Hailey Pogue delivered when her team needed her the most.
The Shelbyville junior (photo) drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning, followed with two scoreless innings of relief work in the pitcher’s circle, then produced the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth to propel Class 4A, No. 10 Shelbyville to a 6-5 victory over No. 14 Bloomington South late Tuesday night.
With the sectional quarterfinal game knotted at 5-all in the bottom of the ninth and Kylee Edwards standing on third base, Pogue collected her third hit of the game to set up an 11 p.m. celebration at Bloomington North High School.
With the win, the Golden Bears (20-5) advance to Thursday’s semifinal round to face Columbus East (8-16-1), a team they defeated 11-2 on April 22.
The other semifinal Thursday pits the host Cougars (9-11) against No. 6 Columbus North (19-3), a 10-0 winner over East Central earlier Tuesday.
The sectional championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Friday.
Prior to the sectional, Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley was concerned about Bloomington South’s power and pitching. The goal was to get some runs early and “keep the ball in the ballpark.”
Karissa Hamilton staked the Golden Bears to a 3-0 lead with a bases-loaded double in the second inning that scored two. Caitlyn Richardson pulled up halfway to home plate and retreated to third base but an errant throw also allowed her to score.
Lexie McGlothlin delivered her ninth home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the fourth to get the Panthers (17-5) on the scoreboard.
Shelbyville countered with a single run in the bottom of the fourth inning. A Brooke Lipperd double was followed by a sacrifice bunt and a Richardson ground out to make it 4-1.
Morgan Cockerill worked a bases-loaded walk from Eads in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-2 where it would stand until the seventh inning.
Jessica Young delivered her team-leading 11th home run of the season in the top of the seventh to get Bloomington South within a run.
And after a walk loaded the bases, Bloomington South freshman Akasha Burton drove in two runs to give her team its first lead of the game and push the Golden Bears within three outs of elimination.
Pogue made sure that did not happen with a hard grounder that pushed the Bloomington South shortstop to her right. Edwards came diving across the plate to quickly tie the game back up and send it to extra innings.
Pogue took over in the circle and did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out two to give Shelbyville the opportunity to win it in the ninth.
