Class A, No. 7-ranked Southwestern took all the pressure off itself with a five-run first inning and let Anick Hartsell dominate on the mound to lead the Spartans to their first baseball sectional title since 1999.

Hartsell needed 71 pitches Monday morning to record seven strikeouts and allow two infield singles in Southwestern's 12-0 win in five innings. 

"I just wanted to stay calm, throw strikes and let my defense work," said Hartsell, one of six seniors in the lineup for Southwestern (22-4). "I wasn't trying to do too much out there, just play our game and we came out there and did that."

Hartsell also went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs batted in. Matthew Clement and Christian DeArmitt also had two hits apiece and combined for six RBIs.

Bryce Yarling took the loss for Waldron (8-17). The sophomore worked the first two innings, allowed seven hits, four walks and hit a batter while surrendering eight earned runs.

"We had to play darn near perfect," admitted Waldron coach Tommy Coy. "Nobody was going to beat them today. They were locked in and ready to go. They have been playing for this for a long time. We were going to have to be darn near perfect and I don't even know if that would have been enough."

Aiden Hartsell and Jordan Jones opened the bottom of the first inning with walks. After a fielder's choice resulted in an out, Wendling, Clement and DeArmitt delivered run-scoring hits and it was suddenly 4-0.

The Spartans added another run and spotted their pitching ace with a comfortable environment.

"We've had great hitting this year and starting out like that makes it a lot easier on me," said Anick Hartsell.

Within one inning the Spartans ended all thoughts of an upset bid by Waldron.

"We talked before the game about being relaxed and not trying to do too much, don't think you have to do too much just because it's a championship game," said Southwestern coach Chris Ingels. "We relaxed and after those first couple of guys got on we were able to keep the line moving."

Jeff Brown photo

Southwestern's six seniors celebrate winning its first baseball sectional championship since 1999 (top photo). Head coach Chris Ingels (above) fist bumps starting pitcher Anick Hartsell (14) after the Spartans defeated Waldron 12-0 Monday at Morristown High School.

Wendling, Clement and Blake Dunbar had run-scoring hits in the second inning as the Spartans extended their lead to 8-0.

Eli Sheppard took over for Yarling in the third and struggled with his control, walking the first two hitters before getting a strikeout.

Anick Hartsell followed with a run-scoring single. Sheppard hit Wendling and walked Clement before DeArmitt drove in two with a single.

Sheppard, a freshman, struck out two more Spartans to end the third inning and started a double play in the fourth inning.

While Southwestern started six seniors, Waldron started six freshmen and sophomores, who gained valuable experience playing in a Memorial Day sectional championship game.

Jeff Brown photo

Waldron's seniors accept a game ball to signify the baseball program's first sectional appearance since 2016.

"I told these guys that the big focus was to come in and play well because if we don't play well we don't have a chance," said Coy. "I wanted them to soak in this minute not just for baseball but for everything we are. It's the first time a Waldron baseball team has been in a championship since 2016. We have a lot of guys that do multiple sports and I wanted them to get that taste of a championship. I want our guys to be hungry going into the summer."

Lance Hensley, one of four Waldron seniors on the roster, had both hits against Hartsell.

Ingels, like Coy, wanted his team to take in the moment as their record-breaking season continues at least one more week.

"I talked to the guys before they went out for the fifth inning to take a look around before Anick throws his first pitch and see all the people that came to support them, take a deep breath and think about the impact they've had on everybody and take it all in ... and then go get three more outs."

Southwestern will return to Morristown Saturday for regional competition against the sectional champions from White River Valley, Bethesda Christian and Jac-Cen-Del.

Southern Illinois pole vaulter Erin Diemer tied for 23^rd place Thursday in the NCAA West Preliminaries track and field meet in College Station, Texas.

Diemer, a Shelbyville High School graduate, cleared 13 feet, 4.25 inches in the competition. She cleared the height on her third and final attempt then missed all three attempts at what would have been a career-best mark of 13-8.25.

Baylor’s Tuesdi Tidwell and Arkansas’ Lauren Martinez tied for first place in the competition after clearing 14-0.

The NCAA postseason meet appearance was a first for Diemer. She came into the event seeded 33^rd.

Tyler Bowlby’s second jump was his best jump – ever.

The Waldron senior measured 21 feet, seven inches on his second long jump attempt Thursday at the Warren Central Boys Track and Field Regional.

The personal-best distance got him to fifth place in the long jump event. The top three in each event automatically advanced to the state championship meet.

Center Grove’s Jackson Schott won the competition at 22-5. Franklin County’s Jacob Schatzle was runner-up at 22-4. Greenfield-Central’s Kirk Knecht earned the final advancing position with a best jump of 21-9.5.

Center Grove’s Connor Delp was fourth at 21-9.

Triton Central sophomore Brad Schultz finished seventh in the 100 meters (11.24 seconds).

Shelbyville junior Sam Price placed 15^th in the 400 (54.04).

Shelbyville sophomore Beau Kenkel finished 14^th in the 1,600 (4:49.79).

Triton Central freshman Ethan Cales was 16^th in the 110 hurdles (18.54).

Triton Central’s 400 relay team of Brayden Wilkins, Anthony Dunville, Ray Crawford and Schultz placed seventh in 44.48.

And Triton Central junior Aiden Lindsey finished tied for sixth in the high jump competition after clearing 6-0.

Knightstown’s strong finish was enough to end Triton Central’s baseball season Thursday in the semifinal round of the Heritage Christian Sectional.

The Panthers scored three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game and added three more in the sixth to secure a 9-6 victory and a spot in Monday’s championship game against the host Eagles.

Knightstown (14-12) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one inning but saw the Tigers (15-14) score five times in the top of the second to take the lead.

Triton Central extended the lead to 6-3 in the top half of the fifth inning before Knightstown started its rally.

In the other semifinal game, Heritage Christian blanked Eastern Hancock, 5-0.

The high school softball season in Shelby County closed Wednesday with Morristown suffering a 16-1 sectional loss to Edinburgh.

The host Lancers scored six times in the second and fourth innings to secure the sectional victory.

In the other Edinburgh Sectional semifinal game, Lutheran defeated Greenwood Christian, 3-2.

Lutheran will face Edinburgh at 5:30 p.m. today in the sectional championship game.

Catey Streeval and Kaitlyn Bailey each had two hits for Edinburgh (15-10). Streeval had four runs batted in.

Three Lancers pitchers allowed just one Morristown hit, walked three and struck out seven.

Class A, No. 7 Southwestern moved one step closer to capturing the baseball program’s first sectional championship in 22 years with a 12-5 victory Wednesday over Indianapolis Lutheran at the Morristown Sectional.

The Spartans built a 7-0 lead, sputtered in the fourth inning and allowed four runs, but kept on the offensive pressure and moved into the sectional semifinal round Saturday morning.

Now a program-record 20-4, the Spartans will face Greenwood Christian, a 14-0 winner over winless Edinburgh Wednesday, at 10 a.m. Saturday in the first semifinal game.

The host Yellow Jackets will face Waldron in the second semifinal.

The championship game is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday.

Anick Hartsell improved to 7-0 this season after working five innings. Jordan Jones pitched the final two innings to close out the win.

With six seniors in the lineup, head coach Chris Ingels was impressed with how well his team settled into playing their first elimination game of the season.

“I thought we were really good at the beginning,” said Ingels. “It helps that these guys have all played in sectional and regional soccer games, and several have played in sectional and regional basketball games so they’ve been in the big, tough moments.

“Winning the county tournament and being co-conference champions also gave us a lot confidence.”

The Spartans are averaging 9.8 runs per game this season but Ingels watched Greenwood Christian (12-12) show its own offensive firepower Wednesday in its quarterfinal victory.

“They hit the ball really well,” said Ingels. “I don’t know what their next pitcher will look like but they put the ball in play so we will have to be ready to make plays and not compound mistakes. We have to keep our heads and not give up a big inning.”

Matthew Clements (2-2, 2.66 earned run average) will get the start for Southwestern. Hartsell was kept under 80 pitches Wednesday and could pitch Saturday if needed.

Jones (4-2, 2.12 ERA) and Christian DeArmitt (3-0, 3.50 ERA) also will be available.

Heritage Christian Sectional

Triton Central got a two-run single from Kevin Ramsey in the top of the seventh inning to take its first lead of the game and Hayden Kermode shut down Scecina in the bottom half of the inning for a 7-4 victory Wednesday in the only sectional quarterfinal game at the Heritage Christian Sectional.

Kermode went the distance, allowing six hits while striking out seven.

Kiefer Earl and Quintin Potts each had two hits for Triton Central (15-13).

In semifinal games at Heritage Christian today, Eastern Hancock takes on Heritage Christian at 5 p.m., and Triton Central follows against Knightstown (13-12).

The sectional championship game is set for 11 a.m. Monday.

Bloomington North Sectional

Kaden Wise and Ethan Ianni combined to throw a no-hitter for Columbus East Wednesday in a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Shelbyville.

Wise pitched six innings, walked six and struck out seven. Ianni pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the save.

The Olympians scored single runs in the first and second inning and that proved enough to end the Golden Bears’ baseball season.

Harry Major was 1-for-3 with a double and a run batted in.

Ben Major was 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored.

In the sectional opener, Class 4A No. 2 Columbus North defeated East Central, 4-2.

Columbus North and Columbus East will meet in a semifinal contest at 6 p.m. Friday at Bloomington North.

The second semifinal pits the host Cougars against Bloomington South.

The championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday.

Triton Central tennis’ 17-match win streak ended Wednesday with a 5-0 loss to No. 8 Center Grove in the IHSAA tennis regional championship match.

Center Grove collected its sixth-straight regional championship with dominant performances in four of the five matches.

At No. 1 singles, Ashlee Fisk defeated Brooklyn Schiffli, 6-1, 6-0.

Sonya Vyas had a tougher time with Julia Sanders at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 7-5.

Deepthi Shankar topped Lelia Chougule at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0.

At No. 1 doubles, Sydney Plowman and Sapna Vyas defeated Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire, 6-0, 6-0.

And at No. 2 doubles, Lauren Dick and Hudson Gilstorf bested Alyssa Wheatley and Emma Hutchinson, 6-0, 6-0.

Triton Central completed its season with a 17-1 record and champions of the Shelby County Tournament and the Indiana Crossroads Conference Tournament.

Southwestern baseball won the Shelby County Tournament for the first time since 1998.

The Spartans collected a share of the Mid-Hoosier Conference championship for the first time since 1975.

The next milestone sought is a sectional championship, which would be the program’s first since 1999.

The Class A, No. 7-ranked Spartans (19-4) open postseason play today at the Morristown Sectional against Lutheran (8-18). With a win over the Saints, Southwestern would earn a Saturday semifinal contest against either Greenwood Christian (11-12) or Edinburgh (0-15).

The other semifinal game Saturday at Morristown pits the host Yellow Jackets (9-14) against Waldron (7-16).

The sectional championship game is set for 10 a.m. Monday.

“We’re capable of winning a sectional but it’s going to be a tough one,” said Southwestern head coach Chris Ingels, in his eighth season with the Spartans.

Southwestern defeated Lutheran, 8-1, on May 10 but with the sectional draw already announced, neither team rolled out its best pitcher.

“We hit the ball fairly well that day. If we show up and hit, put the ball in play, good things will happen for us,” said Ingels.

Ingels will send Anick Hartsell (6-0, 1.82 earned run average) to the mound against Lutheran.

Hartsell also bats third in the lineup, hitting .353 this season with 31 runs scored and 23 runs batted in.

Aiden Hartsell jump starts the offense from the leadoff position. He is hitting .360 with 26 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

Jordan Jones follows with a .471 average and team-highs in doubles (9) and runs (33).

