By TRIBUNE SPORTS STAFF
Kokomo topped Northwestern 2-1 in eight innings Thursday in a softball game that featured a pitching duel.
Kokomo senior Elizabeth Wagner earned the win with a complete-game gem that included 15 strikeouts. She allowed just three hits, two walks and no earned runs.
“Elizabeth pitched a great game. She had good command of her pitches and she has good speed on the ball this year,” Kokomo coach Lisa Tate said.
Northwestern junior Shelby Barnett turned in a strong performance too. She went the distance and allowed five hits.
“I think Shelby Barnett did a very nice job pitching,” Tate said. “The top of my lineup usually hits pretty well and she really kept us off balance. She had really good location on the plate.
“I was proud of the bottom of my lineup. They came through with a couple of those hits. That’s always encouraging as a coach to see early in the season.”
Tied 1-all after the regulation seven innings, Kokomo took the win in the bottom of the eighth. Tiffany Pratt cracked a one-out single to left-center to start the winning rally. Brittney Scamehorn came on to pinch-run and Wagner slapped a hit to put runners on first and second. After Scamehorn and Wagner pulled off a double steal, Jordan Broomfield smacked the game-winning hit to right-center.
Wagner finished 2-for-4 with a double to lead the Kats, who head into spring break with a 2-0 record.
Carroll 6, Maconaquah 5
Jennifer Kuepper led the visiting Braves (0-4) with three hits, including a double. She stole two bases, scored two runs and drove in a run. Lacey Page also had a double and two singles and Ashley Wohlford rapped three singles.
BASEBALL
No. 10 Kokomo 5, Taylor 3
Class 4A No. 10-ranked Kokomo took control in the top of the fourth inning when Devin Schacht smacked a solo homer to break a scoreless tie and Austin Colby cracked a two-run double. Taylor closed to within 3-2 in the bottom of the frame, but Kokomo kept the lead the rest of the way.
“You’re always happy to get a win before you go on spring break,” Kokomo coach Steve Edwards said. “I was a little disappointed in our effort. It was that game right before spring break. But overall, I’m pleased that we’re going into spring break 3-0.”
Taylor Carpenter pitched two innings of relief to earn the win. Phillip Kuhns pitched the first three innings and T.J. Weir worked the final two innings.
“Taylor Carpenter threw in relief in all three games this week. He kept his pitch count low and he was very efficient,” Edwards noted. “It’s nice to have a guy you know can come in and stop any damage.”
Colby, a sophomore, had hits in his first two varsity at-bats to lead the Kats’ eight-hit attack.
Teddy Nolley went 2-for-3 to lead the Titans in their season opener. Seth Vautaw went 1-for-2 and was twice hit by a pitch. Nolley, Jake Leicht and Shane Arnold drove in runs for the Titans. David Brinkley suffered the pitching loss, but earned praise from both skippers.
“I like how we played,” Taylor coach Jeremy Luna said. “We came out and played the way we’re supposed to play. We committed only one error and we had good, quality at-bats. Overall, we did a good job against a team that is ranked in the Class 4A state poll. I was really pleased.”
Eastern 12, Wabash 2, 6 innings
Down 2-0 after four innings, Eastern rallied to beat visiting Wabash. Eastern scored two runs in the fifth inning, then exploded for 10 runs in the sixth to win by the 10-run mercy rule. Michael Moreno cracked a grand slam to ignite the big inning.
Eastern pitchers Dane DeWitt and Eric Hainlen combined on a five-hitter. Hainlen earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief.
“I was very pleased with our pitching. It kept us in the game,” said Eastern coach Steve Swinson, whose squad improved to 1-1. “It was a team effort. We had some good defensive plays, some good hits late in the game and our pitching did very well. It’s a good character builder for our team going into spring break and hopefully we can carry it on when we get back.”
Moreno, who also had an RBI double, finished 2-for-5. Joel Hoover also had a strong showing at the plate for the Comets, going 2-for-4 with two extra-base hits and two RBI. Brandon Hainlen chipped in a double and a single and an RBI and Eric Hainlen drove in a run with a double.
No. 10 Northwestern 19, Rossville 0, 5 innings
The Class 3A co-No. 10-ranked Tigers improved to 3-0 with the rout of the Hornets. The Tigers scored 11 runs in the top of the first inning to remove any suspense from the game.
Jimmy Corcoran went 4-for-4 with a home run to lead the Tigers. He drove in four runs and scored four runs. Through three games, the 2008 Howard County batting champion is 9-for-9 with two homers and 11 RBI.
Also for Northwestern, Mitch Daily went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, four RBI and three runs and Austin Henderson had two extra-base hits and three RBI.
Bryan Beachy pitched three innings of one-hit ball to earn the win. Cal Cossell and Ray Schaaf each offered an inning of relief.
“Our goal was to keep our bats hot, be effective on the mound and make no errors and we accomplished our goal,” Northwestern coach Ryan Berryman said.
