INDIANAPOLIS —
In the history of the IHSAA softball tournament, which dates back to 1985, there had been only three undefeated state champions before Saturday.
Now there are four.
Before Saturday, no Class 2A softball team had repeated as state champion since the class system debuted in 1998.
Now one has repeated.
Before Saturday, no team had defeated South Putnam in softball since April 9, 2011.
That has not changed.
Thanks in large part to Jenny Thompson setting the table with a pair of doubles and Brooke Boetjer delivering her usual strong pitching performance, the No. 1-ranked Eagles from Putnam County held off stubborn underdog Adams Central 3-1 at Ben Davis’ field to capture back-to-back Class 2A state titles.
This time, they did so with an unblemished record of 31-0. That extends their winning streak to 56 games dating back to last season.
Afterward, 30-year-old South Putnam coach Chris Jones was asked if this state championship felt more special than the 2011 title.
“You know, I’m going to say ‘yes,’ ” he replied. “It is more special because this [going undefeated] was more difficult, to go an entire season with a target on your back from Day 1. Everyone knows who you are. And to come out and finish every single game — all 31 of those games — and to win, that is more special.”
“It’s unbelievable,” proclaimed Thompson, who will play softball for the University of Indianapolis next season. “I can’t even explain how special it is. We made history. I don’t know how to describe that.”
“It feels amazing — twice as nice,” admitted Boetjer, who will take her softball skills to Indiana University next season. “Being undefeated makes it better, just because it was such a huge accomplishment… It was a wonderful way to send off my high school career.”
Thompson and Boetjer led the offense, each going 2 for 3. As a pitcher, the 6-foot Boetjer struck out nine batters and allowed five singles and one walk.
The Eagles jumped ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Thompson pounded a one-out double to center field. A groundout advanced Thompson to third, but it didn’t matter much because Boetjer ripped a double into the left-center gap to send her home.
“I just got the meat of the bat on it and went with the pitch,” Boetjer said later.
Adams Central tied the score in the third. Designated-player Alexa Baller led off with a single and moved to second base on a Mary Fox sacrifice bunt. A groundout pushed Baller to third, then she trotted home on a bloop single to center by Jenae Blackburn.
But Jones’ squad went ahead for good with a run in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Thompson lined a double down the left-field line and Kelsey Whitaker followed with an RBI single to left. A sharply grounded single by Boetjer gave South Putnam a chance to score more, but Adams Central pitcher Sydnee Peterson worked her way out of the jam by coaxing a flyout.
“They were both slow,” Thompson said in describing Peterson’s pitches on both of her doubles. “The first one was slow and outside. It was a changeup, so I just had to wait on it. On the second one, it was inside.”
In the top of the fifth, a weird, almost humorous play occurred that South Putnam fans are likely to remember for a while. Adams Central’s Fox hit a high pop-up right in front of the plate. Boetjer and Thompson, the catcher, converged on it before Boetjer backed off at the last second and let Thompson take charge.
Thompson, who later said she did not call off Boetjer, held on to the ball after juggling it a bit. Boetjer responded by giving her a big “thanks for saving me” hug.
“It was right in between us and we didn’t know who was going to get it,” Thompson recalled. “I thought I was going to trip over the bat, but I caught it.”
“I was thinking, ‘Jenny, don’t trip over the bat that’s directly in front of you,’ ” Jones mentioned. “She got over the bat, then I was hoping somebody would come up with it. Jenny kinda made it entertaining and bobbled it a little bit, but she came up clutch with the play… That moment, with them giving [each other] a big hug afterward, that shows you a lot about our team and how close-knit they are.”
South Putnam added an insurance run in the sixth to go up 3-1. Jenna Jones led off with a double and Mattie Varvel reached base on an error to put runners on first and third. Then a MaKenzie Trisler grounder, which ended up with Trisler reaching base on another error, plated Jones.
That meant the Eagles needed to survive one more inning to secure a perfect season.
Boetjer got the first Adams Central batter in the seventh to ground out, but the next two reached on Boetjer’s only walk of the contest and a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and second, Boetjer slammed the door on the Jets from northeastern Indiana by striking out the final two batters.
Teammates tackled Boetjer near the mound and the South Putnam celebration was underway.
After South Putnam players, coaches and team personnel received individual medallions and coach Jones received a large Indiana-shaped state champion plaque that will go to the school, Boetjer insisted she wasn’t the slightest bit scared by the Adams Central seventh-inning threat.
“I knew I was strong and I trusted the rest of my team,” she emphasized.
As for her overall pitching performance, Boetjer thought she did “pretty well.”
“[Adams Central batters] were really good at just getting the bat on it,” she continued, “so I wasn’t worried about strikeouts at all.”
