A short memory turned out to be Riley Janda’s greatest asset Wednesday night.
Center Grove’s freshman second baseman shook off the error she made in the bottom of the third inning and produced two fielding gems in the fourth as the Trojans downed No. 5 Mooresville, 5-1, to win their own Class 4A sectional championship.
Now 20-8 on the season, Center Grove returns to Russ Milligan Field on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a regional game against the winner of the Shelbyville Sectional.
Janda also produced the game-winning hit, her perfectly executed bunt in the top of the fifth that brought junior Jazi Cangany home from third in what had been a 1-1 ball game.
But it was her glove work that still had people talking afterward.
“She’s a baller. That’s the one thing I can trust is, good or bad, she’ll leave it all out there. That’s part of her athleticism and what makes her special,” coach Alyssa Coleman said after witnessing the Trojans’ state-leading 24th sectional championship.
“I said to all of them before the game that you don’t have to be perfect. We knew Mooresville is a great hitting team.”
Leading 1-0 through two innings, Center Grove saw the Pioneers score what turned out to be their lone run when senior Riley Owens’ sharply hit ball was misplayed by Janda, bringing home sophomore Josi Hair, who led off with an opposite-field double to right field.
“I was just trying to move past it and focus on the next play and just move on,” said Janda of the miscue. “It’s not hard to do with my teammates behind me, because I know they have my back.”
In the next inning, Janda used her long stride to chase down a pop-up off the bat of third baseman Kendall Grover in short right field for the first out. Then, with Mooresville runners on the corners, Hair laced what appeared to be a run-scoring line drive into right.
It’s here Janda instinctively moved left, extending her body to its maximum and snagging the ball for the catch.
Trojans pitcher Alexis Rudd, the lone senior in Coleman’s starting lineup on Wednesday, threw a four-hitter, walked one and struck out seven.
“I know if I let the hitter put it in play that they’ll be there to back me up on anything, so I’m proud of them,” Rudd said. “We’ve had our ups and downs this season, and we kind of wanted to do it for each other. That really helped us push through and get tonight’s win.”
The Trojans added three more runs in the top of the seventh inning, benefiting from a pair of Mooresville errors that helped put the game out of reach.
Cangany, the team’s No. 8 hitter in the lineup, was credited with two singles off Pioneers starter Alex Cooper. Sophomore shortstop Ashlynn Wolff had a double, while Ruby Thompson singled.
Coleman, who took over the program in 2019 and led it to a state title, remains unbeaten in the postseason as Center Grove coach.
“Without a doubt, this is special,” Coleman said. “It’s one of those things it’s been a long road and a lot of learning, and it’s nice to see it capped off with something like that.”
