Roncalli softball rallies past Center Grove

Roncalli’s air of softball invincibility stood on extremely shaky ground through 6 1/3 innings on Tuesday.

Ninth-ranked Center Grove was two outs from sending the reigning Class 4A state champion and top-ranked Royals home with their first loss of the season.

But there’s a reason Roncalli is viewed as one of the best high school softball teams in the country.

Many reasons, actually.

The Royals showcased the majority of them in the final inning, scoring six runs in the top of the seventh to win, 6-1, at Russ Milligan Field.

Afterward, Roncalli coach David Lauck was proud of the fact his team remained perfect despite, well, him.

“I’m proudest of the fact we won despite the coaching,” Lauck said after his squad improved to 24-0. “I felt there were some situations where we could’ve been more crisp with execution, and that’s on me. Some base-running stuff, that’s on me, because we left seven or eight girls on base before the seventh inning.

“In a game like this against a pitcher like that (Trojans sophomore left-hander Riley Henson), we need to manufacture runs. Despite some of our coaching errors, we came back and won.”

Center Grove grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third when junior shortstop Ashlynn Wolff’s double to left field scored sophomore leadoff hitter Hannah Haberstroh, whose speed was on display while producing an infield single with two out.

The Trojans kept Roncalli off the board through six innings, but then the visitors, undaunted by the fact they were sending the bottom third of their batting order to the plate, went to work.

Senior Tori Candler’s leadoff double to right field set the wheels in motion. Candler took third on Lauren Marsicek’s sacrifice bunt, and an infield hit by Cate Lehner , the No. 9 hitter, tied the score at 1-1. The Royals continued to tack on runs thanks to hits from leadoff Lyla Blackwell, Carly Keller and Abbey Hofmann.

Junior pitcher Keagan Rothrock supplied the exclamation point, the cleanup hitter’s two-run home run sailing over the center-field fence.

“I knew we were going to figure it out at some point,” said Rothrock, who allowed two hits and struck out 12 to improve her record this season to 20-0. “We always do.”

Henson went the distance for the Trojans (17-8), allowing 11 hits – six of which were in the seventh inning – walking three batters and striking out seven.

With a home game today against Class 3A power Tri-West and one of 4A’s most challenging sectionals looming at Mooresville, Center Grove coach Alyssa Coleman knows her players will benefit from what transpired on Tuesday.

“I don’t know any other team that has our schedule, and that’s what we keep preaching to the girls,” Coleman said. “This is the way. This is the direction. You’ll be ready. All that matters is postseason in the end.

“We’re prepared, and they need to be in those moments where the pressure is on. Those last three outs are the hardest. Learn from it. Period. A lot of them haven’t been thrust into that, and pressure is a real thing.”

Rothrock produced a single, double and the aforementioned homer; Carly Keller had a single and double, while Hofmann singled twice.