The lineup is deep with Ethan Wendling (.471, team-high 7 triples and 31 RBIs) and Matthew Clements (.500, 28 runs, 26 RBIs) batting after Anick Hartsell.

The Spartans are hitting .354 as a team and averaging 9.7 runs per game.

Southwestern’s success is not a surprise this season. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, Ingels believes a similar season was on tap for 2020.

“We have good, talented kids that have had success in other sports as well,” said Ingels. “We are just finally getting over the hump and winning big games.”

A win over Hauser earned Southwestern a share of the MHC title. And beating Triton Central in the championship game of the county tournament ended over a decade of success for the Tigers.

“That meant so much to the guys,” said Ingels of dethroning Triton Central. “That meant a lot to me. We finally did it.”

Ingels will count on his veteran on-field leaders to navigate the Spartans through three games at the sectional and, hopefully, a return trip to Morristown for a rare regional appearance.

“I’m not looking ahead to the regional yet,” said Ingels. “We are preparing to beat Lutheran.”

Bloomington North Sectional

Shelbyville (16-12) starts sectional play tonight at 8 p.m. against Columbus East (12-12-1). The Golden Bears and Olympians have not met this season on the diamond.

The sectional opener tonight at 6 p.m. pits East Central (15-10) against Class 4A, No. 2-ranked Columbus North (22-4-1).

The two winners tonight return to Bloomington Friday for a 6 p.m. semifinal contest.

The second semifinal features Bloomington South (12-8) against Bloomington North (9-9).

The sectional championship is 6 p.m. Monday.

Charlie Rife leads the Shelbyville offense with a .449 average. The junior has eight doubles, three home runs and 28 RBIs this season.

Bennie Thompson is 6-3 with a 2.61 ERA to lead the pitching staff. The Anderson University commit has twirled two no-hitters this season.

Heritage Christian Sectional

Triton Central (13-13) opens the Class 2A sectional in Indianapolis today at 5 p.m. against Scecina (11-16).

The Tigers suffered a 10-6 loss to the Crusaders on May 20.

The first sectional semifinal game is Thursday at 5 p.m. with the host Eagles (13-15) taking on Eastern Hancock (6-14).

Knightstown (13-12) awaits the winner of the TC/Scecina game for a semifinal showdown at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The sectional championship game is set for 11 a.m. Monday.

A three-run first inning proved to be just enough for Class 4A, No. 13 Columbus North to defeat 4A No. 6 Shelbyville 4-2 in the quarterfinal round Tuesday of the Shelbyville Softball Sectional.

The Golden Bears’ record-setting season came to an end much earlier than expected after a slow start.

“We didn’t do a very good job hitting the ball,” said Shelbyville coach Mark Hensley. “We put the ball in play a few times and forced them to make a few errors and we got some things to happen, but we had to do a better job hitting the ball. We are one of the better hitting teams around and we only had three hits. You won’t win very many games with three hits.”

Shelbyville (24-5) trailed 4-0 after three innings before Karissa Hamilton collected her 22^nd home run of the season – a solo shot that sparked a crowd of over 500 in attendance for the sectional showdown between two state-ranked teams.

Columbus North (22-4) nearly fell apart in the fifth inning. Three consecutive errors plated a second run for the Golden Bears and cut the Bull Dogs’ lead in half.

Addisenn Weaver then drew a two-out walk to load the bases bringing Hamilton to the plate for a third time against Rutan.

The Shelbyville junior lifted a high fly ball deep to centerfield that brought the crowd to a buzz but it was caught to end the threat.

“She got a pretty good crack at it and just … just … missed it from making that game 6-4,” said Hensley.

Shelbyville again got runners in scoring position in the sixth but couldn’t get the hit it needed off Rutan, a sophomore, who allowed just three hits and had nine strikeouts.

“She was throwing her rise ball and it was out of the zone and we were swinging at it,” said Hensley. “We’re a better team than that. It’s not a pitch we normally swing at, and we kept swinging at it.

“We were swinging at her pitches which is a deadly combination when you have a good pitcher that can get you to swing at the pitches she wants you to. We needed to be a little more disciplined.”

Rutan improved to 16-2 this season with a 1.57 earned run average.

Columbus North finished with five hits, two apiece by Rutan and Josie Lemmons. Bailey King had three runs batted in.

The Bull Dogs will face Bloomington North, a 12-5 winner over Columbus East in Tuesday’s first quarterfinal game, at 6 p.m. Thursday at Shelbyville.

Class 2A, Sectional 42

Class 2A, No. 7 Eastern Hancock improved to 26-1 with an 11-0 sectional semifinal win Tuesday over Triton Central (9-13).

Kaylee Stewart was 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored and four RBIs for Eastern Hancock.

Triton Central managed just two hits and struck out seven times against Eastern Hancock pitcher Madison Stephens.

In the other sectional semifinal, Scecina defeated Heritage Christian, 4-2.

Eastern Hancock will face Scecina today in the Knightstown Sectional championship game.

Southern Illinois senior Erin Diemer is one of 48 athletes that will compete in the NCAA West Preliminaries in College Station, Texas.

Diemer (photo), who recently won the pole vault competition at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, is seeded 33^rd in the event that starts today and runs through Saturday.

Diemer, a Shelbyville graduate, is one of 16 Salukis to qualify for the NCAA meet.

Here is a look at other Shelby County athletes competing at the collegiate level.

Jill Anspaugh

The Shelbyville graduate was one of 32 Franklin College student-athletes to be named to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tom Bohlsen Academic All-Conference list.

In order to be named Academic All-Conference, a student-athlete must maintain at least a cumulative 3.5 grade point average and be varsity athletes.

The student-athlete also must have completed the equivalent of a full academic year, full-time enrolled at the institution to be eligible for the Academic All-Conference Award.

The award is named after Tom Bohlsen, who served as the HCAC’s first commissioner from 1998 to 2008.

A total of 214 student-athletes from the league’s 10 academic institutions earned the annual award.

Anspaugh was one of four Franklin women’s track and field athletes to be honored.

Dylan Harker

The Shelbyville graduate also was one of the 32 Franklin College athletes selected for the Academic All-Conference honor.

Harker is a member of Franklin’s men’s swimming and diving squad.

Natalie Weber

Twelve Franklin College student-athletes were named to the HCAC Christopher M. Ragsdale Sportsmanship Team for the spring 2021 season.

The spring’s list features both traditional seasonal sports as well as men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, women’s golf and women’s tennis after each season was moved away from the fall due to the pandemic.

The HCAC All-Sportsmanship Award is named in honor of former HCAC Commissioner Christopher M. Ragsdale, who served as the commissioner from 2009 to 2018.

Members of the All-HCAC Sportsmanship team are selected by the coaches and their teammates as individuals who demonstrate the ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field/court of competition.

Nominees must have demonstrated consistently the values of respect and integrity in his or her daily participation in intercollegiate athletics.

Weber, who represented Franklin’s softball team, was joined on the Sportsmanship Team by Jacob Heuchan (baseball), Bobby Scaggs (football), Evan Graham (men’s golf), Mackenzie Black (women’s golf), Chyna Jackson (women’s lacrosse), Trevor Bray (men’s soccer), Mackenzie Yoder (women’s soccer), Cooper Davis (men’s tennis), Caitlin Fedor (women’s tennis), Elliot Davidson (men’s outdoor track and field) and Grace Esterline (women’s outdoor track and field).

Southwestern sophomore Lilly Rooks will compete in the state finals long jump competition on June 5 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

Rooks finished third in the regional long jump event Tuesday at Franklin High School to secure her first state finals appearance. The top three finishers in each event automatically advanced.

East Central senior Ellie Lengrich won the event with a best leap of 18 feet, 2.75 inches.

Warren Central freshman Laila Smith was runner-up at 18-1.75.

Rooks’ best leap of 17-3.25 just missed breaking Southwestern’s longest-standing program record of 17-4 set by Jeanne Gore in 1983.

Shelbyville senior Megan Eads finished fourth at 17-0.5, and will wait to see if she is added to the state finals field.

Rooks was the only Shelby County athlete to qualify for the Girls Track and Field State Championship Meet.

Triton Central senior Alyssa Lewis placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles in a school record time of 48.18 seconds.

Southwestern senior Abby Muck finished seventh in the 100 (13.26) and 14^th in the 200 (28.94).

Shelbyville junior Stefanie Howard placed 16^th in the 1,600 (5:54.68).

Southwestern junior Alison Muck finished 16^th in the 100 hurdles (22.18).

Morristown’s 3,200 relay team of Raegan Kleine, Rylee Kleine, Maggie Lutes and Aubrea Trattner placed 12^th in 10:48.92.

Southwestern’s 400 relay team of Alison Muck, Rooks, Abby Muck and Riley Engel suffered a baton drop and did not finish the race.

In the high jump competition, Shelbyville senior Malea Terrell placed 12^th (5-0) while Triton Central sophomore Maddy Brown did not clear her opening height.

Hauser’s dominant season on the softball diamond helped land five Jets on the All-Mid-Hoosier Conference Softball squad.

Page McDaniel, Kyra Meister, Zoee Nading, Danielle Steward and Hannah Taylor represent Hauser on the All-MHC team.

Morristown’s Kristen Whitney and Waldron’s Madalyn Hudnall were Shelby County’s lone representatives.

Also selected to the 16-member team were North Decatur’s Haley Arthur, Keisha Crosland and Kalyn Muckerheide, Edinburgh’s Kaitlyn Bailey, MacKenzie Bieker, Gracie Crawhorn and Kyah Streeval, and South Decatur’s Eryn Dyer and Loryn Pate.

Hauser’s Andy Brunner was named Coach of the Year after leading the Jets to a 9-1 conference record.

North Decatur was MHC runner-up at 8-2.

Six more players were named Honorable Mention.

They were Waldron’s Molly Benson and Amanda Brinson, Edinburgh’s Carly Cowan, North Decatur’s Kacie Ogden, Morristown’s Kaylin Waltz, and Edinburgh’s Mackenzie Whetstine.

While the postseason baseball tournament has yet to begin, athletes from three Shelby County schools were awarded accolades for their performances this spring.

Southwestern, at 19-4 with a Shelby County Tournament title and a share of Mid-Hoosier Conference title already secured, placed four on the All-Mid-Hoosier Conference Baseball squad.

Matthew Clements, Anick Hartsell, Jordan Jones and Ethan Wendling were selected to the 15-member All-MHC Team.

Morristown’s Grant Kessler and Waldron’s Bryce Yarling also were selected.

Rounding out the All-MHC team were Hauser’s Levi Gollner, Koby Johnson, Sam Miller and Alex Pattingill, North Decatur’s Connor Messer, Reid Messer and Jacob Mirick, and South Decatur’s Devin Pate and Avery Seegers.

Southwestern and Hauser were crowned co-champions with identical 11-1 records in MHC contests.

Southwestern head coach Chris Ingels was named Coach of the Year.

Ten more players were named Honorable Mention. They were Edinburgh’s Noah Detling and Riley Palmeter, Southwestern’s Aiden Hartsell, Hauser’s Eli Miller, Frankie Poole and Bryce Trotter, North Decatur’s Carson Parmer, Morristown’s Jacob Rains and Dylan Thoman, and South Decatur’s Ben Stier.

Triton Central tennis advanced into the regional championship with a 3-2 victory over Roncalli Tuesday at the Center Grove Sectional.

The Tigers’ top two singles players continued dominant seasons with straight-set wins Tuesday.

At No. 1 singles, Brooklyn Schiffli defeated Roncalli’s Claire Wagner, 6-4, 6-4.

Julia Sanders topped Rebecca Zakrowski at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-1.

Triton Central’s third win came at No. 1 doubles where Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire defeated Lauren Prather and Cambri Lux, 6-2, 7-5.

Roncalli’s Lili Wisler bested Lelia Chougule at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0.

