INDIANAPOLIS
A most topsy-turvy season came to an end for Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Host Indianapolis Lutheran broke open a tight game in the sixth inning, scoring four runs to topple Edinburgh 8-3 for their third consecutive Class A sectional title.
The loss ended the Lancers’ season at 9-12, but despite the loss the team had quite a turnaround this spring. Edinburgh opened the year at 0-9, but then went 9-3 and gave Edinburgh coach Ben Taylor reason to be optimistic about next season.
“It was a successful season,” Taylor said. “Our girls fought hard, and we had freshmen and sophomore starters. This is Edinburgh at its finest. All season long, they got better and stuck together and flipped the season. That says everything that there is to be said.”
Proof of the Lancers’ dramatic improvement was this game.
Last month, Indianapolis Lutheran walloped Edinburgh 17-2 — one of eight times in the first nine games that the Lancers gave up 10 or more runs. But in their final dozen games, they only allowed 10 runs two more times.
Edinburgh jumped on the seventh-ranked Saints early, establishing a 3-0 lead thanks to the Streeval Sisters’ show.
Sophomore Kenna and senior Kyah had four of the Lancers’ five hits with the younger Kenna hitting a double in the first, then launching the first pitch she saw in the third over the left-field fence. Kyah had two doubles.
Lillie Goff also had a single and RBI for Edinburgh.
It was Kenna Streeval’s home run that chased Lutheran starter Brooklyn Barger, but that ultimately turned out bad for Edinburgh; the Saints then brought in recently eligible Decatur Central transfer Gracie Boggs, who at one point struck out seven straight Lancer batters.
Edinburgh had a 3-2 lead up until the bottom of the fifth inning, when a combination of hit batter, an error and a wild pitch brought in the tying and winning runs.
Lutheran (17-9) was playing small ball to get back in the game with two bunt singles, but finally came through with their first hit to the outfield in the sixth when Kayla Burns doubled to right center. Four more hits led to big insurance runs for the Saints, and Edinburgh couldn’t answer against Boggs.
“Great game. It was going exactly the way we wanted it, but Lutheran had a great game on their part and they had a great strategy,” Taylor said. “They were able to hit us at the end.”
Edinburgh will only lose two seniors, but they are big. Kyah Streeval was a .667 hitter and another Streeval, Alix, batted .373 for the year.
The Lancers will still have Kenna Streeval returning. The youngest Streeval led the Lancers with three home runs and batted at a .586 clip. Taylor will also have six other starters back, including Eloise Cox, who was the Lancers’ other .400 batter.
“Those are going to be painful losses,” Taylor said of the two departing Streevals. “But we’re going to do what we continue to do, and that’s grow.”
