SHELBYVILLE
Whiteland softball had been enjoying its best season in quite some time, winning its first 20 games and claiming conference and sectional championships in the same year for the first time since 2000.
Ranked second in the state in Class 4A, the Warriors were looking to add to that success story with their first-ever regional title, but the thrill ride ended on Tuesday evening with a 4-0 loss at No. 10 Shelbyville — which was also seeking its first regional crown.
The Warriors (24-3) had defeated the Golden Bears, 1-0, on May 2.
On Tuesday, Shelbyville (23-5) struck for a run in the bottom of the first inning when University of Kentucky recruit Karissa Hamilton led off with a base hit, stole second and scored on a two-out single from Hailey Pogue.
That lead was padded in the fourth. Addison Stieneker delivered a leadoff single, moved to third on a Pogue double and scampered home after a failed pickoff attempt. A sacrifice bunt two batters later allowed Pogue to come in, making it a 3-0 game.
Hamilton tacked on an insurance run with two out in the fifth when she tripled to left-center field and then narrowly beat the tag at the plate after a passed ball.
Whiteland senior left-hander Debbie Hill, who had blanked the Golden Bears in that regular-season meeting and driven in the lone run, said that she expected the Shelbyville hitters to come out more aggressively against her in the rematch.
“They had seen me before, so they were probably going to jump on me quick and early, and some of them did,” Hill said. “We just knew that we were going to have to put the ball in play and score, which unfortunately we didn’t execute.”
Whiteland’s best shot at a comeback came in the top of the sixth. After Debbie Hill drew a two-out walk, courtesy runner Kylie Matthews took second on a botched pickoff and third when Haley Wilkerson reached on a a throwing error. Shelbyville hurler Cheyenne Eads escaped unharmed, however, getting out of the inning when Trinity Borders flew out to center field.
Eads worked a 1-2-3 seventh to finish the game off.
The Warriors also let some early opportunities get away when they had a couple of runners cut down on the bases. In the second inning, Halle Nett singled but got caught off of second after a two-out base hit to shallow left by Maddy Myers. An inning later, Emma Piercy tried to score from first on a base hit to deep right by Hill but got hung up between third and home; she was tagged out sliding back into third.
Mitchell said that those lost chances never shook the team’s confidence that it could climb back.
“We always have confidence in our team and we know we can score,” she said, “and so that didn’t change a lot for us. We’ve been in that position before, and we trust anyone 1 through 9. The ball just didn’t fall today.”
“Today, we couldn’t find the energy that we usually have,” Piercy added. “It was tough.”
Despite Tuesday’s setback, the Warriors had plenty to be proud of after a breakthrough season.
“It was a great year. I couldn’t be happier for a season to go the way that it did,” Hill said. “Obviously, I wish we could have pulled the win out, but we won sectionals for the first time since 2007, and it was a great season.”
“This run has been amazing,” Piercy added. “I’ve played with the majority of these girls since I was 7, 8 years old; our team chemistry is beyond what anyone would think. It’s just amazing, getting to play with them for all these years.”
The Warriors graduate a quartet of senior starters — Hill, Wilkerson, Borders and Tara Watson — whose impact on the softball program can’t be overstated and should be felt for years to come.
“They are incredibly impactful,” Mitchell said. “Their leadership is second to none, and of course everything that they’ve done this year, not just win-wise but chemistry-wise, prepares us for the future.”
Those who are returning for Whiteland are confident that they can keep the ball rolling and continue the upward trajectory.
“We’re all good ball players,” Piercy said. “We want to be great, and this season has shown that. We just have to keep on growing.”