Tri-Central 17, Sheridan 0, 5 innings
Blake Burnett and Josh Copp combined to pitch a no-hitter for the Trojans. Burnett pitched the first three innings, allowing no runs on no hits, no walks with five strikeouts. Copp came in relief to pitch the final two innings. He allowed no runs on no hits and one walk with four strike outs.
“We pitched well, and Sheridan struggled,” TC coach Sean Swan said. “We made some good adjustments, and we took advantage of some of their miscues.”
Burnett led TC with three singles and three runs scored. Copp added a single and a triple and two RBI.
BOYS GOLF
Northwestern 154, Marion 168
Medalist Ben-Marvin Egel fired a 37 to lead a balanced showing by the Tigers in a season-opening win at Green Acres G.C. Carson Bowers (38), Curtis Bretl (38) and Tyler Barnes (41) rounded out the Tigers’ 154.
“I’m elated,” Northwestern coach Randy Lindgren said. “We have a young team; 70 percent underclassmen led by all-stater Ben-Marvin Egel. We have an unbelievable senior leader in Carson Bowers. If team chemistry is anything, this is a great team to be around.”
Jeff Blankenberger (46) and Drew Hansen (47) also played for the Tigers.
GIRLS TRACK
Kokomo 92, Maconaquah 39
Kokomo won 13 of the 16 events, highlighting their strong performance with 1-2-3 sweeps in three events (discus, high jump, 300-meter hurdles).
Maddie Cassidy, Ashley DeWitt and Brielle Bonnafon each won two individual events for the Kats. Cassidy was tops in the 200 dash (:28.4) and 400 dash (1:03.5), DeWitt took wins in shot put (42 feet, 6 inches) and discus (107-2) and Bonnafon won the long jump (14-6) and 100 hurdles (:18.1).
The Kats also received wins from: Hailey Rice (pole vault, 8-3); Mary Lang (100 dash, :13.4); Whitney Weir (300 hurdles, :51.8); Annika Taber (800 run, 2:33.4); and Sarah Frey (high jump, 4-6).
The Kats also won two relay events. Cassidy, Emily Keller, Weir and Taber won the 1,600 relay (4:27.1) and Keller, Rice, Lang and Portia Lang won the 400 relay (:53.9).
“I was pleased with the performances,” Kokomo coach Dave Barnes said. “We have a couple of seniors out for the first time and veterans did what we expected.”
Western 74, Northwestern 57
Western topped Northwestern in a competitive meet.
Triple winner Cara Earlywine paced the Panthers. She took individual wins in the 100 dash (:13.6) and 200 dash (:27.8). In addition, she teamed with Alleca Kerker, Taylor Young and Danae Rittmann to win the 400 relay (:53.6).
Also for Western, Nikki McCracken took wins in the pole vault (9-6) and 100 hurdles (:17.5). Other Western winners were: Allison Eberettes (400 dash, 1:04.4); Ashley Gaskins (3,200 run, 13:18); Sable Staller (high jump, 5-1); Caily Tanner (shot put, 32-8); and Kristin Piedman (discus, 100-6).
“Earlywine set the pace for us,” Western coach Marvin Boswell said. “Kerker was right with her in the 100 dash. Those two are really competitive. McCracken came out, and she had a really good time. She looked good going across the hurdles. It was also phenomenal for her to start out the season at 9-6.”
Individually for Northwestern, Hannah Ault won the 1,600 run (5:56), Nicki Hendricks won the 800 run (2:38.3), Kara DeFabritis was tops in the long jump (15-2.5) and Courtney Silvey won the 300 hurdles (:52.8).
Also for the Tigers, Ault, Lauren Dewhurst, Annie Sloss and Nicki Hendricks won the 3,200 relay (10:26.1), and Ault, Dewhurst, Rachel Lowden and Lauren Brun won the 1,600 relay (4:25.8).
“I was very pleased with the girls. They all gave good efforts for the first meet out,” Northwestern coach Mary Clem said. “We had a better score than we had in our first meet last year so that’s always a promising way to start the season. A lot of the rookies who just came on board stepped up and did well. Hopefully the jitters are gone now and after spring break, we’ll come back suntanned and ready to go again.”
Eastern 70, Taylor 52
Zoe Wolfe won three individual events to lead Eastern past visiting Taylor. The Comet sophomore won the 100 hurdles (18.1 seconds), the 300 hurdles (:52) and the high jump (5-6).
“Zoe broke the school record in the high jump,” Eastern coach Michael Goodspeed said.
Also for the Comets, Liz White won the 100 dash (:14.0) and long jump (13-8) and Emily Wilcox won the 1,600 run (6:19) and 3,200 run (14:28). The Comets also swept the three relay events.
Double winner Teri Oliver led Taylor by winning the throwing events. She putted the shot 31-1 and tossed the discus 85-6. Also for the Titans, Hannah Hawkins was tops in pole vault (8-0), Sable Wall won the 200 dash (:29.8), Bri Barnett won the 400 dash (1:12) and Mary Troyer took first in the 800 run (3:02).
“We had only nine or 10 girls — we had people gone on vacation,” Taylor coach Alan Tunmer said. “I thought we did fairly well for what we had. We’re improving our times every meet. We’ll keep working at it.”
