<p>Center Grove baseball coach Keith Hatfield has referred to the team as grinders on more than one occasion this season.</p>
<p>It’s meant as a compliment.</p>
<p>Monday’s two victories at the Class 4A Evansville Reitz Regional exhibited, again, that the team is built upon timely hitting and a deep pitching staff.</p>
<p>“We’re 25-3, but we’ve been grinding all year,” said Hatfield, who’s in his third season with the Trojans. “It’s never pretty, and you never know who’s going to get the big hit.</p>
<p>"There have been so many guys for us.”</p>
<p>Center Grove has produced enough timely hits to advance to Saturday’s Plainfield Semistate. The Trojans, in the semistate for the first time since 1996, play Roncalli.</p>
<p>Unranked in the state coaches’ poll, Center Grove advanced by gutting out a 5-4 win against ninth-ranked New Albany in Monday’s regional title game by scoring one run in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.</p>
<p>As is custom, many players contributed.</p>
<p>Senior second baseman Brian Gudeman’s single into Bosse Field’s centerfield grass produced the winning run, completing a rally started by Will Smithey’s leadoff walk.</p>
<p>Sophomores Michael Wyman and Ryan Sauter came through with two hits apiece, including Wyman’s home run, with junior Nick Coy also scoring a run after being on base three different times.</p>
<p>Jack Kellams pitched the first 4 1/3 innings for the Trojans before senior Conner Cantrell was brought on for the final 2 2/3 innings.</p>
<p>It was the Trojans’ fifth one-run victory of the season. They’ve also won five games by two runs.</p>
<p>Center Grove defeated Bloomington South 5-1 in Monday’s semifinal. The game was a continuation of the one started Saturday that suspended by rain with the Trojans leading 1-0 and batting in the bottom of the second.</p>
<p>Senior left-hander Jacob Cantleberry went the distance, allowing three hits and striking out nine Panthers hitters.</p>
<p>Wyman delivered two hits for the Trojans. Senior center fielder Tye Thixton led off the game with a triple, Smithey produced a sacrifice fly, and senior third baseman Braden Pinegar belted a double.</p>
<p>Not bad for a team that through 28 games carries a batting average below .300.</p>
<p>“Our pitching staff and defense have been great all year,” Thixton said. “In big situations someone comes up with the big hit, and we win by a run or two.</p>
<p>“I’m sure we’ve aged coach Hatfield by a lot with all these close games.”</p>
<p>A 2003 graduate of Roncalli, Hatfield now has to beat his alma mater — and where he was head coach for four seasons (2010-13) — to send Center Grove to Victory Field for the Class 4A state championship game, to be played either June 17 or 18.</p>
<p>Hatfield is looking forward, not backwards.</p>
<p>“I still know a lot of the guys at Roncalli. It’s going to be fun,” Hatfield said. “They’re a really good team with a lot of left-handed pitchers. But the nerves won’t be because of Roncalli.</p>
<p>"The nerves will be because it’s a Final Four game.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="CG baseball pullout" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>IF YOU GO</p>
<p>Class 4A Semistate</p>
<p>At Plainfield H.S.</p>
<p>Saturday</p>
<p>Class 2A: Knightstown (22-8) vs. Providence (25-2), 1 p.m.</p>
<p>Class 4A: Roncalli (21-9) vs. Center Grove (25-3), 3:15 p.m.</p>
<p>Admission: $6.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]