In a crazy finish to the sectional semifinal game between Greensburg and Jennings County, the Pirates advanced to the championship game with a 6-2, 8-inning victory.
Greensburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Colt McCalvin single to left field that scored Hayden Ramsey.
The Pirates added a run in the fourth inning with Ethan Bishop singling to center field to drive in McCalvin and push the lead to 2-0.
The Panthers got on the board with a run in the fifth inning and tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the sixth inning.
Both teams were scoreless in the seventh as Ethan Smith got out of a bases loaded jam with a strike out to send the game to extra innings.
The wild ending unfolded in the top of the eighth. With one out, Greensburg’s Chase Walsman doubled to left field. Colt McCalvin drew a walk and Patrick Robbins singled to left field to load the bases.
Bishop drew a walk to force in the go-ahead run as Walsman scored to make it 3-2. After a fielder’s choice for the second out, Ayden Sefton walked to force in Robbins. Zayden Miller was then walked to force in Bishop. Smith followed with another walk to force in Luke Hoeing. The fourth bases-loaded walk gave the Pirates a 6-2 lead.
Smith retired the Panthers in order in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win.
On the mound for the Pirates, Jacob Duerstock started and went 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit and four walks while striking out seven. Smith pitched 2.0 innings, allowing three walks while striking out five.
Offensively, Walsman had a single and double. McCalvin finished with a pair of singles and one RBI. Bishop singled and drove in two runs. Robbins had the other single for Greensburg. Miller, Smith and Sefton all had one RBI.
The Pirates and Batesville played Monday for the sectional title. The game ended after deadline. Watch Thursday’s edition of the Daily News for more on the baseball sectional at Batesville.
Batesville 4, South Dearborn 2
Four runs through the first two innings for the Bulldogs was enough for Batesville to knock off South Dearborn 4-2 in the sectional semifinal.
Batesville got a 3-run home run by Brayden Maple in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead.
The Bulldogs added a Dane Dudley home run in the second inning to lead 4-0.
The Knights scored a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth inning to make the final score 4-2.
Willliam Huber got the win on the mound for Batesville. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on seven hits and one walk while striking out three. Ronan Post pitched 1.1 innings, allowing one walk.
Offensively, Dudley finished with a home run, two singles and one RBI. Maple tallied a home run, single and three RBIs. Rylan Yeager and Huber both had a single.
North Decatur
The Chargers earned a right to play for the Morristown Sectional title with a 12-6 win against Tri and a 12-2 win against Waldron.
Against Tri, the Chargers scored in every inning except the sixth en route to doubling up the Titans. North pounded out 12 hits.
Wyatt Reisman finished with a double and two singles. Matthew Fields tallied two singles and five RBIs. Tyler Dean and Eli Trenkamp both had two singles. Grayson Downey added a single and an RBI. Kipton Ruf and Corbin Thackery both had a single. Henry Kinker had the other RBI.
North used four pitchers in the game. Dean pitched 4.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit and six walks while striking out five. Trenkamp pitched .2 of an inning, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out one. Reisman allowed one walk and one hit while striking out two in 1.2 innings on the hill. Kinker pitched .2 of an inning with two strikeouts.
North needed just five innings to win the semifinal game 12-2 against Waldron. The Chargers scored six runs in the first inning and rolled from there.
Fields pitched 4.1 innings, allowing one hit while striking out nine. Kinker allowed two earned runs on five walks. Trenkamp pitched .2 of an inning with two strikeouts.
Offensively, Kinker tallied two singles and a team-high four RBIs. Trenkamp finished with three RBIs and a single. Downey had a pair of singles and two RBIs. Ruf singled and drove in one run. Dean added a single.
North and Knightstown played Monday for the sectional title. The game ended after deadline. Watch Thursday’s edition of the Daily News for more on the baseball sectional at Morristown.
Knightstown 9, South Decatur 1
After trailing 1-0 after one inning of play, Knightstown scored nine unanswered runs to knock off South Decatur 9-1 in the sectional semifinal at Morristown.
South got on the board in the bottom of the first inning on a Carter Tull sacrifice fly that scored Corey Nugent. The Panthers responded with three runs in the fourth inning, five runs in the fifth inning and one run in the seventh inning.
South had six hits in the game. JP Scudder finished with two singles. Tull added a single and RBI. Nugent and Cayden Drake both had a double. Grady Scudder had the other single for South.
On the hill, Drake pitched 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four. Nugent pitched 2.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two.