“I thought Brooke did a great job,” Chris Jones added. “She’s done a great job all year. And you can’t talk about Brooke [pitching] without talking about Jenny Thompson, our catcher, because they are one in the same — a unit. Jenny calls the pitches. They’ve been doing this since they were freshmen… The mental toughness that those two have — to call the right pitch, to pitch the right pitch, to throw it in the right location and to trust your defense when they do put it in play — it’s just tremendous.
“Brooke did an amazing job. When our defense got opportunities to make plays, they made ‘em. And you know, Adams Central is a good team. They put the ball in play and put pressure on you … I’m just glad and excited for the girls to reach the high of all highs today and win the state championship.”
This was the final official high school game for South Putnam’s four seniors — Boetjer, Thompson, Ball State-bound Emily Dabkowski and Huntington University-bound Kaylin Yon.
“It’s hard to sum up everything they’ve done,” coach Jones said. “[A four-year record of] 102-4, that’s pretty impressive; 31-0 [this season], that’s really impressive; two state championships, unbelievable.
“I’m so proud of them. I couldn’t be happier than to be able to coach this group of girls. They have touched my life and my heart in so many ways.”
Now what will Jones and returning Eagles do for an encore to get ready for 2013?
“First off, we’re going to enjoy what we just did,” Chris Jones said. “We’ll take a little time to enjoy that. After our banquet, once we get to the off-season, we’re going to prepare.
“We’ve got a core group of girls back. Yeah, we lose four excellent seniors. But the core group we’ve got coming back, they’ve been to the state championship twice. They’ve been through adversity. So it’s their shot to do something that these seniors didn’t get to do and that’s try to go for three [state championships].”
I I I
State notes — Chris Jones said Boetjer has been named first-team All-State by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association, which also selected him as its District III Coach of the Year.
Boetjer will play for the South team against the North team in an Indiana All-Star doubleheader June 23 at Carmel. The Indiana Miss Softball and Indiana Coach of the Year awards will be announced that day.
n Adams Central senior catcher Alyssa Keller received the Class 2A Mental Attitude Award after the game.
Elite company
Undefeated Indiana softball
state champions
(Source: ihsaa.org)
2006 — Whiting 33-0 (defeated Lanesville 3-0 in Class A championship game)
2007 — Hamilton Southeastern 31-0 (defeated Castle 2-1 in 10 innings in Class 4A championship game)
2008 — Whiting 34-0 (defeated Tecumseh 3-0 in Class A championship game)
2012 — South Putnam 31-0 (defeated Adams Central 3-1 in Class 2A championship game)
Note — South Putnam’s 2012 victories included decisions over Bedford North Lawrence, Terre Haute South, Roncalli, Northview, West Vigo, Carmel and Terre Haute North.
— David Hughes
South Putnam 3,
Adams Central 1
Adams Central ab r h bi S.Putnam ab r h bi
Fiechter cf 4 0 0 0 Dabkowski ss 3 0 1 0
Blackburn lf 3 0 1 1 Thompson c 3 2 2 0
Keller c 3 0 1 0 Whitaker lf 3 0 1 1
Baker 2b 3 0 0 0 Boetjer p 3 0 2 1
McDougall 1b 3 0 0 0 McHugh cr 0 0 0 0
Macklin ss 3 0 2 0 Jones 3b 3 1 1 0
Schwartz 3b 2 0 0 0 Varvel 1b 3 0 0 0
Baller dp 3 1 1 0 Trisler rf 3 0 0 1
Peterson p 0 0 0 0 Crafton cf 3 0 0 0
Fox rf 2 0 0 0 Cundiff 2b 3 0 0 0
Totals 26 1 5 1 Totals 27 3 7 3
Adams Central 001 000 0 — 1
South Putnam 101 001 x — 3
E — McDougall 2, Blackburn, Schwartz, Boetjer. DP — AC 1. LOB — AC 6, SP 6. 2B — Thompson 2, Boetjer, Jones. SH — Fox. Picked off — Macklin.
Adams Central IP H R ER BB SO
Peterson (L, 18-10) 6 7 3 2 0 2
South Putnam IP H R ER BB SO
Boetjer (W, 22-0) 7 5 1 1 1 9
BK — Boetjer.
Records — South Putnam won the Class 2A state championship with a 31-0 record, while Adams Central finished 20-13.
Class A championship game — Lakewood Park Christian 3, Indianapolis Lutheran 2
High School
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The South Putnam softball team celebrates its Indiana Class 2A championship.
Discussion
Eagles win Class 2A softball title
South Putnam goes undefeated to capture back-to-back championships
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