Center Grove softball overpowers Woodmen

<p>Spring is in full bloom, and so is the Center Grove softball team.</p><p>The Class 4A No. 6 Trojans went into Greenwood and had one of their performances of the season, beating the host Woodmen 15-1 on Friday afternoon.</p><p>“A ton of kids just blossomed,” said Center Grove coach Alyssa Coleman.</p><p>Not only that, they showed an aggressiveness that hadn’t been totally on display yet this season.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Center Grove did everything well and in all aspects.</p><p>The Trojans pounded out 14 hits, including five extra-base hits, and had eight stolen bases.</p><p>On defense, pitcher Alexis Rudd scattered three hits, struck out eight batters and didn’t issue a walk.</p><p>“The confidence on the basepaths, the defense behind them, it’s definitely one of our strongest defenses when we have (Abby) Herbst in the field and Kaci (Finchum) and Piper (Belden) up the middle,” said Coleman. “We had our best sticks and our best defense out there, and it was wonderful.”</p><p>The Trojans plated seven runs in the first three innings. Center Grove scored in every inning but the sixth, and they atoned for that by putting up five in the final inning.</p><p>Three Trojans had three hits in the game and two of them, Herbst and Kennedy Bader, just missed out on hitting for the cycle. Herbst, who knocked in seven runs, had a two-run line drive homer to right in the first inning and followed that up with a single and double. Bader hit an RBI triple in the first, an RBI single and a solo blast to left field in the fourth.</p><p>Also getting three hits was Belden, who also put on a dazzling display on the basepaths with four stolen bases and four runs.</p><p>It was the kind of aggressiveness that Coleman was relieved to see.</p><p>“I’ve seen our girls be overly picky to the point where they’re striking out being picky and that’s not helpful,” said Coleman. “We’ve been encouraging them to own being aggressive and drive through the ball, and today we saw the hitters we know we have.”</p><p>Greenwood’s lone run came in the fourth, when junior Dominique Proctor hit a two-out double and was then driven in on Alexis Rees’ single.</p><p>The loss was the Woodmen’s third straight and dropped Greenwood to 1-4.</p><p>Center Grove improved to 3-1 and even more frightening for Trojan opponents is Coleman believes they will get better as the season progresses.</p><p>“We have room to grow,” Coleman said. “The message I told them after the game is we only know this worked if it shows up against even better teams and when it matters. It shouldn’t waver one bit.</p><p>Both teams play next on Monday. The Trojans are home against Martinsville, while the Woodmen host Brown County.</p>