GREENFIELD – Addie Stieneker blasted three home runs and Cheyenne Eads struck out 11 to lead Shelbyville to an 11-1 victory Monday night at Greenfield-Central.
The win improved Shelbyville to 16-7 this season and closed out its Hoosier Heritage Conference record at 6-1 to claim no worse than a share of its second-straight conference title.
“We talk about our goals every year. We want to win the conference. We want to win the sectional and we usually have a goal of winning 20 games,” said Shelbyville head coach Mark Hensley. “We will have to win a few in the sectional to get to (20) because we are a few games short this year (due to rainouts and scheduling issues).
“Being able to go through our conference with one loss is doing something. I don’t care what the records are, anybody can beat anybody on any given night so any time you can get a win, especially one that is kind of surprising like this. I was expecting this to be a 4-3 type of game the way they hit.”
Prior to Monday’s game, six of the eight teams in the HHC had double-digit wins and winning records. Three are ranked in the top 15 in the most recent state coaches poll. Shelbyville is not ranked despite having seven losses by a combined 10 runs and six of those losses to state-ranked opponents.
Stieneker (photo) jump-started Shelbyville Monday just after the 8 p.m. first pitch with a 2-run home run that staked Eads to an early 3-0 lead. The junior pitcher took care of the Cougars from there, allowing just three hits and two walks. She ended the final four innings with strikeouts.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t find a way to scratch a run or two …I think four or five of her losses are by one run,” said Hensley. “She has thrown most of the huge games for us. She comes ready to play every single day. You don’t have to worry about her.”
Stieneker made it easy on Eads Monday with a stunning performance against the Cougars (17-7, 3-3 HHC) and starting pitcher Madysen Herbert. Already up 4-1, Stieneker belted a solo home run in the third inning and then finished off a 6-run fourth inning with a grand slam for a 7-RBI performance.
“It was like Addie Stieneker vs. Greenfield tonight,” said Hensley. “She came up the second time and had a 3-0 count and I told her if she liked it she could take a hack at it. She shook her head no like she wasn’t going to swing. Then she hit it out.
“Third time she came up with the bases loaded so they couldn’t pitch around her. I wasn’t expecting her to hit it out but I knew she would hit it hard somewhere. Obviously the ball right now must look like a beach ball. Those were three balls she absolutely laced.”
Stieneker now has seven home runs this season.
The Golden Bears go for win No. 17 today at Carmel (5-14).
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