SULLIVAN —
For six innings Friday evening, Terre Haute South’s defense kept the Braves in position to win a nonconference high school softball game at Sullivan.
In the seventh, however, the Braves gave the game back to the Golden Arrows, who have now won six in a row — including the first sweep of the two Terre Haute schools since assistant coach Kelli Jones was the ace pitcher for her mother’s team — and the last three in their final at-bat.
“Monday night [against Union] and then again last night [vs. Clay City] we came from behind,” said Sullivan’s Aly Bennett, who drove in the tying run and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh of her team’s 4-3 victory. “I guess we’re on a roll with that.”
“I’ve seen it in these girls for years,” said coach Sue Pitts of the Arrows, who have four-year varsity players in Bennett, winning pitcher Rachel Whitlock, shortstop Shelbi Ellenberger (who had the game-winning RBI) and catcher Allexis Mahurin. “They’re all coming together now.”
Those three position players combined for seven hits Friday, and Whitlock didn’t allow an earned run through six innings. Yet as the Arrows prepared to bat in the bottom of the seventh, they trailed 2-1 despite having nine hits to South’s three.
A one-out double by Kylee Wills, a single by Tori Stamper and a sacrifice fly by Kaitlin Romine enabled Sullivan to tie the game in the sixth, but the Braves regained the lead in the top of the seventh on a hit by Kelsey Marlow, a fielder’s choice and a two-out run-scoring double by Mackenzie McGregor.
Although the Braves had not exactly been killing the ball — “[Whitlock] kept us off-balance and popping it up all game,” coach Steve Woerner said afterward — they’d been frustrating the Arrows defensively with a pair of double plays, two throwouts by catcher Chelsea Whitesell, running catches in the outfield by Ashley Watkins and Kayla Serrato, a hit-robbing stop up the middle by shortstop Marlow and a big hustle play by center fielder Lexi HIggins on Romine’s two-out, fourth-inning double that kept Stamper from scoring from first base. Hanna Gossman had been efficient in the circle with that help, and when the Arrows seemed to be timing her in their sixth-inning rally, fellow freshman Jackie Swain came in to get a strikeout that ended that threat.
None of that mattered much to Woerner after he watched the bottom of the seventh, however.
Caelan Jones reached on an error to start the inning, and Mahurin drew a walk. Bennett, the No. 2 hitter in the Sullivan batting order, was unable to get a bunt down, but then blooped a full-count pitch softly over first base for a hit.
“[Swain, who has an outstanding fastball] was throwing it pretty much everywhere too,” Bennett said a few minutes later. “It was difficult to bunt her.”
Serrato’s throw home was not in time to get Jones, but Whitesell got her third assist of the game by throwing out Mahurin trying to advance to third. Bennett reached second easily, however, and scored when Ellenberger’s line shot on the next pitch fell in front of and bounced past a South outfielder who’d been unable to read the ball off the bat.
“What you saw [in the seventh] was what we’ve been getting all year,” Woerner said after the game. “If we don’t score, we can’t beat anybody … the freshman pitchers did a good job keeping us in the game.” The fact that it was Woerner’s first loss to the Arrows as a head coach didn’t improve his mood any.
“I thought it was just a well played game by both teams,” said Pitts, “and fortunately — for us, anyway — we came out on top this year.”
• Swing for the Cure — The Golden Arrows played their three home games this week in purple “Swing for the Cure” T-shirts and released balloons after a pregame prayer. Some of the proceeds from funds this week went to the children of Devon LeDune; the Sullivan High School graduate died of cancer approximately 18 months ago after the birth of her second son, and her two boys were there Friday as her husband Chad threw out the first pitch.
Games between the Arrows and Braves are as much reunions as rivalries — at least once on Friday, an assistant coach from one team shouted praise for a defensive play made by an opponent — and the Braves were attired in pink T-shirts with a cancer-fighting theme too. South senior Marissa Stout has been instrumental in two similar fund-raisers in Terre Haute for summer teammates who have been stricken with the disease — the first of whom was Bennett.
