Rain halts Braves Softball Bash after morning games

Andy Amey, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·4 min read

Apr. 11—Rain thwarted the semifinals and finals of the Braves Softball Bash on Saturday — and kept Keagan Rothrock's hits-allowed statistic from increasing by 50% — but yeoman work by a host of volunteers on eight different diamonds enabled all 16 teams to defy the odds and compete in three games each.

With Rothrock in the circle, Roncalli looked like the tournament favorite heading into a semifinal game with Mooresville, and Castle and Franklin Central were competing in the other semifinal contest in the middle of the afternoon when one last shower proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back and sent the remaining teams home.

Wabash Valley teams didn't fare well in Saturday morning competition, although Terre Haute North did beat pool winner Franklin Central and could have won its pool had the Patriots beaten Floyd Central in their second game of the day.

Host Terre Haute South had an early lead against Edgewood but let that game get away — after having lost to Roncalli earlier — and West Vigo, Northview, North Central and Sullivan were also 0-2.

Rothrock, a sophomore considered by many to be the best player/pitcher in the country, did not disappoint. She pitched four innings of perfect relief on Friday against Edgewood, getting the win by hitting a go-ahead homer, and pitched a six-inning perfect game — with 18 strikeouts — against Hamilton Southeastern.

In those two contests she faced 30 batters and struck out 29 of them. Edgewood hit a fair ball — and had a foul ball just miss being an extra-base hit — and Mooresville's Alex Cooper (another sophomore to remember) hit a double against her in the semifinal game that was wiped out by the deluge. So Rothrock left Terre Haute with a season total of 28 innings pitched — the Hamilton Southeastern game was her second all-strikeout perfect game so far — with 73 strikeouts and just two hits allowed (less than half the total of hits she produced at bat in three Bash games).

In Saturday games involving Wabash Valley teams:

—Terre Haute North 11, Franklin Central 7 — At North, Christina Richards was 2 for 2 with a pair of homers for the Patriots, while Halie Gilbert was 3 for 4 with two doubles and Marlee Ramey 3 for 4 with one double.

—Roncalli 7, Terre Haute South 3 — The Braves got just five singles, by Grace Kidwell, Marlee Loudermilk, Lexi Cottrell, Jasmine Kinzer and Izzy Light. Loudermilk had the only RBI, and Lexy Kinzer scored twice.

—Tecumseh 13, West Vigo 4 — At Miss Softball America, the Vikings got 12 hits but also left 12 runners on base.

Avery Funk, Carlea Funk and Ashley Dunkin had two hits each for the Vikings, with Carlea Funk and Piper Beeler both hitting doubles.

—Castle 6, Northview 1 — At Miss Softball America, Lauren Sackett was 2 for 3 with a double and Mianah Thompson came off the bench to hit a double for the Knights.

—Floyd Central 14, North 6 — Had the Patriots won, they'd have been competing for the championship, but the loss put them in fourth place with runs allowed being the tiebreaker. Zoey Jukes and Drew Bolen both homered and Richards and Taylor Hoggatt had doubles for North, now 2-6 for the season.

—Edgewood 10, South 8 — The Braves had a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the third, but allowed 13 hits and committed four errors. Maddy Griswold was 3 for 4 and scored twice, Kidwell was 3 for 5 with a triple and four RBI, Loudermilk was 2 for 5 with a double and Light scored twice. South is now 2-8.

—Mooresville 11, West Vigo 1 — The left-on-base stat didn't look good for West Vigo again, as the Vikings left nine stranded.

Beeler and Avery Funk had two hits each for the 3-4 Vikings, who open Western Indiana Conference play at home Tuesday against Cloverdale.

—Martinsville 12, Northview 3 — The Knights also led early but couldn't maintain the advantage. Olyvia Notter was 2 for 3 for Northview while Karigan Krider was 2 for 4, Callie Shepard 1 for 3 with a triple and Sackett 1 for 4 with a double. Northview is now 3-2 and hosts Bloomington South on Monday.

Braves Softball Bash results

Russ Myers pool — Hamilton Southeastern 11, Terre Haute South 1 (March 31); Roncalli 7, Edgewood 2 (Friday); Roncalli 7, South 3; Edgewood 6, Hamilton Southeastern 0; Edgewood 10, South 8; Roncalli 10, Hamilton Southeastern 0.

Wayne Myers pool — Avon 11, West Vigo 3 (Friday); Mooresville 10, Tecumseh 6 (Friday); Tecumseh 13, West Vigo 4; Mooresville 5, Avon 4; Mooresville 11, West Vigo 1; Avon 7, Tecumseh 2.

Don Corey pool — Northview 14, North Central 3 (Friday); Castle 7, Martinsville 6 (Friday); Castle 6, Northview 1; Martinsville 11, North Central 0; Martinsville 12, Northview 3; Castle 10, North Central 0.

Dave Benningfield pool — Sullivan 10, Terre Haute North 1 (Friday); Franklin Central 12, Floyd Central 1 (Friday); North 11, Franklin Central 7; Floyd Central 3, Sullivan 1; Floyd Central 14, North 6; Franklin Central 10, Sullivan 0.