The REPORTER
It will be a case of unstoppable force meeting immovable pitching Friday night at Purdue University for the Class 4A softball state championship.
Hamilton Southeastern will take on New Palestine for the title, with first pitch at 8 p.m. at the Boilermakers’ Bittinger Stadium. The Royals will be trying for a third state title, while the Dragons, after winning six Class 3A state titles, are looking for their first championship in 4A.
If New Palestine knows how to do anything, it’s run. The Dragons have put up 288 runs this season on their way to a 25-4 record and a No. 4 ranking in the Softball Coaches Association of Indiana poll. New Pal puts up nearly 10 runs per contest (an average of 9.93) and has smacked 50 home runs.
Three Dragons players bat over .400. Senior shortstop Allie Blum leads the way with a .560 average, with a team-leading 51 hits, 61 runs and 52 RBIs for the season. Blum has also hit 21 home runs.
Senior right fielder Sydney Oliver is close behind with a .510 average, collecting 50 hits and 40 RBIs. Junior Maddie Engle, the team’s center fielder, bats at a .407 clip with 38 RBIs and eight homers.
Another senior, Courtney Study, is the New Palestine pitcher. She is 17-2 for the season with 73 strikeouts and a 1.99 earned run average.
Dominant post-season
Seven of the Dragons’ 19 regular-season victories were by the 10-run rule, and they were only pushed to extra innings once. That was New Pal’s regular-season finale, a 7-6 loss to Avon May 18 in eight innings.
The Dragons shook off that setback to dominate during the post-season, outscoring their opponents 72-7 with three of their six tournament wins being shutouts. New Palestine flew through the Pendleton Heights sectional, beating Muncie Central 21-0 in a five-inning quarterfinal, the host Arabians 9-0 in the semifinals and Greenfield-Central 10-4 in the championship.
The Dragons played their regional at Cathedral, cruising past the Irish 12-1 in five innings. New Pal got its revenge against Avon at the Bedford North Lawrence semi-state, taking care of the Orioles 6-0 in the semis, then beating Center Grove 14-2 in a five-inning championship.
If the Dragons have been the unstoppable force when it comes to runs, then Southeastern’s Grace Swedarsky has been immovable in the pitcher’s circle – or make that unhittable. The sophomore has thrown 257 strikeouts over 19 games, compiling a 17-2 record with a 1.50 ERA.
The Royals can hit, of course. Senior Addy Justice leads the way in that department, collecting 45 hits over the season with a .464 average. Senior Lani Wyrick is next with a .396 average, including 18 RBIs, and leads the team in runs scored with 31. Another senior, Reese Garland, is on top of the RBI list with 23, along with five home runs. Senior Alex Kiemeyer has four homers for the season.
Southeastern has been solid for the post-season, outscoring its opponents 28-3 with four shutouts. The Royals won the Carmel sectional by beating Westfield 6-0 in the quarterfinals, Zionsville 2-0 in the semifinals and Noblesville 5-2 in the championship to break a seven-year sectional title drought.
Southeastern hosted Logansport in what turned into a two-day regional thanks to the weather. But the Royals got it done 9-0 to advance to the Harrison semi-state, which also was affected by weather. HSE beat Fort Wayne Carroll 2-0 in last Saturday’s semifinal, then went back to Harrison Monday to beat defending 4A state champion Penn 4-1 in the championship.
It may have taken an extra two days, but the Royals got the victory – and are back in the state finals for the first time in 10 years. Southeastern won its two state championships in 2007 and 2010 and was the runner-up to Bloomington South in 2014.