“I’m glad we started this,” said Bennett, a cancer survivor before her high school graduation (and also a cousin of the LeDunes). “It sucks that I had to be the first one, but we’re raising money for people who needed it.”
High School
Sullivan softball rallies to top Terre Haute South for sixth straight win
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West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
Ice cream was enough of a reward Monday night after the West Vigo Vikings beat eight-time defending champion Edgewood 6-2 in extra innings in the opening game of the Class 3A softball sectional at Edgewood High School. But that’s not what Vikings want.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
Shakamak improved to 22-3 on the season behind a complete-game effort from Brett Yeryar, and Patrick Green hit two solo home runs in a high school baseball game Monday.
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Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
But if there were no excuses forthcoming from Kirchner and his Terre Haute North High School softball team, it wouldn’t have been hard to find a spectator or two to come up with extenuating circumstances about the Patriots’ 4-1 loss at the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional. -
Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
Terre Haute North might need an off night for anyone to catch them in the girls track regional at Evansville Central.
The Patriots are as well-rounded as they’ve ever been, and two relay teams are state contenders with times ranking No. 2 in Indiana among times recorded all spring.
Terre Haute South, Northview and Sullivan have athletes among the contenders in multiple events as well. -
South tennis ready for potential challenge in regional
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
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Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
Coach Bill Blankenbaker’s Braves will play Seeger at 4:30 p.m., while coach Emily Goff’s Knights will take on Crawfordsville about 6 p.m. -
Vikings win in extra innings at Rockville
West Vigo scored six runs in its first two innings Saturday, then needed a ninth-inning single by Lucas Fagg to escape with a 7-6 extra-inning win in nonconference high school baseball at Rockville.
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TH South beats Northview in Big Four makeup baseball game
Terre Haute South wrapped up a share of the MIC baseball title and finished up the Big Four Classic with an 8-1 victory over Northview in less than 24 hours on Saturday morning.
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Olds pitches South to share of MIC baseball title
Friday night, winning the second game 5-0 and earning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title.
Damon Olds was dominant on the mound for the Braves, striking out 14 and walking just one while pitching a three-hit shutout. -
South wins first half of doubleheader against Lawrence North
Host Terre Haute South kept its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title hopes alive — and clinched no worse than second place in the process — by downing Lawrence North 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday night.
The second game, which started after Senior Night festivities between games, ended past the Tribune-Star deadline. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Calleja pitches West Vigo past South Vermillion
Brandon Calleja had 13 strikeouts to lead West Vigo to a 5-1 victory against South Vermillion in high school baseball Friday.
Brandon Behringer went 2 for 4 with two RBI for the Vikings, who secured second place in the Western Indiana Conference.
Kaden Lawson had double for South Vermillion (15-7), which finished 4-2 in the WIC. -
Seibert returns from injury to win three events as Braves win sectional crown
His baseball equivalent might be Rick Sutcliffe of the 1984 Chicago Cubs.
When Tyler Seibert returned to the Terre Haute South track and field lineup Thursday for sectional action at Terre Haute North, it was like the midseason trade the Cubs made for Sutcliffe that earned them a playoff spot. -
South switches up lineup to defeat North in tennis sectional
Terre Haute South coach Bill Blankenbaker said two weeks ago that he would change the Braves’ lineup after the 3-2 dual-meet loss to Terre Haute North.
The Patriots knew it was coming, but they couldn’t do anything to stop it. -
PREP ROUNDUP: North slips past Northview in eight-inning baseball game
Colton Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk to score Zach Milam with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as host Terre Haute North edged Northview 8-7 in high school baseball Thursday at Jennings Field.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North and South to face off for tennis sectional title
The winner of the Terre Haute sectional for girls high school tennis will come down to Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
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Terre Haute North gets 10 event victories to claim 12th straight sectional crown
Terre Haute North won 10 events Tuesday night while winning the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls track and field section at South Putnam High School for the 12th straight year.