And at No. 2 doubles, Elsie Kerr and Katrina Gangstad needed a second-set tiebreaker to topple TC’s Alyssa Wheatley and Emma Hutchinson, 6-1, 7-6 (7).

In the other regional semifinal Tuesday, No. 8-ranked Center Grove eliminated Southport, 5-0.

Triton Central (17-0) will face Center Grove at 4:30 p.m. today in the regional championship match.

In the sectional round of the state doubles tournament Tuesday at Center Grove, Franklin’s Haylie Rayl and Chelsea Rayl defeated Waldron’s Megan Bogemann and Mackenzie Shaw, 6-2, 6-3.

Mark Hensley is not the least bit surprised how powerful Shelbyville softball has been this season at the plate.

What he did not expect was the pitching performances of a trio of varsity-inexperienced hurlers.

“I thought we had a chance to be this good,” said Hensley of the 24-4 Golden Bears. “One of the biggest surprises is the pitching is better than I expected it to be. I knew our team could hit and score runs but we didn’t get to see any of our pitchers last year.”

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 2020 softball season before it got started. That led to a long offseason of work for junior Brooke Lipperd (coming off knee surgery), sophomore Hailey Pogue (who lost her freshman season) and freshman Cheyenne Eads, who has become the team’s “big-game” pitcher.

“Yes I am,” said Hensley when asked if he is surprised how good Eads has been in the circle. “She threw in the winter in the gym and a lot of people look good in the gym until they go outside and get in the elements.

“She went outside and got better. That’s been a big plus for us. We knew she would throw a lot of innings for us but she has been dominant in some big games.”

Eads is 10-3 this season with a 2.69 earned run average. She has 91 strikeouts in 86 innings of work.

Pogue has gotten stronger as the season progressed. She enters the postseason with a 9-0 mark and 2.66 ERA.

Both could see time in the circle tonight when Class 4A, No. 6 Shelbyville opens sectional play against 4A No. 13 Columbus North (21-4) – one of four teams to pin a loss on Shelbyville.

The Golden Bears’ high-powered offense is averaging 9.8 runs per game. As a team, Shelbyville has collected 63 doubles and a program-record 66 home runs.

At least six players have five home runs this season led by Karissa Hamilton’s single-season record of 21. The University of Kentucky recruit (photo) leads the team in batting average (.614), runs scored (56), hits (54), home runs and runs batted in (54).

“She doesn’t really strike out and the contact she makes is so powerful,” said Hensley. “She works hard in the weight room and she is a tremendous athlete.”

Addisenn Weaver, a Valparaiso University commit, was moved into the leadoff spot late in the season and provided added pop at the top of the order. The senior is hitting .477 this season with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 36 RBIs.

“At about any given time she can hit one out,” said Hensley. “The last two weeks Addie is hitting the ball so well against such good pitching. Her swings have been as good as any against them. I know she is not a traditional leadoff hitter but she hits for power and she rarely strikes out.”

That change dropped sophomore Kylee Edwards into the third spot in the order and she has continued to flourish. The shortstop is hitting. 455 with 44 runs scored, nine doubles, five home runs and a team-leading 17 doubles.

Senior Katie Mathies, committed to DePauw University, follows in the batting order and is hitting .511 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs.

The top four in the order are dynamic but Hensley has gotten production throughout the lineup.

Eads is hitting .377 with three home runs and 17 RBIs.

Kiley McIver, a junior, is hitting .312 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.

Pogue is hitting .319.

And senior outfielder Madison Campton is batting .281 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs.

Shelbyville is the host for Sectional 14. The postseason tournament starts today with Bloomington North (6-14) taking on Columbus East (6-18) at 6 p.m.

The Golden Bears follow against Columbus North with today’s winners returning Thursday for a 6 p.m. semifinal game.

The other semifinal game Thursday pits East Central (24-3) against Bloomington South (8-12).

The sectional championship game is slated for 7 p.m. Friday.

Class 2A, Sectional 42

Class 2A, No. 7 ranked Eastern Hancock opened the Knightstown Sectional Monday with a 10-0 victory over the host Panthers (10-15).

The Royals, now 25-1, take on Triton Central (9-12) today in the second semifinal contest. Eastern Hancock lost its season opener to 4A No. 1 New Palestine and is 25-0 since then.

Heritage Christian (5-13) faces Scecina (7-12) in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.

The sectional championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Class A, Sectional 59

The Edinburgh Sectional started Monday with the host Lancers defeating Waldron, 14-0.

The Mohawks’ season ended with a 10-12 record.

With the win, Edinburgh (14-10) advances to face Morristown (3-17) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Today’s semifinal pits Greenwood Christian Academy (5-7) against Lutheran (10-13).

The sectional championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Photo credit: Misty Weaver

Jose Riquelme, part of the jockey colony at Indiana Grand for the past five seasons, celebrated his 1,000^th career win over the weekend. Born in Peru, Riquelme has been closing in on the milestone this spring.

“I’m very happy to get this milestone,” said Riquelme. “I want to thank all the trainers and owners along the way that have supported me and given me the opportunity to ride.”

Riquelme began his riding career in his native Peru at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima in 1992. He moved his tack to the United States in 2000 and has enjoyed success through several circuits including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Louisiana. He has been riding the summer months in Indiana since 1997 and now calls Indiana home with his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, along with their son, Jose.

Riquelme rode the winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans where he won 28 races and finished in the top 10 among the leading jockeys. With limited starts this season at Indiana Grand in the first month of action, he has already earned three wins in 12 starts to help push him over the milestone.

The biggest win for Riquelme came in 2015 aboard Hard Aces for trainer Larry Jones in the Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds. The multiple stakes winning jockey has earned in excess of $19 million during his career in the United States.

Riquelme was joined by his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, for the winner’s circle presentation. Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing, helped honor Riquelme for his latest accomplishment.

Triton Central captured its fourth-straight Shelbyville Tennis Sectional title Friday with a 4-1 victory over the host Golden Bears.

The Tigers won at No. 1 and No. 2 singles and swept both doubles matches to secure the victory and a berth in the Center Grove Regional Tuesday.

Triton Central, 16-0 this season, will face Roncalli in one semifinal match. The other semifinal pits No. 8 Center Grove vs. Southport.

Triton Central got dominant singles performances Friday from Brooklyn Schiffli and Julia Sanders.

Schiffli defeated Shelbyville’s Gabbie Knox, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 1 singles.

Sanders topped Jaidyn Tackett at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-1.

Grace Coomes got the lone Golden Bears’ victory at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-4, over Lelia Chougule.

At No. 1 doubles, Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire defeated Adeline Haacker and Emma Sandman, 6-1, 6-4.

The No. 2 doubles match went back and forth before TC’s Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley bested Karlie Lawson and Renee Aldridge, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 10-7.

Waldron’s No. 1 doubles pairing of Megan Bogemann and Mackenzie Shaw also advanced out of the Shelbyville Sectional with a win Thursday. The duo will compete at Center Grove in the sectional round of the state doubles tournament.

Class 4A, No. 6 Shelbyville softball added two challenging opponents to end the regular season to prepare it for the postseason.

The Golden Bears passed both tests to add some more milestones to a record-setting season.

On Friday, Hailey Pogue and Cheyenne Eads combined to keep 4A No. 3 Mooresville in check while Kiley McIver and Katie Mathies combined to drive in five runs in a 7-3 victory.

The win improved Shelbyville to 24-4 and set the record for most wins in a season. The Golden Bears tied the previous record Thursday with a 6-3 win at 4A No. 9 Center Grove. That 23^rd win was also head coach Mark Hensley’s 100^th career win.

Next up for the Golden Bears is a Tuesday night sectional showdown with 4A No. 16 Columbus North, one of four teams to pin a loss on them this season.

The sectional opener Tuesday at Shelbyville features Bloomington North vs. Columbus East. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Shelbyville hosts Columbus North (21-4) in the second quarterfinal contest.

Tuesday’s winners return Thursday for a semifinal game. The other semifinal Thursday pits East Central against Bloomington South.

The sectional championship game is slated for Friday at 7 p.m.

Shelbyville built a 3-0 lead on Mooresville (25-2) before Pogue allowed three runs in the top of the fourth. Pogue got through the fourth before turning over the pitching duties to Eads.

The freshman tossed three scoreless innings after the Golden Bears scored four times in the fourth.

McIver finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Mathies was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Karissa Hamilton walked four times and scored two runs. Abby Brenner was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Alexandra Cooper took the loss for the Pioneers, allowing seven hits and seven earned runs.

Natalie Weber collected her third all-conference honor at Franklin College following the recent conclusion of her softball career.

Weber was named First Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference after leading Franklin in batting average (.419), doubles (18), triples (3) and home runs (4) and tying for the team lead in runs batted in (29).

Weber also was a First Team selection in 2019.

The Grizzlies’ season ended at the HCAC tourney with a 9-4 loss to top-seed Transylvania on May 14. Weber was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in her final game.

She was 2-4 with a double and a walk in a 10-6 win over Anderson earlier that day.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the high school level.

Cory Taylor

The Shelbyville graduate had a pinch-hit walk for Eastern Michigan’s baseball team on May 11 in a 10-2 loss to Toledo.

Eastern Michigan is 20-23 this season.

Damon Lux

The Shelbyville graduate was 1-for-2 with a double May 18 in Duke baseball’s 18-2 win at Davidson.

On May 14, Lux was inserted into an 11-6 win over Virginia Tech as a pinch runner and he scored.

Lux went 0-for-1 as pinch hitter in Duke’s 15-6 loss to Louisville on May 8.

Morgan Stieneker, Erica Henry

Olney Central College’s softball season ended May 7 with a pair of losses to Southwestern Illinois College in the First Round Region XXIV tournament.

Stieneker, a Shelbyville graduate, was 0-for-3 in a 6-1 loss and 2-for-4 with a run scored in a 7-6 loss.

Stieneker hit .294 for OCC this season in 28 games. She had two home runs and 8 RBIs.

Henry, a Shelbyville graduate, hit .143 with a home run and 4 RBIs. She also pitched in five games, striking out eight in nine innings of work.

TeAnn Bringle

The Shelbyville graduate had two walks and two runs scored for Indiana State in a 9-5 win over Valparaiso on May 12 in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

The Sycamores’ season ended May 13 with a 3-2 loss to Bradley.

ISU finished the season 20-28. Bringle, a junior, hit .213 in 43 games and had two doubles, two home runs, nine walks and 10 RBIs.

Logan Young

The Shelbyville graduate went 0-for-4 in his final college baseball game May 10 when Indiana University South Bend lost 5-4 to Roosevelt in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in Joliet, Illinois.

IU South Bend opened the tournament with a 13-10 win over St. Francis (Ill.).

The Titans lost to top-seed Olivet Nazarene on May 8, 13-3. Young was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

IU South Bend finished the season 24-24. Young hit .281 with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 42 RBIs.

Chandler Martin, Steffen Shackelford

Martin, a Shelbyville graduate, finished third in the high jump competition for the University of Indianapolis at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Championships on May 8 in Rolla, Missouri.

Martin cleared a personal-best six feet, six inches.

Shackelford, a Southwestern graduate also competing for Indianapolis, finished seventh in the high jump (6-4).

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate finished 16^th in the discus (96-9) and 10^th in the hammer throw (125-1) for St. Francis (Ind.) in the Crossroads League Outdoor Championships on May 6-7 at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind.

Zaleeya Martin

The Shelbyville graduate finished seventh in the 100 meters (12.58 seconds) for Hanover College at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational on May 7 hosted by Indiana State University.

On May 14, Martin placed 18^th in the 100 (12.55) at the Lee University Last Chance Meet.

Kaden Branam

The Waldron graduate cleared 6-6.75 to finish third in the high jump for Indiana Tech at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational.

