By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – University easily defended its Sectional 42 championship on Monday, defeating Monrovia 13-1 in the title game at Park Tudor.
After edging out the host Panthers in the semifinals on Saturday, May 30, the Trailblazers wasted no time in getting ahead of the Bulldogs. University started with a run in the first inning; Oliver Kingery got home on Cooper Cammack’s sacrifice fly.
The Blazers added three runs in the third inning. Quinn Green scored on an error, then Cammack drove in Ryan Castetter and Kingery. Cammack was up to three RBIs and he wasn’t done yet.
University took complete control of the game in the fourth inning, scoring nine runs. Beckett Suh singled in Kingery, then Cammack drove in Suh. Philip Jacobs’ left field hit brought home Cammack and Finn Steiner, then Castetter singled Jacobs home.
Finn Steiner scored one of University’s nine runs during the fourth inning. (Joshua Herd)
Green scored on a passed ball for the Trailblazers’ 10th run. Later, University loaded the bases and Cammack blasted a double to send everyone home; Ethan Cutsinger, Castetter and Kingery all scored.
The hit brought Cammack’s RBI total to seven for the game. He was a flawless 3-for-3 at the plate. Kingery was 2-for-2, hitting a triple and a single.
“That was really good for him,” said Blazers coach Chris Estep. “He hasn’t liked his performances at the plate. He’s been really good on the mound, but he hasn’t been taking it to the plate. Tonight was a concerted effort physically and mentally to really work on, ‘Hey, I’m going to get back to the hitter that I am.”
“I had my start against Park Tudor and I went for seven strikeouts,” said Cammack. “I was really proud of that but I felt my offensive production was lacking and so the focus between these games was just producing for my team and being the guy that they need me to be, and I feel like I fit that role pretty well tonight.”
Semifinal win
University beat host Park Tudor 4-3 in the Saturday, May 30 semifinals.
Both teams scored a run in the first inning. The Trailblazers, playing as the home team, got their run when Kingery scored on Cammack’s RBI groundout.
The Panthers scored two runs in the top of the third inning. University got a run back in the bottom of the third when David Gasper singled in Castetter.
Steiner singled in Suh to tie the game in the fifth inning. Suh returned the favor in the sixth inning, batting in Kingery for the go-ahead run. Park Tudor loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Steiner threw a strikeout to end the game.
Suh had three hits, including a double. Cammack threw his seven strikeouts over four innings, while Steiner got the win after pitching the last two innings.
University is 20-10 and plays Greencastle in a Class 2A regional this Saturday, June 6. Regional sites will be announced by the IHSAA on Wednesday.
“Greencastle’s got a great club,” said Estep. “They got some good arms and good players. We’ve got to get ourselves prepared over the next four or five days to try to go out and get a ‘W.’”
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