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North, South to meet in first round of baseball sectional
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced pairings for the baseball state tournament Tuesday and the draw offered up a Vigo County battle in the opening game.
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PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo softball clinches share of WIC title
West Vigo clinched at least a share of the Western Indiana Conference softball title with a 6-4 victory over Edgewood on Tuesday.
Jacy McClain and Bailee Waters had RBI singles in the fourth inning to break the game open for the Vikings. -
Track sectional titles on the line
Expect one heck of a high school dual track meet Thursday night when Wabash Valley boys visit Terre Haute North for sectional action.
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Prep report: Patriots, Braves favored to advance from tennis sectional 1st round
Persons attending this week’s girls tennis sectional championship match at Terre Haute North might want to pack a lunch.
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Local ADs happy to see spring come to a close
Brian Mancuso is the most experienced of the high school athletic directors in Vigo County — and that’s a very relative term — but even he wasn’t quite ready for the headaches that have accompanied spring sports the last few weeks thanks to rain, rain and more rain.
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South baseball remains in first-place tie with Center Grove
Heading into Saturday’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball doubleheader against Center Grove, coach Kyle Kraemer of Terre Haute South wasn’t completely optimistic.
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Kehrt Award goes to Emily Bell, Lee Davis
Emily Bell of Terre Haute South and Lee Davis of Terre Haute North are the 2013 recipients of the Willard M. Kehrt Mental Attitude Award.
Bell and Davis were nominated by their schools and chosen in a vote by the Kehrt Award panel. Both will be recognized at awards assemblies later in the month at the schools.
Bell played varsity basketball four years at South and is competing in track this season, running the 800 and two relays. “I wanted something to do my senior year,” Bell said.
She plans to attend DePauw University and play basketball. DePauw is the reigning NCAA Division III champ in women's basketball.
Bell tore an AÇL playing in a basketball tournament the summer after her sophomore season. She missed most of her junior season but came back to play her senior year and was second leading scorer and leading rebounder her final season.
Bell also was leading rebounder her sophomore year. -
South softball's power display earns Braves share of MIC
The fun that the Terre Haute South high school softball team had Saturday — including those five home runs — was all the result of the hard work the Braves had put in before the game, coach Dwayne Stout said after the game.
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Pirtle takes medalist, leads Sullivan to WIC title
Sullivan took team and individual honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys high school golf championships played Saturday at Idle Creek.
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Prep roundup: Patriots drop doubleheader to Carmel baseball
Host Terre Haute North saw its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball championship hopes suffer what was probably a fatal blow on Saturday as the Patriots lost a doubleheader to Carmel by scores of 8-7 and 11-8.
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Timely hits: After slow start, Terre Haute North rallies to beat Mooresville
No-hit through three innings, Terre Haute North’s bats came alive — especially Sam Wolf’s — just in time to rally for a 4-2 home victory over Mooresville in high school baseball Friday evening at Jennings Field.
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Linton’s Weber to coach at BNL
Bedford North Lawrence High School has announced that Steve Weber will be the Stars’ head coach for the 2013 season.
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Freshman group adds to Big Four teams' baseball tradition
The Terre Haute North-Terre Haute South high school baseball series wasn’t an inning old last week before T.J. Collett of the Patriots lashed a run-scoring single.
That hit helped the Patriots take a 2-0 lead, but in the top of the second inning a three-run double by Justin Jenkins sparked the visiting Braves to a four-run inning.
North tied the score in the bottom of the second inning, Collett driving in another run. And just before rain caused the game to be suspended, South called Logan Ames in from its bullpen for some solid pitching.
Not bad for a trio of freshmen. And the weekend hadn’t even started yet. - More High School Headlines
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West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
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