There are first impressions and first-inning impressions.
Whiteland opted for the latter on Thursday in the opening round of the Johnson County tournament, scoring five early runs on its way to a 16-8 defeat of Greenwood.
The win puts Whiteland (12-8), which pounded out a total of 18 hits, into Saturday morning’s 10 a.m. semifinal against Franklin at Center Grove.
Whiteland sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first to seize control early. Junior leadoff hitter Josslyn Harbert had an opposite-field triple to get things started against Woodmen pitcher Courtney Hankenhoff, followed by a walk to senior Emma Piercy.
Harbert came home on Kiley Sullivan’s sacrifice fly, and a bloop single into short center field by Halle Nett brought home another run for a 2-0 score. Singles from Aubrey Felker and Gracee Whitaker produced another run, and Felker eventually stole home on a catcher’s throw to second base. A single from senior Emma Davis brought home the fifth and final run of the inning.
The Warriors added three more runs in the second for an 8-0 spread, the hits coming from Sullivan (single), Whitaker (double) and Ava Smith (single).
Greenwood (3-17) did some damage in the top of the third with three runs. The Woodmen’s big hit was Emma Chism’s one-out double that brought home two runs. Katelyn Berger followed two batters later with an RBI single to right. Two more runs in the fifth pulled Greenwood to within 8-5, with runs coming on a Whiteland throwing error and a fielder’s choice.
The Warriors, though, ended the suspense with five runs in the bottom half. Whiteland produced four hits, including Nett’s double and Smith’s triple, for a 13-5 advantage.
Sullivan pitched the first five frames for Whiteland, with Davis working the sixth and seventh. Hankenhoff was removed with two out in the first and replaced by freshman Bella Blythe, who finished up.
Harbert, Piercy and Nett all finished with three hits for the Warriors. The Woodmen had 10 hits, led by Haylie Hendricks, Hankenhoff and Chism with two each.
