By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – The Hamilton Heights softball team powered its way to the Sectional 27 championship trophy on Thursday.
The Huskies cruised past sectional host Bishop Chatard 9-1 to claim their first sectional title in seven years. Heights left little doubt that it was the team to beat in the sectional, as the Huskies outscored their three opponents 40-2 this week.
Heights coach Ken Olovich credits the fact that his team was healthy for the sectional, saying that his team was “a little dinged up” coming into the last week of the season. The Huskies were healthy and eager, as the team collected 16 hits against the Trojans and got another superb effort from pitcher Lily Roush.
“Everything sort of clicked as we got healthy,” said Olovich. “That was the key.”
Playing as the home team, Heights got on the board right away with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Kaylee Rhoton blasted a double into left field to score Hailey Hall for the first run, then Isabel Morrow sent another double into left field to bring in Rhoton. Kassidy Schakel’s single moved Morrow to third, and Melanee Forrester finished the job with a single to send Morrow home.
Chatard scored its run in the top of the third inning. Lucy Pyrz led off with a triple, and scored on a left field hit by Anni Felts. The Huskies got the run back in the fourth inning: Rhoton led off with a double, moved to third base on Schakel’s left field hit, and ran home after Forrester delivered a center field hit, her second RBI of the game.
“We know Chatard,” said Olovich. “We played them this season. They’re well-coached.” The Trojans are consistent winners, as they have won four sectional titles over the last decade and 10 overall. Heights beat Chatard 14-1 on March 20, the Huskies’ first game of the season.
“We knew that coming into this game, it was not going to be like the first night when we surprised them a little bit,” said Olovich. “We knew they got better. You could see their progress.”
Rhoton provided some excitement in the fifth inning. She sent a two-out solo home run over the center field fence, increasing Heights’ lead to 5-1. It was Rhoton’s first-ever high school homer.
“It was really a dream come true,” said Rhoton. “What a better way to do it than in a sectional championship game and make history with our team.”
The Huskies sprinted to the finish line, putting up four runs in the sixth inning. Hall and Roush both got on base with singles, then Rhoton cracked her fourth hit of the game, a left field single to bring in Hall. Morrow hit a sacrifice bunt to move Roush to third base and Rhoton to second, then Schakel stepped up and blasted a home run into left field, sending everyone home.
Heights’ defense took care of the Trojans three-up, three-down in the seventh inning. Roush collected her ninth strikeout of the game for the first out, then Taya Trosper caught two pop outs to seal the win.
Rhoton had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4: a home run, two doubles and a single. Hall, Schakel and Forrester were each 3-for-4. Morrow had two hits and Roush had one. Roush pitched a complete game for the win, striking out nine against four hits and two walks.
Heights has now won four sectional softball crowns: The Huskies won their first title in 1986, then went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.
Heights is 19-8 for the season, which is a new record for most wins in a season. The Huskies will host Beech Grove for the Regional 14 championship on Tuesday.