No. 1 New Palestine pushed to extra innings by Cascade, then explodes for 8 runs to win regional
CLAYTON – New Palestine's 11-3 win over host Cascade in Tuesday's Class 3A softball regional might look like a blowout at first glance, but the Dragons escaped fire as Cascade rallied after trailing 3-0 in the final inning of regulation to tie it with a chance to win the game.
New Palestine junior pitcher Sadey Hughbanks escaped the jam, and the Dragons followed by putting together an improbable eight-run eighth inning spurred by senior Jersi Gross' inside-the-park home run to start the extra frame.
Top-ranked New Palestine (26-4) moves on to face No. 2 Cathedral (26-2) in Saturday's semistate at Jasper, after the Irish topped Lebanon 13-0. The two teams last played in last year's regional championship, with the eventual state runner-up Dragons defeating the Irish 12-1.
IHSAA softball regionals: Statewide pairings, schedule, scores
'Two great teams up in the rankings all year,' said New Palestine coach Ed Marcum. 'It'll be a great game.'
Tuesday's score wasn't representative of how competitive the game was. Cascade senior pitcher Grace Gray escaped multiple jams as New Palestine left 11 runners on base through the first five innings. Early wind gusts of 25 mph blowing directly toward home plate didn't favor the Dragons. It was scoreless in the sixth, but the wind began to die down seemingly at the right time for New Palestine. Gross drew a walk on a 12-pitch at-bat. Katie Hirschy followed with a single to center, and Maddie Engle cleared the bases with a no-doubt home run over the left field fence on the first pitch for a 3-0 New Palestine lead.
'There were a lot (of at-bats) where it looked like we got ahold of the ball and then it was just a little dinker into right,' Engle said. 'There was one of my at-bats, where I hit it to center and everybody was like, 'Oh, you smacked that ball. If only the wind didn't get it.' When I went up to the plate again, the wind died down and we sent it. All of a sudden, our offense came to play. We were on fire. The wind dying down really helped us out.'
The scrappy Cadets, who moved up to 3A this year after winning the 2A state title last year, didn't relent, patching together a three-run seventh to force extra innings. Back-to-back runners were ruled safe following game officials overturning the original calls of them being ruled out. Gray drove both in with a two-run single. A sacrifice by senior Ava Allen tied the score 3-3 and Cascade (21-6) had a runner on third with two outs, but Hughbanks coaxed a groundout to end the threat. After that, it was all New Palestine.
'It was kind of crazy,' Marcum said. 'Both pitchers were throwing great. Defensively, the teams were making plays and the pitchers were making the plays when they had to, to get out of jams. Cascade did a great job coming back and tying the game. It really showed a lot of what this team is about coming through with eight in the top of the eighth. I'm just really proud of them. We found out we couldn't score enough with the type of team Cascade was.'
The Dragons sent 14 batters to the plate in the decisive eighth inning, scoring eight runs off seven hits and three walks, including Gross' inside-the-parker. She smacked a tailing fly ball to left field to start the inning, which sailed over the fielder's head. Gross blazed around the bases to record her first home run of the year.
'Once I saw her back turned, I wasn't planning to stop,' Gross said. 'That really put me in gear, like, 'Oh, shoot, I've got to go.''
Engle followed with an RBI single. Saydie Miller drove in a pair. Catherine Trebley added another RBI. Then it was back to the top of the order and Gross, who added an RBI double for good measure. Cascade would load the bases in the bottom of the inning, refusing to relent without a fight, but Hughbanks (25-4) was able to close the door for the complete-game win.
'We had to overcome adversity,' Gross added. 'It really showed that this team has fight and we're not going to give up, no matter what.'
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