On May 8, Branam finished fourth at 6-6.25 at the Last Chance Meet in Fort Wayne, Ind.

He placed second at the Hillsdale Multi (May 12-13), clearing 6-8.

And he finished runner-up (6-6.75) in the Fighting Chance Invite (May 14-15) in Joliet, Ill.

Seven Shelbyville and Triton Central athletes qualified for the Warren Central Track and Field Regional with solid performances Thursday at the Warren Central Sectional.

Triton Central sophomore Brad Schultz finished third in the 100-meter dash to automatically qualify for the regional. Schultz crossed the finish line in 11.29 seconds.

Warren Central seniors Ahijah Sandifer (10.98) and Mby Manneh-Yillah (11.07) finished 1-2, respectively.

Schultz teamed with freshmen Ray Crawford, Anthony Dunville and Brayden Wilkins to finish third in the 400 relay (44.64).

Warren Central won the 400 relay in 42.47; Roncalli was runner-up at 42.96.

Triton Central junior Aiden Lindsey finished third in the high jump at six feet, two inches.

Warren Central junior Brion Stephens set a new sectional record with a 7-0 clearance to win the event. Roncalli junior Eli Crouch cleared 6-9 to finish second.

Shelbyville junior Samuel Price placed third in the 400 (52.56) to finish behind Franklin Central senior Usman Kamara (51.19) and Franklin Central junior Alexander Parkhurst (51.84).

Shelbyville sophomore Beau Kenkel finished fourth in the 1,600 (4:51.34) to just miss the regional cut but he was later added to the regional field due to scratches from advancing athletes.

Franklin Central’s Justin Healey won the 400 in 4:41.05. His teammate, Max Young, was second in 4:42.12. Greenfield-Central’s Griffen Wheeler was third in 4:45.15.

Triton Central finished eighth in the team competition. Shelbyville was ninth and Morristown was 11th.

Waldron senior Tyler Bowlby qualified for track and field regional competition Thursday with a personal-best long jump mark.

Competing at the Columbus North Sectional, Bowlby jumped 21 feet, 1.5 inches to finish third and automatically qualify for next week’s Warren Central Regional.

Center Grove senior Connor Delp won the long jump with a best mark of 21-7.5. Fellow Center Grove senior Jackson Schott was runner-up at 21-3.5.

Bowlby was the only Shelby County athlete to advance out of the Columbus North Sectional.

Waldron finished eighth in the team standings; Southwestern was 10^th.

Triton Central rolled past Morristown and Shelbyville won all three singles matches to dispatch of Waldron to set up the Shelbyville Tennis Sectional championship match.

The Tigers improved to 15-0 this season with a 5-0 win over the Yellow Jackets Thursday at Shelbyville High School.

Brooklyn Schiffli (No. 1 singles), Julia Sanders (No. 2 singles) and Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley (No. 2 doubles) did not lose a game in sweeping their opponents, 6-0, 6-0.

Schiffli defeated Emma Theobald while Sanders bested Beth Hodgin.

Hutchinson and Wheatley topped Briana Batton and McKinley Kile.

At No. 1 doubles, Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire defeated Morristown’s Ryeland Brewer and Sarah Essex, 6-1, 6-0.

The only contested match came at No. 3 singles where Lelia Chougule overcame Aubrea Trattner, 6-2, 1-6, 10-2.

Shelbyville collected singles victories from Gabrielle Knox and Jaiden Tackett at No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles, respectively. Waldron did not have a No. 3 singles representative which gave the Golden Bears a forfeit victory and enough match wins to reach the sectional championship.

At No. 1 doubles, Waldron’s Megan Bogemann and Mackenzie Shaw (photo) defeated Shelbyville’s Emma Sandman and Adeline Haacker, 7-5, 6-1, to advance into next week’s doubles sectional tournament at Center Grove High School.

Waldron’s Amanda Brinson and Josee Larrison won at No. 2 doubles, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 10-4.

The Joe Davis Stable was the first recipient of Barn Crew of the Month for the 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand. The award is presented by the Indiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and Texas Corral.

Selected by sources outside of the backstretch area, the Davis Stable excelled at keeping a clean and neat barn during the month of May. All of Davis’ help worked hard to ensure the horses were well-cared for and the workspace represented the stable working together to keep the barn in tip-top shape.

“I just have a hard-working crew,” said Joe Davis of the award. “Most of them have been with me 10 or 15 years. They show up and get the work done every day. I appreciate how hard they work.”

The team at the Joe Davis Stable received a $200 gift certificate to Texas Corral, located on the north side of Shelbyville.

In addition to the gift certificate, a banner will be hung on the outside of the Davis barn to signify the award winners for the month of May.

A total of six Barn Crew of the Month awards will be presented during the 2021 racing season, which extends into November.

Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursdays at 3:25 p.m.

Class 4A, No. 6-ranked Shelbyville added two strong opponents to the end of its regular-season schedule to prepare for the postseason.

On Thursday at 4A No. 9 Center Grove, the Golden Bears needed nine innings to escape with the victory, 6-3.

Shelbyville will host 4A No. 3 Mooresville (25-1) today in its regular-season finale.

The win was monumental Thursday for the program. The Golden Bears are now 23-4, which ties the single-season record for wins set in 2015.

And the victory was career win No. 100 for head coach Mark Hensley at Shelbyville. Hensley is 100-40 since 2016.

Shelbyville started the game quickly with a leadoff home run from Addisenn Weaver.

The Golden Bears added two more runs in the third inning with Karissa Hamilton smashing her 21^st home run of the season.

Cheyenne Eads was cruising in the circle, pitching five shutout innings before the Trojans scored one in the sixth. Eads was lifted with one out in the seventh as Center Grove mounted a rally.

Hailey Pogue got the Golden Bears out of the inning but not before the game was tied 3-3.

Neither team scored in the eighth inning.

The top of the order did the damage for Shelbyville in the ninth. Weaver started the inning with a single, Hamilton followed with a double and Kylee Edwards brought both home with a triple.

Pogue delivered the insurance run, plating Edwards with an infield ground ball.

Weaver and Edwards each went 3-for-5 for Shelbyville. Hamilton was 2-for-5.

Pogue earned the win with two-plus innings of relief work. She allowed no hits, walked one and struck out three. Eads allowed five hits, struck out three and allowed all three runs – only one was earned.

Southwestern failed to slow down Triton Central's unbeaten tennis squad Wednesday and saw its season come to an end.

Triton Central defeated the Spartans, 5-0, in the only quarterfinal match of the Shelbyville Sectional.

The Tigers won all five matches in straight sets to set up a semifinal date today with Morristown. The host Golden Bears will take on Waldron in the other semifinal round match today.

The sectional championship match is Friday at Shelbyville High School.

On Wednesday, Brooklyn Schiffli defeated Kyra Robertson, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 1 singles.

Julia Sanders bested Lauryn Blondell at No.2 singles, 6-0, 6-0.

At No. 3 singles, Lelia Chougule topped Brooklyn Schneider, 6-2, 6-2.

The No. 1 doubles pairing of Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire defeated Southwestern's McKinley Correll and Sydney Ebersold, 6-1, 6-1.

Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley closed out the sweep with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Faith Kelley and Ella Rice at No. 2 doubles.

Triton Central is 14-0 this season.

After getting a late start to his racing career, Sky Judge is definitely making up for lost time. Making his first career stakes start, Sky Judge ruled over his opponents for the win in the eighth running of the $75,000 Sagamore Sired Stakes Wednesday, May 19. The event was one of two on the card, marking the first stakes races of the 2021 season at Indiana Grand.

Starting from post seven, Sky Judge and jockey Orlando Mojica left out of the gate with authority, grabbing the top spot on the inside before Binge and Joe Ramos joined them on the outside heading to the quarter. From that point on, the three-year-old Sahara Sky gelding took over, increasing his lead around the only turn of the five and one-half furlong race, the first time it has been conducted at this distance, moving from six furlongs.

In the stretch, Sky Judge was in front by more than four lengths, increasing to an even larger margin as the finish line neared, winning the race by seven and one-half lengths in 1:04.83. Manuelito and Tommy Pompell moved up quickly from the back to score the second-place finish by a neck over Royal Icing and Edgar Morales for third.

Because it was his first time in stakes company, Sky Judge was a bit of a surprise, paying $11.20 for the win. Bred by Samuel and William Martin Trust and Edmund Martin Trustee, Sky Judge is now two for three this year at Indiana Grand and is two for seven in his career.

“This colt (Sky Judge) was at my farm and nobody wanted to train him, so I took him,” said Roberts, who has a training center on the west side of Indianapolis. “The first of the year, he really woke up and started training better. I can’t do all of this by myself and I have really good help that pays attention and helped me with this horse.”

Roberts, who runs his horses under his training center name of Indy Dancer’s Training Center, has had horses in the past that have competed in the bigger stakes in the state of Indiana, including the Indiana Derby. Early indications are pointing Sky Judge to the same path.

“That’s the plan, to point him toward the Indiana Derby,” added Roberts. “I have horses both on the track and at the farm, but he stays here. We’ll see how he comes out of the race. We may take him home and let him eat some grass and relax.”

For Mojica, he fits Sky Judge like a glove. He is now two for two aboard the gelding and detected his talent early on.

“I’ve worked him two times in the morning,” said Mojica. “He worked great. He can be a little hyper at times, but he does everything right. We thought today we would just try to get to the lead because no one else seemed to want it. He was in front at the break and when I asked him to go, he took off. I looked up and saw on the tv (jumbotron) how far ahead we were, and I thought I’d better take hold and slow him down some near the finish. He just keeps getting better and better with every start.”

It’s already been a big year for Mojica, who is a three-time leading jockey at Indiana Grand. Mojica scored his 2,500^th career win to kick off the season in Indiana in mid-April. The Puerto-Rican born jockey is among the top 10 this season and his win aboard Sky Judge was his 31^st stakes victory in Indiana Thoroughbred history. 

Shelbyville softball suffered its fourth loss of the season Tuesday to Southport, 3-2.

Kylie Sloan scattered seven hits and limited the Golden Bears' high-powered offense to just two runs.

Brooke Lipperd took the loss for Class 4A, No. 6 Shelbyville (22-4). She pitched three innings, allowed five hits and three runs (only one was earned). Cheyenne Eads pitched the final three innings and had seven strikeouts.

Maddie Campton had a solo home run for Shelbyville.

Kylee Edwards produced three of the Golden Bears' seven hits.

Shelbyville closes out the regular season Thursday at 4A No. 9 Center Grove then hosts 4A No. 3 Mooresville Friday.

Southwestern sophomore Lilly Rooks finished second in the long jump Tuesday at the Franklin Girls Track and Field Sectional to qualify for regional competition.

Franklin's Cameron Kelsay won the long jump event with a best jump of 17 feet, 2.5 inches. Rooks was runner-up at 16-6.25. Franklin's Hailey Stewart was third (16-5).

The top three finishers in each event automatically qualified for the Franklin Regional on May 25.

Southwestern and Waldron competed at the Franklin Sectional Tuesday. Rooks was the only automatic qualifier but after regional event scratches, Abby Muck and Alison Muck were added to regional events, according to Southwestern social media, based on their sectional finishing positions and the record-setting 400 relay team also advanced.

Abby Muck, a senior, placed fifth in the 100 (13.15 seconds), fifth in the 200 (27.14) and sixth in the long jump (15-7.5), and will compete in all three events at the regional.

Alison Muck, a junior, finished fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.02) and was added to the regional field.

And the 400 relay team of Ab. Muck, Rooks, Al. Muck and freshman Riley Engle, which set a school record time of 52.17 to finish fourth, will compete in the regional.

A trio of Golden Bears and a pair of Tigers advanced Tuesday out of the Shelbyville Girls Track and Field Sectional.

