COLUMBUS
Whiteland coach Harley Roller could see how far her team had come from the start of the season.
The Warriors averaged six errors a game and were striking out a lot in their first five games.
In contrast, Roller said the defense kept the Warriors in the game in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to East Central in a Class 4A sectional championship at Columbus East.
East Central (19-9) will now host Center Grove in the regional.
“We were just short,” said Roller, whose team finished 12-13. “It’s a lot better than where we started. We asked the team to peak at the right time, and we did. We didn’t play badly. We could have played better, but I think every day you could play better. I think we’ve got to be proud of what we did to keep it to one run. We didn’t take ourselves out of the game and just didn’t get it done.”
Warriors freshman pitcher Jordyn Crouch allowed five hits and one earned run. Whiteland had just one error.
“She’s had a great season,” Roller said of Crouch.
Freshman shortstop Kaelyn Putnam gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with her first varsity home run in the top of the second inning.
East Central scored one run in the second on two hits and an error, then went ahead 2-1 in the third on a run-scoring double by Lexi Hatmaker.
Senior pitcher Montana Plymate had eight strikeouts for the Trojans.
Warriors junior Kiley Sullivan had a two-out triple but couldn’t score in fourth.
“We’re young, but we had great leadership,” Roller said. “Our older players kept us focused.”
The Warriors had four senior starters — second baseman Kylie Matthews, catcher Maddy Myers, third baseman Makenna Reed and left fielder Josslynn Harbert.
“There are big shoes to fill, but I have faith in what’s here and what’s coming,” Roller said. “The future is bright for this program. I know we’ll come back hungry up and running. We got the eighth-grade program up and running.”
Myers said second-year coach Roller has made some nice changes to the program.
“Our youth programs have gotten a lot better and our middle school, so hopefully a lot of young talent is coming in,” Myers said. “The program is way more advanced. We had a lot of young talent and they meshed well (with the seniors).”
Myers said her chemistry with Crouch was solid throughout the season.
“We knew each other from a previous travel team,” Myers said. “Hanging out every day, playing softball together, practicing together led to us trusting each other 100%.”
Putnam said it was a tough loss.
“We could have done better, but I’m really proud of everyone,” she said. “I’m glad to have the upperclassmen to show me how the game works. As a player, I’ve evolved and everyone else has too.”
Matthews will always remember the friendships.
“Making relationships with the girls is what brings us closer together and makes the season 10 times more enjoyable,” Matthews said. “We got really close, and that’s what makes this loss so tough.”
