Carmen Wickware in that matchup.
According to the Northview scorebook, South had only one hit against the Knights in their afternoon clash.
“We’re starting to play a little better now,” South coach Steve Woerner said. “I’ve had so many kids [this season] out with injuries and rules violations. We’re awfully young and our pitching’s real thin… But the girls played well today. The last time we played Northview, they beat us 17-9.”
Big Four Classic
Tournament records — Terre Haute North 3-0, Northview 2-1, Terre Haute South 1-2, West Vigo 0-3.
Saturday’s games
Terre Haute South 401 109 — 15 15 2
West Vigo 002 030 — 5 5 13
Price (W, 5-11) and Fendrick; Woodward, Furrey (6) and Stewart. L — Woodward, 0-2.
Highlights — For South, Carmen Wickware went 3 for 4 with a double, Katie Moon and winning pitcher Kayla Price each went 2 for 4, Tara Decker went 2 for 5 with a double and 2 stolen bases, Kaitlyn Pluta went 2 for 5 with a double and a steal, Ciara Hall went 2 for 5 with a steal and Katie Kigin added 2 steals. For West Vigo, Chelsea Powers went 2 for 2 with a double and 2 runs and Gina Furrey went 2 for 3 with a double and 3 RBIs.
Terre Haute North 257 04 — 18 18 1
West Vigo 100 00 — 1 3 2
Woodward, Elkins (3), C.Ketner (4) and Stewart, T.Miller (5). W — Isom, 5-3. L — Woodward, 0-3. HR — THN: Meggs (2), D.Ketner (3).
Highlights — For North, Danielle Ketner went 2 for 3 with a home run, 4 RBIs and a stolen base; Kelly Meggs went 2 for 3 with a home run, a double and 2 RBIs; Kelsey Coffey went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs; Kelsey Rosselli went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs; Kelbie Drebes went 2 for 3; winning pitcher Brittney Isom went 2 for 2 with a double and 2 walks; Bethany Sullivan went 2 for 4; and Lindsey McBride contributed a double. For West Vigo, Samantha Richey scored the only run and stole a base.
Terre Haute South 000 010 0 — 1 1 6
Northview 201 023 x — 8 9 1
Orndorff (L, 0-1) and Fendrick; Colson (W, 6-4) and LaTourette. HR — Nv: Smith (1).
Highlights — For Northview, Traci Sanders went 3 for 4 with a double, Katie Smith clouted a 2-run homer in the 5th inning and Kyler Clark ended up 2 for 4 with a double. For South, Ashley Hilton knocked in the only run.
Next — North (11-7) will play Wednesday at Bloomington South. South (5-14) will play Monday at Clay City. Northview (9-7) will be at home Monday to face Riverton Parke. West Vigo (3-14) will battle Edgewood on Thursday at Terre Haute North’s field.
Friday scores (unrelated to the Big Four) — Carmel 8, Terre Haute South 2; Center Grove 10, Terre Haute South 0; Center Grove 3, Terre Haute North 1; Carmel 9, Terre Haute North 1. North finished 3rd in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference.
TH North 5, Northview 0
11 a.m. game
TH North ab r h bi Northview ab r h bi
Ketner 3b 4 0 1 0 Thomas cf 3 0 1 0
Branche c 4 0 0 0 Clark lf 2 0 0 0
Meggs ss 3 1 2 1 Colson rf-3b 2 0 0 0
Coffey rf 1 1 0 0 Sanders ss-1b 3 0 0 0
Sullivan p 3 0 0 0 LaTourette c 3 0 0 0
Isom 1b 3 1 1 0 Raderstorf 1b 1 0 0 0
Alli 2b 2 0 0 0 Matson rf 2 0 0 0
Rosselli cf 2 2 0 0 Smith p 3 0 1 0
Butwin lf 3 0 1 2 Kimball pr 0 0 0 0
Enders 2b 1 0 0 0
Phillips 3b-ss 2 0 1 0
Totals 25 5 5 3 Totals 22 0 3 0
Terre Haute North 030 001 1 — 5
Northview 000 000 0 — 0
E — Sanders, Clark. DP — Nv 1. LOB — THN 3, Nv 4. HR — Meggs (1). SH — Clark, Enders. SB — Rosselli 2, Colson, Isom, Meggs, Phillips. CS — Meggs.
IP H R ER BB SO
Terre Haute North
Sullivan (W, 6-4) 7.0 3 0 0 1 1
Northview
Smith (L, 3-3) 7.0 5 5 1 4 2
WP — Sullivan.
High School
Patriots claim first Big Four softball title since 2003
- High School
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Shining Knights: Northview tops both TH teams for title
A high school baseball game that had been tense all the way through reached angina-producing heights at the end Monday night, as Northview ended Terre Haute South’s sectional championship run by a single run and a fraction of an inch.
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Miners beat 2A newcomer for 3rd straight title
Linton and North Central were both defending high school baseball sectional champions, but the Thunderbirds’ move up to Class 2A did not go as they expected.
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South hangs on after scary moment in sectional semis
Terre Haute South’s bid for a sixth consecutive high school baseball sectional championship took a scary turn Monday afternoon.
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PREP/METRO ROUNDUP: Turkey Run rolls to title
Turkey Run routed North Vermillion 15-2 to capture the Class A Rockville Sectional championship for high school baseball Monday night.
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Eaton’s pair of long balls put Linton in title game
Linton blasted its way into the championship game of its hometown Class 2A high school baseball sectional as No. 9 hitter Beau Eaton cranked a pair of home runs to left field, and starting pitcher Tanner Butler capped Linton's scoring with a grand slam.
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It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders
Longtime rivalries figure to determine high school baseball sectional champions throughout the Wabash Valley today, with semifinal and final games scheduled at four sites and a stand-alone championship game at a fifth.
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South tops Oldenburg to win tennis semistate
There was no evidence of rally caps, rally towels and certainly no rally squirrels, but Terre Haute South’s No. 1 singles player Maddie Kesler needed a rally in the worst way.
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New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Robinson tops Greenville in sectional semifinal
Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
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South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
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PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
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Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
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Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
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North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
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Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
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South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
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Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
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Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
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North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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