The top three finishers in each event automatically qualified for regional competition.

Megan Eads, a senior from Shelbyville, finished second in the long jump with a best leap of 15 feet, 9.5 inches. Warren Central's Laila Smith won the event at 17-0.5 and her teammate, Jila Vaden, placed third (15-8.75).

Shelbyville junior Stefanie Howard finished third in the 1,600 in five minutes, 41.89 seconds. Greenfield-Central's Audrey Brinkruff was first in 5:26.01 and Franklin Central's Kylie Cline was runner-up in 5:37.37.

Shelbyville senior Malea Terrell and Triton Central sophomore Maddy Brown finished tied for third in the high jump, allowing both to advance to next week's regional competition. Both cleared 4-6, 4-8 and 4-10 on their first attempts and missed all three attempts at 5-0.

Warren Central's Tacoria Humphrey won the high jump at 5-8. Warren Central's Ramiyah Smith was second at 5-0.

Triton Central senior Alyssa Lewis earned another week of competition with a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles (49.63). Warren Central's Laila Smith won the event in 47.4. Lutheran's Katie McKinley was second at 48.61.

Morristown's 3,200 relay team produced a special moment with a fourth-place finish. Raegan Kleine, Gracie Laster, Maggie Lutes and Rylee Kleine crossed the finish line in a school record 10:42.59.

That bested the record set by Rachel Nolen (Raegan and Rylee Kleine's mother), Shari Nolen (aunt to Raegan and Rylee Kleine), Brittany Griffin and Sarah Milli.

Regional qualifiers from sectionals at Connersville, East Central, Franklin and Shelbyville will compete May 25 at Franklin High School.

Athletes outside the top three could be added to the regional field if regional qualifiers choose to scratch in events.

Greenfield-Central scored single runs in the first and second inning Tuesday and Conner Sims and Andrew Zellers combined for the 2-0 shutout victory over Shelbyville.

Sims pitched five innings and struck out seven. Zellers worked the final two innings for the save.

Benny Thompson (5-3, 2.88 earned run average) took the loss for the Golden Bears (15-10, 6-7 Hoosier Heritage Conference).

The Cougars (14-7, 10-3 HHC) scored on a fielder's choice in the first inning and a Grant Shepherd sacrifice fly in the second inning.

Nolen Kincade and Layton Stieneker each had two hits for Shelbyville.

The Golden Bears close out their HHC schedule today at Greenfield-Central.

Win No. 13 for Triton Central girls tennis proved tough to collect.

The Tigers got a pair of dominant performances at No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles but needed Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley to defeat Hauser's Gabby Johns and Charlie Clark, 6-4, 6-3, at No. 2 doubles Tuesday to complete a 3-2 victory.

At No. 1 singles, Triton Central's Brooklyn Schiffli defeated Andie Clark, 6-0. 6-1.

Julia Sanders cruised past Hauser's Kaitlynn Everroad at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-1.

Hauser's Bella Kilps bested Triton Central's Lelia Chougule, 6-4, 7-6 (5), at No. 3 singles.

Aunaka Wasil and Emily Harker topped TC's Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire at No. 1 doubles, 7-5, 6-0.

The Tigers ended the regular season at 13-0 with wins in the Shelby County Tournament and the Indiana Crossroads Conference Tournament.

TC opens sectional play today at 5 p.m. at Shelbyville HIgh School against Southwestern.

In junior varsity matches, Triton Central's Olivia Martin and Sarah Williams won singles matches. Jazmine Castillo and Courtney Washburn won a doubles match.

Unbeaten Triton Central will have the long road to get to a tennis sectional championship this week.

The Tigers will open the Shelbyville Tennis Sectional Wednesday against Southwestern. The winner will face Morristown Thursday.

In the other sectional semifinal match Thursday, the host Golden Bears will face Waldron.

The sectional championship match is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at Shelbyville High School.

The winner of the Shelbyville Sectional will face the winner of the Franklin Central Sectional on May 25 at Center Grove High School. The Franklin Central Sectional includes the host Flashes, Indianapolis Lutheran, Roncalli and Beech Grove.

The other regional semifinal pits the Center Grove Sectional champion against the Southport Sectional champion.

Shelbyville softball enters the final week of the regular season ranked No. 6 in the state coaches poll.

The Golden Bears (22-3) travel to Southport (10-14) today then finish with a pair of games against state-ranked opponents.

On Thursday, Shelbyville travels to No. 9-ranked Center Grove (18-7) then hosts No. 3 Mooresville (24-0) Friday.

Shelbyville is the sectional host site. The Golden Bears will face No. 16 Columbus North (19-4) in their sectional opener. The Bull Dogs are one of three teams to pin a loss on Shelbyville this season, along with New Palestine and Roncalli.

In the most recent state coaches poll, New Palestine (24-0) continues to sit atop the Class 4A poll. Roncalli (22-2) is second, followed by Mooresville, Lake Central (23-1) and Crown Point (24-3).

Shelbyville starts the second five followed by Bedford North Lawrence (23-4), Franklin Central (20-5), Center Grove and Noblesville (19-5).

Guerin Catholic leads the 3A poll ahead of Yorktown, Edgewood, Northwestern, Danville, Tri-West Hendricks, Benton Central, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Norwell, South Bend St. Joseph's and Kankakee Valley.

In 2A, Pioneer is No. 1 followed by Tecumseh, Union County, Eastern (Greentown), Eastern Hancock, North Posey, Winamac, Fairfield, Boone Grove and South Vermillion.

South Central (Union Mills) is the top team in Class A. Caston is No. 2 followed by North Miami, Loogootee, West Central, Tri, Clay City, Lanesville, Hauser, Barr-Reeve and North Daviess.

Two longshots scored wins in the Harley Greene Derby Trials Monday, May 17 at Indiana Grand, including WH Imastreakinbeach and Jose Ruiz, who turned in the fastest of three trials to set up the $75,000 final of the Harley Greene Derby set for Saturday, June 5. The duo covered the 350-yard dash in a time of :17.736 to lead 16 among the trials.

Starting from post three, Ruiz had WH Imastreakinbeach out of the gate quickly and got the early edge over race favorite Beach Blast. The sophomore filly by Indiana’s top sire, Escondido Beach, continued her momentum all the way to the wire for the one-length win over Beach Blast and Sammy Mendez. Beach Diva and L. Danny Martinez tightened up the photo on Beach Blast but had to settle for third in the close finish.

Owned by Thomas Wylie, WH Imastreakinbeach was making her first start of 2021. She is now four for eight lifetime under the direction of trainer Erin Thompson, Indiana Grand’s all-time leading female Quarter Horse trainer.  WH Imastreakinbeach, who was a surprise to bettors paying $13.80 for the win, was bred by White Horse Ranch of Indiana.

The second fastest trial winner of the night was Stone Lake, 2-Year-Old champion in Indiana last year. The Escondido Beach gelding, trained by Tony Cunningham, looked impressive the entire race moving to a two-and one-half length advantage at the finish line for jockey L. Danny Martinez. Beach Stone and Cesar Esqueda finished second over Ashwins Valentine and Oscar Macias for third.

Stone Lake is owned by Pattie Marshall and bred by Sheri Miller, who stands Escondido Beach at her farm in Shipshewana, Ind. Tony Cunningham trains the talented chestnut gelding, who is now five for seven lifetime. The start in the Greene Derby Trials was his first of 2021.

Also heading to the Greene Derby final is Jess Bringin It On, winner of the first trial. The Jess Zoomin filly, owned by Julia Rae and Tyler Martin, also got the early advantage out of the gate and never looked back, striding out to a one-length win at the finish in a time of :18.024 for jockey Cesar Esqueda. Younger brother Erik Esqueda made it an Esqueda exacta with a second-place finish aboard Beach Front while Secret Eyes and Jose Ruiz finished third.

Another longshot on the board, Jess Bringin It On paid $12.20 for the win. Paul Martin trains the bay filly bred by Mark and Teresa Myers and was an $11,000 yearling purchase from the QHRAI Speed Sale in Indiana. It was her first career win in nine career tries and her second start of 2021.

The top 10 qualifiers heading to the Greene Derby Final, with jockey and time, include:  WH Imastreakinbeach (Jose Ruiz, :17.736); Stone Lake (L. Daniel Martinez, :17.795); Beach Blast (Sammy Mendez, :17.837); Beach Diva (L. Daniel Martinez, :17.907); Jess Bringin It On (Cesar Esqueda, :18.024); Mitey Persuasive (Gustavo Laurianis, :18.042); Beach Runaway (German Rodriquez, :18.096); Beach Stone (Cesar Esqueda, :18.197); Beach Front (Erik Esqueda, :18.200) and Ashwins Valentine (Oscar Macias, :18.248). Trainer Tony Cunningham will saddle three in the final (Stone Lake, Beach Diva, Beach Front) while Paul Martin (Beach Bast, Beach Stone) and Randy Smith (Beach Blast, Beach Runaway) will saddle two. Of the 10 in the final, seven are by longtime leading sire in Indiana Escondido Beach.

Six Saturdays have been earmarked for all-Quarter Horse racing in 2021. Each of the programs will begin at 10AM and extend into the afternoon at Indiana Grand. The dates for all-Quarter Horse racing are June 5, July 3, July 24, Aug. 14, Sept. 4, and Oct. 9. Also, Indiana Grand will host two regional qualifiers for the Bank of America Challenge Monday, Sept. 20. The John Deere Juvenile Challenge and the Q-Racing Video Distaff Challenge will hold trials on Sat. Sept. 4. The events are a precursor to the 2022 Bank of America Challenge, which will be held in Indiana for the first-time next season.

The 27^th Annual Decatur Golf Tournament benefitting Our Hospice of South Central Indiana will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021 at the Greensburg Country Club. “The tournament will be slighty modified again this year as we continue to keep all participants safe, but we expect it will be another fantastic event as we raise funds to support Hospice patients and families served by our staff at our Greensburg office,” said Laura Leonard, Our Hospice President

Registration for this year’s tournament must be done in advance as there will be no walk up registration on the 18^th. New this year, you can register your team on line, sign up to be a sponsor or make a donaiton at crh.org/hospicegolf.The entry fee has been reduced to $90 per player/$360 per team which includes green fees, cart, boxlunch and prizes. Teams will be assigned a starting hole prior to the event and will be asked to pick up their boxed lunch prior to going direclty to their assigned starting hole for a shotgun start at 11:00 AM. Awards will be announced on social media.

“This is an important fundraising event for us. As a not-for-profit hospice, we rely on generous community support to help us raise funds to bridge the gap in fundingand bring the very best care to all patients and families who need it. Last year we provided over $311,000 in professional medical care in the Greensburg area.Fundraising events, such as the golf tournament, provide critical support for those at the end of their life. We gratefuly ask the Greensburg and surrounding communities, especially at this time of unprecedented challenges, to once again step up and help us meet this need,” continued Leonard.

To become a sponsor or register, please call Mark Wickens 812-614-1985, Jim Wenning 812-593-0940 or Julie Davis 812-371-7973.

The Shelby County Tournament and Mid-Hoosier Conference champion Southwestern Spartans are ranked No. 6 in the most recent Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association's State Poll.

The Spartans are 16-4 this season and recently clinched the MHC championship.

Southwood is ranked No. 1 in the Class A poll, followed by North Daviess, Oldenburg Academy, Fremont and Shakamak. After Southwestern, the rest of the top 10 is Washington Township, Rossville, Loogootee and Borden. 

Hauser is ranked 13th.

Cascade sits atop the Class 2A poll ahead of Wapahani, Lafayette Central Catholic, Monroe Central, Carroll (Flora), Centerville, University, Delphi, Southwestern (Hanover) and Seeger.

The 3A poll is topped by Hanover Central. The remainder of the top 10 is Leo, Lebanon, Silver Creek, West Vigo, Batesville, Fort Wayne Dwenger, Western, Peru and Brebeuf.

