LINTON —
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.
The sophomore outfielder led off the Miners’ 11-run fourth inning with his second homer of the game — and second of the season — as Linton won 15-2 over a Sullivan team that had the program’s best season in several years.
“He’s struggled a little bit this year,” Linton coach Matt Fougerousse said of Eaton. “Here lately he’s changed his swing up. Keeping it simple, short to the ball, you put the bat on there and good things happen.”
Linton earned a battle with No. 6 North Central (20-5). Big defensive plays and Daniel Loveall’s pitching carried the Thunderbirds — the state runner-up in Class A in 2011 — to a 5-1 victory against North Knox.
Loveall improved to 7-0 on the season as coach Craig Grow saved ace Connor Strain for the title game. Loveall walked just one in seven innings of work, keeping North Knox’s opportunities limited.
“Loveall just does a tremendous job again. He kept them off balance. He doesn’t walk very many,” Grow said.
North Knox (8-12) pitcher Tyler Sanders pitched well, but his defense let him down, resulting in four unearned runs.
“Change his name to Bulldog Sanders. I can’t say enough about the job he did. Sanders was so effective the last two nights,” North Knox coach Bill Cary said.
The Warriors’ defense made three costly errors to give North Central breathing room in a tight game.
“That’s the difference between the championship caliber they are and maybe the contending caliber we are,” Cary said. “They made those plays; we had a couple that we didn’t make. You’re talking about us playing a perfect game. We’re 8-12, we’re not a perfect team.”
North Central shut down the Warriors’ early threats with sharp glove work. With runners on second and third, Nate Lyday came up with a ball that deflected off the glove of first baseman Nolan Kinnett to get catcher Alex Smith on a bang-bang play at first.
The T-Birds also turned a big double play in the fifth when interference was called on the North Knox baserunner.
In Monday morning’s opener, the Golden Arrows fell behind early, and couldn’t regain momentum.
The Golden Arrows went 16-12 under first year coach Matthew McLaren, but the Miners took advantage of six walks and pounded the ball.
“This is the first time we’ve been run-ruled this year,” McLaren said. “We’ve responded all year long. We had little rallies in the second and third but hit into a double play. We’ve been a team that thrived on aggressive baserunning. We didn’t have the chance to do that today. They kind of took it out of our hands.”
McLaren looks to build off this season. Sullivan sophomore shortstop Camdon Kuppler hit a home run in the fifth, his first since homering on the first pitch he saw this season at Vincennes Rivet. He’ll be among many returning regulars for the Arrows.
“We've got young kids coming up and good kids coming back. We showed a lot of people around here that Sullivan baseball is back on the uptick,” the first-year coach said.
Fougerousse said his team hit the ball well of late but with time off he was a little unsure what to expect.
“We gave them the weekend off with graduation and everything and to get some rest. I was a little worried how we’d hit this morning,” he said.
Following Easton’s homer that knocked Sullivan starter James Lisman from the game, Bryce Bement walked two of the first three batters he faced, with the other reaching on an error. That was a recipe for disaster as Linton strung four straight singles together, and Butler cleared the outfield fence easily to finish the inning.
On the mound, Butler walked three but struck out five in four innings of work, allowing just one Sullivan run. Fougerousse used Bryant Jackson in the fifth “just in case we need him tonight,” the coach said.
The Miners prepared to face North Central’s Strain, a hard-throwing right-hander who is committed to play for the University of Evansville.
