COLUMBUS -- Franklin got the spark it needed then Shelbyville stomped it out.

Following a two-run home run by Aubrey Leugers in the top of the fifth inning that tied the Sectional 14 semifinal game, the Golden Bears responded with back-to-back three-run innings to salt away an 8-3 victory and a berth in the sectional championship game.

Shelbyville (19-8) will face Class 4A, No. Columbus North (25-1-1) at 7 p.m. tonight for the right to take on No. 9 Mooresville (28-3-1) in a one-game regional Tuesday in Mooresville. Columbus North defeated Shelbyville, 1-0, on April 6.

On Thursday, Shelbyville staked starting pitcher Cheyenne Eads to a quick 2-0 lead after one inning. Kylee Edwards and Hailey Pogue worked walks from Franklin pitcher Bryleigh Carlisle-Haltom and scored on an Addie Stieneker double and Eads sacrifice fly.

The Golden Bears failed to extend the lead over the next three innings which kept the Grizzly Cubs (15-14-1) in contention.

In the top of the fifth, Madison Stearns battled Eads for a walk and Leugers belted her fifth home run of the season over the centerfield wall.

A team Shelbyville defeated 13-5 earlier in the season was now tied with it in an elimination game. The Golden Bears were not bothered by the mounting pressure, though.

Hailey Maulden drew a leadoff walk. Pinch-runner Makinah Noel scored on a Kylee Edwards double. The senior went to third on the throw home and then scored on a Pogue single up the middle to make it 4-2. An Abby Brenner groundout plated Pogue for a 5-2 lead.

Pogue took over for Eads in the pitcher’s circle in the sixth and delivered a quick inning, bringing the Golden Bears back to the plate.

A Riley Maulden walk and back-to-back pinch-hit singles by Sydney Brown and Noel loaded the bases for Edwards, who collected her second hit and run batted in for a 6-2 lead.

Laycock, returning to the bases to run for Brown, stole home as Edwards distracted the Franklin catcher on the base paths.

Pogue followed with a sacrifice fly for her second RBI.

Franklin plated a run in the top half of the seventh ahead of the final out.

Sectional Championship Preview

The pitching duel is set. Shelbyville junior Cheyenne Eads against Columbus North senior Maddi Rutan.

Columbus North is 4-1 against Shelbyville over the last three seasons with the Golden Bears’ lone win coming in the 2022 sectional, 2-1.

Rutan, an Eastern Kentucky commit, can be overpowering – both in the circle and the batter’s box. She had three hits and three RBIs as a sophomore in the Bull Dogs’ 9-5 win at Shelbyville. At the sectional that year, she had two more hits and struck out nine Golden Bears in a 4-2 victory.

Rutan racked up 13 strikeouts in the 2022 regular-season meeting – a 2-0 victory. And she threw two scoreless innings of relief in early April in her team’s 1-0 win at Shelbyville.

Eads, the losing pitcher in each of Shelbyville’s four losses to the Bull Dogs, has grown in confidence and effectiveness since her freshman debut in 2021.

With two dynamic pitchers starting – and both teams having strong No. 2 pitchers – runs should be hard to come by. Defensive mistakes could prove devastating.

Rutan is hitting .545 this season with 12 doubles and eight home runs. Kelsey Lovelace follows at .433 with nine doubles and 29 RBIs. Kirsten Danford, who had a home run in Thursday’s 8-2 semifinal win over Whiteland, is hitting .416 with 38 RBIs.

Mississippi State commit Kylee Edwards is hitting .542 from the leadoff spot for Shelbyville with a team-high 15 home runs.

Hailey Pogue has been hot down the stretch, raising her batting average to .471.

Addie Stieneker is hitting .437 with 13 doubles, seven home runs and a team-leading 37 RBIs.

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