Tri-Central 83, Sheridan 25
The Trojans motored past Sheridan, sweeping the relays and winning nine individual events, highlighted by Kelly Walter’s school record in the high jump. She cleared the bar at 5-4 to win the event and set a new TC mark.
“I was really proud of the girls,” TC coach Bret Bailey said. “Several of them did personal bests from [where they topped out] last year. Kelly breaking the record in the first meet was extremely exciting because she still can improve her form and has more inches to gain.”
Also for TC (1-0), Gabi Bunn won the 100 hurdles (19.5) and the 300 hurdles (1:03). Briana Humphries won the 100 (13.6) and the 200 (29.45). Hollie Pucket won the 1,600 (7:27). Rachel Zickmund won the 400 (1:06.35). Casey Muhs won the 800 (2:51). And Somer Muhs took first in the long jump (13-9.5).
TC won the 3,200 relay with Rachel Hewitt, Casey Muhs, Pucket and Bruna Wilcken covering the course in 13:35. The team of Humphries, Casey Muhs, Walter and Zickmund won the 1,600 relay in 4:46. And TC took the 400 relay in 56.69 with Humphries, Hewitt, Somer Muhs and Walter running for the winners.
BOYS TRACK
Western 92, Northwestern 39
Western received strong efforts up and down its lineup in beating rival Northwestern.
Individually, Jerel Hall won the 100 dash (:11.6) and 200 dash (:22.9). Also for the Panthers, Indy Matthew won the 300 hurdles (:42.5) and long jump (18-9.5), Aaron VanAuken placed first in the 110 hurdles (:16.6) and high jump (5-11), Chris Harter won the pole vault (13-6), Zac Martinez was tops in the 800 run (2:05.2) and Trevor Buckalew won shot put (46-9).
Also for the Panthers, Jake Askren, Mathew, Trent Lawlyes and Hall won the 400 relay (:45.0), and Hall, Lucas Luckey, Harter and Daltton Head won the 1,600 relay (3:39.1).
“Overall, our sprints and hurdles was what really separated us — Hall winning in both the 100 and 200 and Askren coming in second in both events. It was a strong effort by our sprinters,” Western’s Boswell said. “VanAuken had a best time in the 110 hurdles, and he had a personal best in the high jump.”
Kory Kennedy and Ryan Pattison led Northwestern. Kennedy won the 1,600 run (4:41.5) and 3,200 run (10:32.4). Pattison was tops in the 400 dash (:52.8) and he teamed with Sam Freeman, Adam Fessenden and Jeremy Robison to win the 3,200 relay. Brock Ford also picked up a win for the Tigers, firing the discus 148-10.
“Kennedy is strong,” according to Boswell. “Also, Ford threw well in the discus. There’s not many dual meets where all [top] three places were over 140 feet.”
Eastern 75, Taylor 56
Ryan Horner won a pair of events to help the Comets win their season opener. He won the 1,600 run in 4:55.6 and the 3,200 run in 11:00.8.
Other individual winners for Eastern were: Kelly Kingseed (long jump, 19-9); Blake Donson (high jump, 5-10); Kevin Jackson (pole vault, 13-6); Brett Buckmaster (400 dash, :53.3); and Hansen Martin (800 run, 2:07.3). Martin and Mitch Padfield ran on the Comets’ winning 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams. Caleb Gibson and Dylan Buck completed the 1,600 team and Drew Maple and Buckmaster completed the 3,200 team.
“It was a great opening night,” Eastern coach Paul Nicholson said. “We had some really nice surprises in terms of people just stepped up. I’m really proud of the team. We have a couple injuries that are holding us up, but we’ll mend hopefully over spring break.”
Austen Conwell and Shawn Fogleman led Taylor. Conwell swept the hurdles events, winning the 110 highs in :16 and the 300 intermediates in :43.1. Fogleman won the 100 dash in :11.5 and the 200 dash in :24.4, and took second in the long jump. In addition, Conwell and Fogleman teamed with Walter Wheeler and Gordon Jenkins to win the 400 relay.
Also for Taylor, Justin Welsh swept the throws, putting the shot 43-7 1/2 and sending the discus 126-8.
Sheridan 64, Tri-Central 58
Kevin Ray was a triple winner and Jacob Baird and Cody Kent were double winners as the Trojans lost a close decision in their season opener. Kevin Ray won the 1,600 (5:08) and the 800 (2:26) and teamed with Baird, Mike Jones and Casey Colbert to win the 1,600 relay in 4:03.
Individually, Baird won the 300 hurdles (49.0) while Kent won the shot put with a distance of 37-4 and won the discus with a throw of 111-8. Also, R.J. Wilson won the 3,200 (17:35).
“As far as the overall team effort, I was really pleased with it,” Bailey said. “This is one of the closest meets we’ve had and I look for some of the younger guys to step up this season.
Tribune sportswriters Bryan Gaskins, Kenny Hetzler and Pedro Velazco compiled this roundup.