Linton 15, Sullivan 2
Sullivan ab r h bi Linton ab r h bi
Smith 2b 2 0 1 0 Taylor ss 2 2 1 0
Harrison rf-1b 2 0 0 0 Neff 2b 4 2 1 1
Lisman p-rf 2 0 0 0 Butler p 3 3 2 4
Bement 1b 2 0 0 0 Bl.Eaton 1b 3 1 2 1
Ridge cf 1 1 1 0 Helton cf 4 1 2 2
McNeely c 2 0 0 0 Vowell c 3 1 2 1
Kuppler ss 2 1 2 2 Jackson 3b 3 1 1 2
Turner lf 1 0 0 0 Burgess dh 2 1 0 0
Kinnaman ph 1 0 0 0 Witty rf 0 0 0 0
Garner 3b 1 0 0 0 Be.Eaton lf 3 2 2 2
Totals 16 2 4 2 27 15 13 13
Sullivan 010 01 – 2
Linton 130 (11) x – 15
E — Turner, Garner. LOB — S 5, L 6. HR —Beau Eaton 2 (2), Butler, Kuppler (2). 3B — Ridge, Taylor. 2B — Neff. SB — Ridge.
IP H R ER BB K
Sullivan
Lisman (L) 3 5 5 5 3 3
Bement 1 6 10 6 4 2
Linton
Butler (W, 6-4) 4 2 1 1 3 5
Jackson 1 2 1 1 1 2
HBP — by Butler (Garner). PB — McNeely. WP — Lisman 2, Bement 1.
Next — Sullivan finishes its season 16-12. Linton (13-15) advanced to Monday night's championship game.
North Central 5, North Knox 1
NK ab r h bi NC ab r h bi
Jones cf 3 0 1 0 Harding cf 4 0 1 0
J.McKinnon 1b 2 1 1 0 Z.Lyday ss 2 0 0 0
Lamb rf 3 0 0 0 C.Strain 3b 3 1 1 1
Sanders p-3b 3 0 0 1 Johnson c 3 0 0 0
Smith c 3 0 0 0 N.Lyday 1 1 0 0
Mundy 3b 3 0 1 0 T.Strain lf 3 1 2 0
L.McKinnon 2b 3 0 1 0 Loveall p 3 0 0 0
Meurer lf 3 0 0 0 Kinnett 1b 3 0 2 0
Christopher ss 2 0 0 0 Jewell pr 0 1 0 0
Hauger dh 1 0 1 2
Copeland ph 0 0 0 0
Jewell rf 0 0 0 0
Totals 26 1 4 1 23 4 7 3
E — Smith 2, Christopher. LOB — NK 5, NC 4. SH — Copeland. SF — Z.Lyday. HR — C.Strain (2). 2B — J.McKinnon. SB — J.McKinnon. CS — N.Lyday, Strain.
IP H R ER BB K
North Knox
Sanders (L) 52⁄3 8 5 1 2 2
Mundy 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0
North Central
Loveall (W, 7-0) 7 5 1 1 1 4
PB — Smith 2.
Next — North Central (20-5) played Linton on Monday night in the championship game of the Class 2A Linton Sectional. North Knox finished its season 8-12.
High School
Eaton’s pair of long balls put Linton in title game
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West Vigo comes up short against 19-9 Brown County softball
West Vigo got off to a good start but Brown County finished better in Class 3A high school softball sectional semifinal action Tuesday night at Edgewood.
The Eagles bested the Vikings 7-5 and will meet South Vermillion, a 12-7 winner over Owen Valley, for the sectional championship on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
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Valley baseball teams have been keeping busy heading into sectionals
When high school baseball sectionals begin around the Wabash Valley today, one complaint that’s not expected to be heard from any coach is that his team has had too much time off.
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Northview powers way past Terre Haute South in sectional semifinal
Northview unleashed power rarely seen in high school girls softball Tuesday night to eliminate Terre Haute South 8-1 in the Class 4A Sectional at Martinsville High School.
The Knights hit three home runs in an eight-run third inning to reach the championship game. -
Terre Haute North dominates field at regional
Keirra Porter took first place in two individual events and helped Terre Haute North win one of its relays as the Patriots captured the Evansville Central Regional team championship in girls high school track and field Tuesday night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: South tennis cruises into regional final
Terre Haute South didn’t lose a game en route to blanking Seeger 5-0 in girls high school tennis Tuesday to advance to today’s championship match against Crawfordsville in the Greencastle Regional.
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Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees. -
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. - More High School Headlines
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