Carmel is No. 1 in 4A ahead of Columbus North, Center Grove, Evansville North, Westfield, Andrean, New Albany, McCutcheon, Zionsville and Homestead.

Erin Diemer became the first Southern Illinois woman to win the pole vault competition in the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoors Championships Friday in Carbondale, Illinois.

Diemer, a senior from Shelbyville, Indiana, cleared 12 feet, 11.5 inches to secure the victory over Illinois State’s Nicole Bagwell (12-7.5).

Diemer (photo, center) cleared 12-11.5 on her first attempt and watched Bagwell fail to clear the height on three different attempts.

Northern Iowa’s Cierra Laux finished third at 12-1.5. Rounding out the top five were Indiana State’s Selene Weaver (11.7.75) and Illinois State’s Alexandra Cranston (11-1.75).

The three-day MVC Outdoor Championships wrap up today in Carbondale.

Triton Central girls tennis improved to 12-0 this season with a 5-0 victory Friday against conference-rival Indianapolis Lutheran.

Brooklyn Schiffli, Julia Sanders and Lelia Chougule swept the singles matches for the Tigers.

Kelsey McGuire and Ainsley Denton teamed up for a No. 1 doubles victory over Cece Awrey and Jocey Sneed, 6-2, 6-1.

And at No. 2 doubles, Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley combined to defeat Rachel Bolton and Malin Bullock, 6-2, 6-3.

Olivia Martin won a pair of junior varsity matches for Triton Central.

Also winning JV doubles matches for TC were Tori Ramsey and her partner, Sarah Williams, and the combination of Maddy Franklin and Dani Taylor.

The 2021 stakes season for Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino gets underway Monday, May 17 with three trials of the Harley Greene Derby. The trials, slated as races 9-11 running at 350 yards, will set up the $75,000 Greene Final which will be held on the first all-Quarter Horse racing day of 2021 on Saturday, June 5.

Kicking off the first trial of the Greene Derby is ZZ Stones Ablazing from the Tony Cunningham Stable. The sophomore son of Brimmstone will be making his first start of the season in the trials with L.D. Martinez aboard. He is owned and bred by Craig Zeneberg and starts from post five at odds of 3-5.

The second trial of the night brings back one of the stars from 2020 as Beach Blast will make his 2021 debut. Trained by Randy Smith, the Escondido Beach gelding won his last two starts last fall, including the $192,000 Miss Roxie Little Futurity. Beach Blast is three for six in his career and will debut from post four at odds of 4-5 with regular rider Sammy Mendez aboard.

Stone Lake will be featured in the third and final trial. Also, by Escondido Beach, the gelding, owned by Pattie Marshall, won four of six last year at two, including the $186,000 Gordon Mobley Futurity. Stone Lake is trained by Tony Cunningham and will start from post eight as the even money favorite with L.D. Martinez aboard.

Six Saturdays have been earmarked for all-Quarter Horse racing in 2021. Each of the programs will begin at 10AM and extend into the afternoon at Indiana Grand. The dates for all-Quarter Horse racing are June 5, July 3, July 24, Aug. 14, Sept. 4, and Oct. 9. Also, Indiana Grand will host two regional qualifiers for the Bank of America Challenge Monday, Sept. 20. The John Deere Juvenile Challenge and the Q-Racing Video Distaff Challenge will hold trials on Sat. Sept. 4. The events are a precursor to the 2022 Bank of America Challenge, which will be held in Indiana for the first-time next season.

The 19^th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state’s top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand. 

Triton Central golf wrapped up preparation for Monday's Indiana Crossroads Conference Tournament with an 196-223 victory Thursday over Scecina at Pleasant Run Golf Course.

TC's Oliver Gearlds was the medalist with the low round of 43 for nine holes. Also for TC, Evan Uhls carded 44, Griffin Sego shot 48, Caleb Anderson finished at 61 and Max Ray shot 66.

Scecina was led by Patrick Berg's 44. Aidan Battles shot 53. Owen Schreiber (60) and Connor Moriartty (66) completed the Crusaders' scorecard.

On Wednesday at Hawk's Tail, Triton Central defeated a Beech Grove team that only had two golfers.

Jasper Schulz was the medalist for Beech Grove with a 41. Nicholas Jeffries followed at 44.

Gearlds led TC with a 43. Uhls shot 45.

Waldron Junior High School's boys track and field program won the Mid-Hoosier Conference Meet Thursday in Waldron. And the school's girls program finished runner-up to South Decatur.

The Mohawks captured the boys' title with 97 points. North Decatur was second at 82. Southwestern finished third, one point back, and Morristown was seventh (46).

With just one event winner, Will Larrison in the 1,600 (5:18.47), Waldron used its team depth to rack up points. 

Southwestern got event wins from Michael Clements in the 400 (59.38) and the long jump (17-4.75) and Ben Schlabach in the 110 hurdles (20.59).

Morristown's Wyatt Hodgen was runner-up in the 400 (59.41) and the high jump (4-8).

South Decatur held off Waldron to claim the girls' title, 124-118. Morristown finished fourth (45) and Southwestern was sixth (33).

Waldron's Lillian Lozier won the 200 (29.92), Claire Larrison took first in the 800 (2:56.09) and the 1,600 (6:14.82), and Alivia Fischer won the discus (71-8).

Kylee Edwards had two doubles and pitched two innings, Addisenn Weaver belted a pair of home runs and Karissa Hamilton added another home run to propel Class 4A, No. 7-ranked Shelbyville to a 12-2 victory Thursday at Indian Creek.

The Golden Bears improved to 20-3 this season. 

Hailey Pogue started in the pitcher's circle and allowed one hit while striking out five in three innings of work. Edwards, normally the team's starting shortstop, allowed one hit and struck out two in her 2021 pitching debut.

Four different Golden Bears had two hits -- Edwards, Weaver, Katie Mathies and Pogue.

Weaver's two home runs pushed her season total to eight. Hamilton's bomb was her 20th of the year.

Shelbyville now has 60 home runs in 23 games.

Delaney Heminger had the only two hits for the Braves (4-13).

Shelbyville will host Cambridge City and Fishers Saturday in the Golden Bear Invitational.

Beginning with the 2022-23 season, a 35-second shot clock will be permitted in high school basketball games by state association adoption. A proposal for a national rule mandating a shot clock was not approved.

A shot clock was among the topics discussed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its annual meeting April 20-22 held virtually this year. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Rule 2-14 states that each state association may adopt a shot clock beginning in the 2022-23 season -- according to guidelines outlined in the Basketball Rules Book -- to encourage standardization among states. Guidelines include displaying two timepieces that are connected to a horn that is distinctive from the game-clock horn, and using an alternative timing device, such as a stopwatch at the scorer’s table, for a shot clock malfunction. The guidelines also allow for corrections to the shot clock only during the shot-clock period in which an error occurred and the officials have definite information relative to the mistake or malfunction.

“We provided the committee with a lot of information regarding the shot clock, including responses to a 46-question survey sent to states currently using a shot clock,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee.

Rule 3-5-4e was added to allow players to wear head coverings for religious reasons without obtaining state association approval. The head covering shall not be made of abrasive or hard materials and must be attached so that it is highly unlikely to come off during play. Basketball is the sixth sport in which a rule related to the wearing of head coverings or other equipment for religious reasons has been adopted, following volleyball, field hockey, soccer, spirit and swimming.

The official signals were also modified to use the same hand signal for a player control foul and a team control foul. Officials should use Signal 36, which is a hand placed at the back of the head, for both types of fouls. Previously, a team control foul was communicated with a punch of the hand.

“It is redundant to have different signals to communicate that a foul will be charged to a member of the team in control of the ball,” Wynns said. “Officials don’t understand the need to differentiate between a player control foul and a team control foul, and many game participants, table personnel and fans don’t know the difference.”

A complete listing of the basketball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Basketball.”

All three Shelby County schools produced Mid-Hoosier Conference track and field championship wins Tuesday at Waldron High School. 

Waldron senior Tyler Bowlby made his final competition on his home track and memorable one by winning the 100-meter dash (11.5 seconds), the 200 (23.58) and the long jump (20 feet, four inches).

Fellow Mohawk Ethan Trueblood won the 3,200 (11:04.73).

Morristown's Jacob Batten won the 800 in 2:19.41.

Southwestern's Riley Snepp crossed the finish line first in the 1,600 (5:01.82).

Morristown won the 1,600 relay in 3:49.72 with the combination of Chase Theobald, Kamdyn Gaines, Tyler Schonfeld and Jacob Batten.

Southwestern won the 3,200 relay (9:36.32) with Ryan Griffin, Dane Kissell, Collin Cummings and Riley Snepp.

Other event winners were Hauser's Aleck Lopez (54.2 in 400) and Forest Steele (17.56 in 110 hurdles, 46.66 in 300 hurdles); North Decatur's Ellis Loehmer (5-10 in high jump); and South Decatur's Ian Frensemeier (46-0 in shot put, 113-5 in discus).

North Decatur's Logan Koehne, Kaden Muckerheide, Conner Linkmeyer and Joshua Evans won the 400 relay in 47.53.

South Decatur won the team title with 126 points. Hauser was runner-up at 101 followed by North Decatur (94), Morristown (83), Southwestern (73), Waldron (72) and Edinburgh (23).

 With 10 event wins, Southwestern's girls track and field team captured its first ever Mid-Hoosier Conference track and field meet championship Tuesday at Waldron High School.

Abby Muck, Lilly Rooks, Alison Muck and Riley Engel were multiple event winners for the Spartans.

Abby Muck won the 100-meter dash (12.82 seconds) and the 200 (26.72) and ran the anchor leg for the winning 400 relay team (52.78).

Rooks took first place in the 400 (1:04.79), the long jump (16 feet, five inches) and was part of the winning 400 relay and 1,600 relay teams.

Alison Muck won the 100 hurdles (16.46) and the high jump (5-1) and ran the leadoff leg for the 400 relay team.

Also winning events for Southwestern were Kennedy Pile (30-1.5 in shot put) and Trinity Tatlock (92-11 in discus).

The 400 relay team consisted of Alison Muck, Engel, Rooks and Abby Muck.

Maggie Correll, Engel, Rooks and Gracie Schlabach made up the winning 1,600 relay team.

The Spartans' 155 team points left South Decatur (125), Morristown (99), North Decatur (80), Waldron (52), Hauser (49) and Edinburgh (10) in pursuit.

Morristown's Raegan Kleine won the 1,600 in 6:09.34.

Waldron's Hallie Ross won the 3,200 (14:15.85).

Morristown's Alison Batton crossed the finish line first in the 300 hurdles (52.36).

The Morristown quartet of Rylee Kleine, Gracie Laster, Raegan Kleine and Maggie Lutes won the 3,200 relay in 10:55.52.

The only non-Shelby County athlete to win an event was Hauser's Marnie Schwartzkopf. She took first in the 800 in 2:39.59.           

Shelbyville softball managed just three hits off one of the country's top high school pitchers Tuesday in a 4-0 loss at Class 4A, No. 4 Roncalli (19-2).

Keagan Rothrock, ranked No. 1 in the country in the class of 2023 and verbally committed to the University of Florida, scattered three singles and struck out 14 Golden Bears.

Roncalli scored a single run in the bottom of the first and added three more in the third to spot Rothrock to a comfortable lead.

Cheyenne Eads took the loss, working three innings, allowing five hits and four runs (three earned). Hailey Pogue pitched three scoreless innings of relief.

Lyla Blackwell had two hits and a run batted in for Roncalli. Rothrock was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Karissa Hamilton, Addisenn Weaver and Eads had hits for 4A No. 7 Shelbyville, now 19-3 with all three losses coming to teams in the top 15.

