Center Grove softball advances to state title game

<p>BEDFORD</p><p>In each of the past two seasons, the semistate was the end of the line for the Center Grove softball team. </p><p>Abby Herbst wasn’t about to let that happen again.</p><p>The Miss Softball candidate tossed 14 near-flawless innings over two games and put an exclamation point on the day with a three-run home run during the Trojans’ 6-1 victory over Brownsburg in the championship game of the Class 4A Bedford North Lawrence Semistate on Saturday.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>The third-ranked Trojans (27-3) will face No. 7 Leo in the state title game this weekend at Purdue University.</p><p>&quot;We’re tired of losing,&quot; Center Grove senior shortstop Piper Belden said. &quot;We want this for ourselves, so we’re going to do anything possible to do it.&quot;</p><p>Herbst scattered six hits in the final, smothering Bulldog rally bids in the third and sixth innings. She finally gave up a run in the seventh before snagging a bases-loaded liner and throwing to third for a game-ending double play.</p><p>&quot;They made it interesting, but I knew my defense had my back,&quot; Herbst said. &quot;I was getting pretty tired, as most could probably tell, so having that lead was really nice.&quot;</p><p>Even if Herbst had been off her game on Saturday evening, the Trojans had her back with ample run support. And as has been the case all postseason long, junior catcher Lexi Fair got the engine started.</p><p>Just like she had in the team’s regional win at Columbus Fair opened the scoring against Brownsburg when she led off the top of the second inning with a home run to left center field. It was her sixth dinger of the season and third of the tournament.</p><p>&quot;We’ve been hitting well lately, and we knew we would be able to hit these pitchers,&quot; Fair said. &quot;We had seen (Brownsburg starter Maddy Edwards) once; we knew that we could capitalize on it.&quot;</p><p>Center Grove extended its lead to 3-0 in the third. Piper Belden beat out a bunt single, stole second and came in on a double up the middle by Herbst. Fair followed with an RBI base hit, scoring courtesy runner Sydney McConnell from second base.</p><p>Herbst then wiggled her way out of a jam in the bottom of the third, leaving runners on second and third after a walk and an error had briefly given the Bulldogs some hope.</p><p>That hope vanished when Herbst drove a pitch over the fence with one out in the fifth after Jillian Ransdell and Belden had led off with back-to-back singles.</p><p>&quot;I saw a pitch to drive, and I knew I needed to do something and score that girl from second,&quot; Herbst said. &quot;The home run just did it, I guess.&quot;</p><p>Brownsburg (21-7) — which had beaten Center Grove 2-1 on April 11 — again came up empty after getting runners to second and third in the sixth, and though they were able to break up the shutout in the final inning, the Bulldogs couldn’t manage any more than a single run.</p><p>Herbst — who has not given up an earned run in her last 73 innings — was even more dominant in the morning, when Center Grove began its day with a quick 3-0 semifinal victory over Cathedral.</p><p>Consecutive two-out singles by Kennedy Bader, Alexis Rudd and Brooke York got the Trojans on the board in the second inning. RBI doubles by Fair and Rudd in the sixth provided Herbst with some extra wiggle room.</p><p>Not that she needed it. The Wisconsin recruit gave up just two hits and two walks, one intentional, while striking out eight.</p><p>Back in the state championship game for the first time since 2015 and riding a 17-game winning streak over the past five weeks, Center Grove probably won’t be making any big alterations this week.</p><p>&quot;Everything we’ve been doing is working,&quot; Belden said, &quot;and clearly it’s gotten us this far, so I don’t think anything drastic’s going to change — but we’re definitely going to kick harder. We want that blue ring.&quot;</p><p>Trojans coach Alyssa Coleman, who won a ring last year when she steered Speedway to the Class 2A crown, likes what she’s seen lately from her current squad.</p><p>&quot;They’re starting to simplify the game, and that’s when you see people just thrive,&quot; she said. &quot;They’re becoming a great team, and it’s pretty cool.&quot;</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="State tickets on sale" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Tickets for Saturday’s softball state championship games at Purdue’s Bittinger Stadium will be available at the Center Grove athletic office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets are $10 each and are good for all four games. The Trojans’ Class 4A title game against Leo is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]