The Golden Bears are at Indian Creek Thursday.

Triton Central tennis continued its dominant season with a 5-0 victory Tuesday against Indianapolis Scecina.

The Tigers improved to 11-0 this season after dropping just three games over five matches.

At No. 1 singles, Brooklyn Schiffli defeated Cierra Berry, 6-0, 6-0.

Julia Sanders won at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 6-0, over Stacey Montgomery.

And Lelia Chougule bested Heather Willis at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-0.

Ainsley Denton and Kelsey McGuire combined for a 6-0, 6-2, win over Jo Marshall and Emily Gonzalez at No. 1 doubles.

Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley defeated Grace Swineforth and Lizi Wilson, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 2 doubles.

In junior varsity matches, Triton Central's Olivia Martin topped Susan Williamson, 8-0. Tori Ramsey and Sarah Williams produced an 8-0 TC victory in a doubles match against Susan Williamson and Haley Hernandez. And Jazmine Castillo and Courtney Washburn finished off a perfect sweep for TC with an 8-0 doubles win over Johanna Bravo and Brooklyn Drewes.

Class 4A, No. 7-ranked Shelbyville continues to toughen up in preparation for the upcoming postseason.

On Monday the Golden Bears hosted 4A No. 17 Franklin, which features one of the state's top pitchers.

Izzy Harrison, a University of Kentucky recruit, kept Shelbyville in check for five innings and carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth.

The Golden Bears scratched together two runs to take the lead for the first time then closed the door on the Grizzly Cubs in the top of the seventh for a 2-1 victory that pushed their record to 19-2 this season.

Cheyenne Eads earned the win with an 11-strikeout performance. Franklin managed just four hits off the Shelbyville freshman.

Harrison, who plays travel ball with Shelbyville catcher Addisenn Weaver and is a future college teammate with Karissa Hamilton, also allowed just four hits while striking out 14. 

Trailing 1-0, Shelbyville rallied behind run-scoring hits from Eads and Kylee McIver.

The Golden Bears will continue to prep for the postseason today with a road trip to 4A No. 4 Roncalli.

New Palestine continues to be ranked No. 1 in the most recent state coaches poll. Mooresville, Lake Central, Roncalli and Crown Point round out the top five.

Bedford North Lawrence jumped ahead of Shelbyville this week at No. 6. The Golden Bears are followed by Center Grove, Franklin Central and Jasper.

Class 4A, No. 7-ranked Shelbyville improved to 18-2 Friday with an 18-0 victory over visiting Triton Central.

Hailey Pogue pitched three scoreless innings and struck out seven to get the win. Brooke Lipperd pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Savanna Trueblood took the loss for Triton Central.

Karissa Hamilton and Kiley McIver had home runs for the Golden Bears.

Pogue went 4-for-4 at the plate with a double. Hamilton went 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

Katie Mathies and Kylee Edwards each had two hits.

Trueblood had the only two hits for the Tigers.

Shelbyville is scheduled to host Franklin tonight.

Triton Central’s Oliver Gearlds carded an 18-hole score of 73 Saturday at Otter Creek East to be crowned medalist of the Hauser Invitational.

Gearlds’ Tigers finished fourth in the 11-team field.

Greenwood Christian captured the team title with a score of 325. North Decatur finished runner-up at 344. Scottsburg (356), Triton Central (368) and Henryville (370) completed the top five.

Heritage Christian (384) was sixth followed by Hauser (386), Morristown (407), Trinity Lutheran (410), Southwestern (433), and Edinburgh (436).

Gearlds defeated Scottsburg’s Ryan Rockey by two strokes to earn the top individual honor. A trio of Greenwood Christian golfers – Sutton Piercefield (77), Coen Bauschek (78) and Ian Reed (79) – followed on the scoreboard.

Morristown’s Asher Caldwell placed ninth with an 84.

Nick Stidham (106), Jordan Battles (108), Collin Essex (109) and Kyle Crim (116) completed the Yellow Jackets’ scorecard.

Evan Uhls shot 88 for Triton Central. Caleb Anderson shot 98 followed by Griffin Sego (109) and Max Ray (121).

Caleb Pappano topped Southwestern’s scorecard at 101. Justin Swift shot 105. Ty Burcham followed at 113 and Tristan Pappano had 114.

With a pair of relay victories and wins in three of the four field events, Triton Central easily captured the Shelby County Boys Track and Field Meet title Wednesday at Waldron High School.

Triton Central won seven of the 15 events contested to amass 96 points while Southwestern (49), Morristown (44) and Waldron (36) completed the team standings.

Kegan Schalk won the shot put with a best throw of 45 feet, eight inches. Fellow Tiger Mason Krebs won the discus (106-10) and David Steele cleared 5-6 to win the high jump competition.

Triton Central also swept the hurdles races with Ethan Cales crossing the finish line first in the 110-meter hurdles (17.22) and Jack Baker taking first place in the 300 hurdles (46.59).

The quartet of Brayden Wilkens, Anthony Dunville, Ray Crawford and Brad Schultz won the 400 relay in 46.8.

Wilkins and Dunville teamed with Devin Hayden and Devon Emberton to win the 1,600 relay

(3:53.48).

Southwestern won the 3,200 relay. Ryan Griffin, Collin Cummings, Dane Kissell and Riley Snepp crossed the finish line first in 9:26.87.

Snepp also took first in the 1,600 (5:08.65).

Morristown got event wins from Kamdyn Gaines in the 400 (57.81) and Jacob Batten in the 800 (2:19.28).

Tyler Bowlby captured first place in three events – the 100 (11.20), the 200 (23.50) and the long jump (21-00.75).

Waldron’s Ethan Trueblood won the 3,200 (11:02.3).

With nine event wins, Southwestern left little doubt who the best girls track and field team was Wednesday at the Shelby County Track and Field Meet held at Waldron High School.

Abby Muck and Alison Muck each won two events and they joined two teammates to win the 400-meter relay.

Abby Muck took first place in the 100 meters in 13.01 then tied the Southwestern school record in winning the 200 in 26.91. Brooke Kistler was the sole record holder since 2014.

Alison Muck broke her own school record in the 100 hurdles, crossing the finish line in 16.43. She also won the high jump with a best clearance of five feet, one inch.

The Mucks teamed with Riley Engel and Lilly Rooks to win the 400 relay in another school record time of 51.56.

Rooks was the long jump winner with a best leap of 17-0.5.

Also winning events for Southwestern were Gracie Schlabach (1:06.55 in the 400), Kennedy Pile (28-2.5 in the shot put) and Trinity Tatlock (90-7 in the discus).

The Spartans’ 92 team points left Triton Central (56 points) and Morristown (56 points) battling for second. Waldron finished fourth at 22 points. The title is the second in program history following a championship in 2014.

The lone Mohawk to collect a Shelby County title was Hadlie Ross in the 800 (2:40.63).

Morristown’s lone individual winner was Rylee Kleine in the 3,200 (14:11.4).

Kleine ran with Gracie Laster, Raegan Kleine and Maggie Lutes to win the 3,200 relay (12:01.82).

Triton Central had two event winners. Hallie Schweiter was first across the finish line in the 1,600 (6:13.03). And Alyssa Lewis won the 300 hurdles in 50.53.

Schweitzer and Lewis combined with Vivian Blye and Madi Brown to win the 1,600 relay in 4:32.67.

Triton Central girls tennis dominated Edinburgh Wednesday to improve to 8-0 this season.

Brooklyn Schiffli bested Annelise Lollar at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0.

Julia Sanders defeated Bethany Burton at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-2.

And Lelia Chougule pinned a loss on Jessica Walsh at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 6-3.

Triton Central’s two doubles teams dropped just one game in completing the sweep.

At No. 1 doubles, Kelsey McGuire and Emma Hutchinson topped Peyton Bryant and Alyssa Funkhouser, 6-0, 6-0.

Alyssa Wheatley and Sarah Williams won at No. 2 doubles over Gracie Myers and Zoey Sida, 6-1, 6-0.

In junior varsity matches, the doubles pairing of Olivia Martin and Tori Ramsey defeated Edinburgh’s Liza Henderson and Jillian Turner, 8-0.

And Courtney Washburn and Jazmine Castillo blanked Edinburgh’s Lily Turner and Izzy Richardson, 8-0.

Erin Diemer soared to a new personal record height and moved into the No. 2 spot on the Southern Illinois record board for pole vaulters.

Competing Saturday at the Rock Chalk Classic in Lawrence, Kansas, Diemer, a Shelbyville graduate, cleared 13 feet, 5.75 inches to take runner-up in the event.

That height also moved her to No. 2 all-time on the outdoor track and field record board at Southern Illinois.

Here is a look at other Shelby County graduates competing at the collegiate level.

TeAnn Bringle

The Shelbyville graduate went 1-for-2 at the plate with a run batted in to help Indiana State softball defeat Missouri State, 7-3, Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Sycamores lost the opener of the 3-game series, 11-1, and the finale, 8-7.

Indiana State is 18-25 this season.

Logan Young

The Shelbyville graduate went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and a RBI Sunday in Indiana University South Bend’s 14-6 win over St. Ambrose to close out the regular season.

The Titans finished 23-22, the first winning season in the program’s six-year history.

On Saturday, IU South Bend defeated St. Ambrose, 7-4 and 8-1. Young went 4-for-8 with a pair of doubles. He also pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the 8-1 victory.

The Titans finished fourth in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings and will face No. 5 seed St. Francis Friday at 11 a.m. in the CCAC Tournament played in Joliet, Illinois.

Natalie Weber

The Shelbyville graduate went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI Saturday in Franklin College’s 3-2 win at Defiance.

She then went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in a 4-3 loss in game two at Defiance.

Kaden Branam

The Waldron graduate finished runner-up in the high jump competition for Indiana Tech at the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship held in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Branam cleared 1.99 meters to secure runner-up points for his Indiana Tech squad that won the team title.

Joe Lux

The Shelbyville graduate placed 21^st in the 800 (2:13.07) for Indiana Tech at the conference championship meet in Fort Wayne.

Madisen Hinderliter

The Shelbyville graduate finished seventh in the discus (33.98 meters) and eighth in the hammer throw (34.12 meters) for St. Francis at the Lancer Invitational hosted by Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind.

Morgan Stieneker

The Shelbyville graduate went 1-for-3 with two RBIs Sunday in a 5-4 win for Olney Central College over John A. Logan College.

With the win, OCC evened its season record at 23-23.

One defensive mistake was all Shelbyville softball needed Tuesday to close out its Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule with a 1-0 victory over Class 4A, No. 16 Mt. Vernon (12-3, 4-2 HHC).

Karissa Hamilton laced a hit to right field in the fourth inning that got past the Mt. Vernon outfielder. The junior never hesitated in racing for third base and when the relay throw was errant, Hamilton chugged on home for the game’s only run.

Cheyenne Eads and Mt. Vernon’s Maddison Taylor hooked up in a pitching duel Tuesday as the two combined for 26 strikeouts while allowing just five hits.

Eads had a career-high 16 strikeouts while surrendering two hits and three walks to push the Class 4A, No. 7-ranked Golden Bears to 17-2 this season (6-1 HHC).

Taylor was equally impressive in keeping the high-scoring Golden Bears in check over six innings.

Shelbyville is scheduled to play at Hamilton Heights (1-9) Thursday before hosting Triton Central (6-7) Friday.

Following a dominant week in which it defeated three top-10 opponents, New Palestine ascended to the top of the Class 4A State Coaches Poll.

The Dragons defeated Center Grove, Shelbyville and top-ranked Roncalli last week to jump from No. 4 to No. 1 in the standings.

Lake Central is No. 2 followed by Roncalli, Mooresville and Crown Point.

Center Grove leads the second five with Shelbyville up to No. 7 – its highest ranking this season.

Completing the top 10 are Bedford North Lawrence, Decatur Central and Jasper.

Other notables in the top 25 are Pendleton Heights (No. 15), Mt. Vernon (No. 16), Franklin (No. 18) and Columbus North (No. 22).

Mt. Vernon is scheduled to be Shelbyville’s opponent today. The Golden Bears will face Columbus North in the opening game of the sectional tournament later this month.

Danville is No. 1 in Class 3A. Edgewood, Geurin Catholic, Yorktown and Benton Central complete the top five.

Tecumseh is the top-ranked team in Class 2A followed by Union County, Pioneer, North Posey and Eastern (Greentown). Eastern Hancock is seventh in the poll.

Loogootee holds a slim margin in Class A over Caston, South Central (Union Mills) and Lanesville. Clay City is ranked fifth. Hauser is seventh.

Two days removed from winning the Indiana Crossroads Conference Tournament, Triton Central’s tennis team pinned a loss on an ICC foe.

The Tigers swept Beech Grove Monday, 5-0.

Brooklyn Schiffli defeated Paige Lamar at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0.

At No. 2 singles, Julia Sanders cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jeda Howard.

And Lelia Chougule completed the singles matches sweep with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Randi Underwood at No. 3 singles.

Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley combined to defeat Kristen Lamb and Madison Stratton at No. 1 doubles, 6-1, 6-2.

Tori Ramsey and Sarah Williams finished strong defeating Kaleah Estep and Shelby Howard at No. 2 doubles, 6-4, 6-0.

The Tigers improved to 7-0 this season.

In junior varsity matches, Courtney Washburn and Jazmine Castillo were victorious for Triton Central. Washburn and Castillo also teamed up to claim a doubles victory.

Triton Central tennis won all five brackets to amass a perfect score of 30 points to win the Indiana Crossroads Conference Tournament held Saturday at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

Brooklyn Schiffli dropped six games total in three matches to win the No. 1 singles bracket for Triton Central. She posted a 6-0, 6-1 win over Lutheran’s Ella Wiegand, a 6-0, 6-0 win over Scecina’s Cierra Berry, and a 6-2, 6-3 win in the championship against Speedway’s Tiana Sparks.

Julia Sanders also went 3-0 at No. 2 singles. She defeated Scecina’s Stacey Montgomery (6-0, 6-0), Beech Grove’s Jeda Howard (6-0, 6-0) and Speedway’s Taylor Sparks (4-6, 7-5, 1-0) to amass six points in the bracket.

Lelia Chougule cruised at No. 3 singles defeating Lutheran’s Malia Bullock (6-1, 6-2), Ritter’s Lauren Yelich (6-1, 6-0) and Speedway’s Lexi Frey (6-2, 6-2).

At No. 1 doubles, Ainsley Denton and Chelsea McGuire dropped just four games in dominating the bracket. They defeated Scecina’s Josephine Marshall and Emily Gonzales (6-0, 6-1), Lutheran’s Jocey Sneed and CeCe Awrey (6-1, 6-1) and Speedway’s Madalyn Cox and Daniella Galvez (6-0, 6-1).

The sweep was complete with the pairing of Emma Hutchinson and Alyssa Wheatley going 2-0 at No. 2 doubles. They defeated Beech Grove’s Kaleah Estep and Shelby Howard (6-0, 6-1) and Lutheran’s Rachel Bolton and Maddy Franklin (6-4, 6-2).

Triton Central is coached by Austin Hall.

Six schools were entered into the tournament. A blind draw was held on April 29 to set the brackets.

First-place finishers in each bracket earned six points for their team; five points went to second; four points to third and so on.

To advance to the Class 4A, Sectional 14 championship game, the Shelbyville Golden Bears will have to knock off a pair of Columbus schools.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced the pairings Sunday for the 54^th Annual IHSAA Baseball State Tournament.

Sectional games will be played May 26-31. Regional championships are June 5. North and south semistates are scheduled for June 12. And Victory Field will host the four state championship games on June 21 and June 22.

Bloomington North is the host school for Sectional 14.

The Golden Bears (11-7) open sectional play against Columbus East (6-6-1), the state runner-up in 2019.

The winner will then face either East Central (11-6) or Columbus North (17-1-1), currently ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll.

The other semifinal features Bloomington South (6-4) versus Bloomington North (3-6).

The sectional champion advances to the Jasper Regional to face the winner of the Mooresville Sectional, which includes No. 3 Center Grove (14-1).

In Class 2A Sectional 42, Triton Central (8-7) debuts in the sectional opener against Indianapolis Scecina (7-9). The winner meets Knightstown (8-6) in the semifinal round.

The other semifinal pits Eastern Hancock (4-9) against Heritage Christian (7-9).

The sectional champion moves on to the Cascade Regional to face the Southmont Sectional champion.

Morristown is again the host site for Class A, Sectional 59.

No. 5 ranked Southwestern (9-4) starts the tournament with a quarterfinal game against Lutheran (4-7).

In game two, Greenwood Christian (4-9) takes on Edinburgh (0-7).

The two winners meet in the semifinal round.

The other semifinal pits Waldron (2-10) against Morristown (7-7).

The Morristown Sectional champ returns to Morristown for regional competition against the White River Valley Sectional champ.

No. 2 Shakamak is in the White River Valley Sectional.

Class 4A, No. 10-ranked Shelbyville will enter Sectional 14 in three weeks as the host and the favorite.

However, its first sectional opponent will be one of two teams to pin a loss on it this season.

On Sunday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association announced the sectional pairings (May 24-29) for the 36^th annual Softball State Tournament.

In Sectional 14 at Shelbyville, the opening game will feature Bloomington North (5-7) versus Columbus East (2-15).

Shelbyville (16-2) debuts in game two against No. 22 Columbus North (12-4). The Bull Dogs defeated the Golden Bears on April 8, 9-5.

The winner of those two games will meet in the semifinals.

The other semifinal game pits East Central (12-3) against Bloomington South (7-8).

The winner of the Shelbyville Sectional will travel to the winner of Sectional 13 for a June 1 regional contest.

Sectional 13 features three state-ranked teams including the defending 4A state champion, Center Grove (13-4).

No. 3 ranked Mooresville (16-0) opens the Center Grove Sectional against 19^th-ranked Franklin (9-5). Center Grove, ranked seventh, takes on Martinsville in its sectional opener.

Whiteland battles Greenwood in the other sectional quarterfinal game.

In Class 2A, Triton Central travels to Knightstown for sectional competition.

In Sectional 42, Knightstown (6-5) opens the tournament against No. 8 Eastern Hancock (11-1) in the only quarterfinal contest.

In the first semifinal, Heritage Christian (3-7) meets Indianapolis Scecina (3-8).

Triton Central (6-7) faces the winner of the Knightstown/Eastern Hancock game.

The Knightstown Sectional winner will play at the winner of Sectional 41, hosted by Union County – ranked No. 2 at 16-1.

In Class A, Edinburgh hosts a five-team sectional featuring both Morristown and Waldron.

In Sectional 59, the host Lancers (8-7) open against Waldron (5-5). The winner will face Morristown (2-11) in the semifinals.

Greenwood Christian (2-4) drew Indianapolis Lutheran (8-7), the Class A state champion in 2019, with the winner advancing to the championship game.

The Edinburgh Sectional winner will host the Rising Sun Sectional winner in regional competition.

No. 7 Hauser (15-2) is the sectional favorite at Rising Sun.

Center Grove (4A), Forest Park (2A) and North Daviess (A) are the semistate sites for Shelby County schools.

The State Finals will be June 11-12 at Center Grove High School.

A pair of Shelby County high school graduates won individual events at the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship held Friday and Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Shelbyville graduate Zaleeya Martin won the 100-meter dash in 12.65 seconds, the 200 in 25.63 and was part of Hanover’s winning 400 meter relay squad (50.9).

Martin also scored points for Hanover in the long jump, finishing seventh (16 feet, 0.5 inches).

Hanover placed third in the team standings with 128 points, trailing Rose-Hulman (215) and Manchester (147).

Taylor Tatlock (above photo, right), a Southwestern graduate, won the women’s javelin competition for Franklin College with a personal best throw of 121-07, which moved her up to second on the program’s career-best list.

Tatlock also finished third in the discus (new personal best 114-09) and 15^th in the hammer throw (97-04).

Waldron graduate Dalen Williams, also competing for Franklin College, finished runner-up to teammate Zak Wiley (above photo, left) in the discus throw. Williams’ best distance was 130-03.

Williams also finished eighth in the javelin at 129-02.

Triton Central graduate Kenneth Gipson placed 11^th in the discus for Rose-Hulman at 109-07.

Waldron graduate Andrew Montgomery, running for Franklin, finished 17^th in the 1,500 meters (4:50.39).

Shelbyville graduate Jill Anspaugh, also a distance runner for Franklin, finished ninth in the 5,000 meters (21:18.92).

Franklin finished seventh in both the men’s and women’s team standings.

Rose-Hulman also won the men’s team title with 210.5 points. Manchester (161) and Transylvania (79.5) followed in the standings.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment will host Boom Baby! The Life and Times of Bobby “Slick” Leonard, a public celebration of life for Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster Bobby “Slick” Leonard on May 12 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Tickets go on sale for $5.29 each at www.pacers.com/slick on Friday, May 7, at 10 a.m., with all proceeds going to the Dropping Dimes Foundation benefitting former ABA players and personnel. Attendance will be limited to 1,500 guests due to COVID protocols, but the celebration will also be livestreamed at www.pacers.com/slick for those unable to attend. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

“While we continue to mourn his passing and miss his always colorful presence, we look forward to offering a public farewell to one of the most impactful figures in our state’s basketball history,” said PS&E President Rick Fuson. “We also want to offer up one last ‘Boom Baby’ in Slick’s honor.”

Leonard, the Terre Haute native who led Indiana University to the 1953 national championship, coached the Pacers to three American Basketball Association titles and later served as the team’s radio analyst, passed on April 13 at the age of 88.

Video tributes from former Pacers players and basketball dignitaries and clips from the 2014 WFYI Ted Green Films documentary “Heart of a Hoosier” will be featured. Mark Boyle, the Pacers’ radio voice and Leonard’s long-time broadcast partner, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Per the family’s wishes, Leonard’s calling and services were private and he was interred at Southlawn Cemetery in South Bend on April 22.

“Boom Baby” was Leonard’s trademark radio call punctuating a made three-point field goal by a Pacers player. In addition to coaching the Pacers to the three ABA championships, Leonard and his wife, Nancy, also played major roles in keeping the Pacers in Indianapolis after the team encountered financial difficulties following the merger into the National Basketball Association.

For more information, please visit www.pacers.com/slick. 

With Oliver Gearlds and Evan Uhls finishing first and third, respectively, in the individual standings, the Triton Central Tigers captured the Shelby County Golf Tournament Saturday at Timbergate Golf Course in Edinburgh, Indiana.

Gearlds was crowned meet medalist with an 8-over par score of 80.

Morristown’s Asher Caldwell carded an 81 to finish runner-up. Uhls was the only other golfer in the field to break triple digits on the scorecard with an 88.

With Griffin Sego shooting 103 and Caleb Anderson posting 122, the Tigers took the team title at 393. Maxwell Ray shot 128.

Triton Central's Oliver Gearlds was crowned Shelby County Golf Tournament champion Saturday at Timbergate Golf Course and his Tigers captured the team title. 

Morristown was second at 403. Southwestern completed the field at 450. Waldron did not field an entrant.

Following Caldwell on the Yellow Jackets’ scorecard were Jordan Battles with 104, Sawyer Jones and Collin Essex, each at 109, and Kyle Crim at 114.

For Southwestern, Caleb Pappano led the way at 105. Justin Swift carded 110. Tristian Pappano followed at 117, one shot ahead of Ty Burcham.