Centerville girls tennis claims TEC title and sectional title to bookend week

Zach Piatt, Richmond Palladium-Item
·5 min read
Centerville's girls' tennis team poses after winning a sectional title May 21, 2022.
Centerville's girls' tennis team poses after winning a sectional title May 21, 2022.

RICHMOND, Ind. — If the start of last week was any indication, Centerville girls tennis was ready to win.

The Bulldogs took care of business Monday and claimed their 12th consecutive Tri-Eastern Conference title. Gabby Duke and Lizzie Parker led the way, winning their own individual TEC championships in singles play.

Northeastern came in second, but its doubles team of Chloe Cook and Claire Coddington won a TEC championship. Lincoln took third, just one point behind the Knights. Emily Cox came away with her second straight TEC crown in singles competition to lead the Golden Eagles.

That brought everyone to Richmond for sectionals.

Thursday’s first round was quick with a pair of 5-0 sweeps. The host Red Devils took out Seton, and Centerville bested Hagerstown.

Richmond met its match in Friday’s semifinals, as Northeastern was the first team to advance to the championship. Afterwards, Centerville kept rolling with another 5-0 win over Lincoln, setting up a rematch of the regular season finale with the Knights.

Earlier: Centerville girls tennis ends regular season 8-0 in TEC to highlight Wayne County sports

Gracie Helms, Duke and Parker rattled off win after win in straight sets in singles play for the Bulldogs Saturday, and Ashtyn Allen and Emma Cooper did the same in doubles play. Ava McCurdy and Kylar Marshall fell in a third-set tiebreaker, but it didn’t matter. They were sectional champions.

Centerville will compete in the Richmond regional May 24. Here are all other Wayne County high school girls’ sports results from May 16-21:

Softball

Hagerstown, Lincoln have pitchers’ duel to start week

If you like pitching and defense, Monday’s game between the Tigers and Golden Eagles was a game for you. Hagerstown won the game 2-1 behind Rylan Young’s complete game in the circle. She barely outpitched Maddie Bogue, who also went the distance on the other side. Hannah Pyle led the Tigers’ offense with two hits, including a triple.

Hagerstown freshman Rylan Young (right) and senior Marisa Slagle (left) wait for their pitcher between innings of a game against Northeastern May 12, 2022.
Hagerstown freshman Rylan Young (right) and senior Marisa Slagle (left) wait for their pitcher between innings of a game against Northeastern May 12, 2022.

Hagerstown continued its solid pitching the rest of the week. Pyle threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 10-0 win over Randolph Southern Thursday. She also had two hits and two RBIs at the plate. Marissa Slagle had three hits and drove in two runs, and Allison Stinson had two RBIs of her own. Young, Hayley Harris and Sydney Martindale each had two hits.

The next day, Young threw another complete game, striking out six batters and allowing zero earned runs, in a 7-4 win over Winchester. Young also had two hits, as did Slagle and Tori Kelley. One of Kelley’s was a home run, and she finished the game with three RBIs.

Lincoln got back in the win column Wednesday with a 10-0 victory over Centerville. Bogue pitched a complete-game one-hitter and had two hits herself at the plate. Paige Lunsford added two hits, and Haylee Gabbard and Mallory Burns each had two RBIs.

Lincoln senior Maddie Bogue winds up for a pitch during a Wayne County Tournament game April 23, 2022.
Lincoln senior Maddie Bogue winds up for a pitch during a Wayne County Tournament game April 23, 2022.

The Golden Eagles then took a 9-8 loss to Wapahani Friday. Lunsford led the offense with four hits and two RBIs. Burns had three hits, and Bogue had two RBIs. Gabbard, Sommer Taylor and Addyson Pitcock each added two hits.

Lincoln will play the winner of Blue River Valley and Randolph Southern May 25 in the semifinals of the Tri sectional. Hagerstown will play the winner of host Union County and Shenandoah May 24 in the sectional semifinals.

Richmond, Northeastern each get one win

The Red Devils got a lot of offensive production in their 10-7 loss to Knightstown Thursday. Macie Ferguson led the team with three hits, and Dajsha Burgess had two hits and three RBIs. Madison Owens and Kamdyn DePew also had two hits, and Haley Pipenger added a pair of RBIs.

Richmond then took an 11-4 loss to Jay County Friday. Owens’ two-run homer was a bright spot for the offense. The Red Devils fell 14-6 to New Castle Saturday to cap off the week. DePew had two RBIs.

Richmond senior Dajsha Burgess looks across the diamond during a game against Hagerstown April 16, 2022.
Richmond senior Dajsha Burgess looks across the diamond during a game against Hagerstown April 16, 2022.

Northeastern lost its first game of the week Thursday 7-3 to Jay County. Clare Lopeman pitched all seven innings, struck out nine batters and only allowed two earned runs. She also had two RBIs at the plate. Emma Neeley and Lexi Russell led the offense with two hits apiece.

The Knights ended the regular season with a bang, beating Daleville 17-7 Friday. Lopeman, Neeley and Baylee Wissler all homered, combining for six hits and five RBIs. Russell and McKaelyn Cummins each had three hits and combined to drive in three runs. Lilly Null, Kamryn McFarland and Kate Benjamin each had two hits and combined for six RBIs.

Northeastern sophomores Clare Lopeman (right), Lilly Null (center) and Emma Neeley (left) cheer on their teammates as the starting lineup is announced before a game against Hagerstown May 12, 2022.
Northeastern sophomores Clare Lopeman (right), Lilly Null (center) and Emma Neeley (left) cheer on their teammates as the starting lineup is announced before a game against Hagerstown May 12, 2022.

Northeastern will play Centerville May 24 in the semifinals of the Union County sectional. Richmond will play host Pendleton Heights May 23 in the first round of sectionals.

Centerville can’t get offense rolling

‘I’m surviving’: Centerville's Harmony Owens has pitched through 2 torn labrums all year

The Bulldogs scored a total of four runs in their final three games of the regular season. First, they lost 6-1 to Union County Monday. Haylee Parker had one of the team’s three hits as well as the only RBI.

Centerville senior Haylee Parker stands in the outfield during a game against Cowan April 30, 2022.
Centerville senior Haylee Parker stands in the outfield during a game against Cowan April 30, 2022.

Centerville then fell 10-0 to Lincoln Thursday. The Bulldogs ended the week with a 14-3 loss to Union City Friday. Harmony Owens and Parker combined to only allow two earned runs. Those two, along with Morgan Clark and Lilly Day, had two hits at the plate. Centerville plays Northeastern May 24 in the semifinals of the Union County sectional.

Track and field

All six county teams compete in sectionals

If you wanted to watch any of the Wayne County schools in sectional competition last week, Connersville was the place to be. Richmond placed second with 102.5 points, and Hagerstown finished fourth with 69. Centerville, Northeastern, Seton and Lincoln took sixth through ninth, respectively, with scores of 56, 52, 48 and 16.

More: Wayne County track and field teams send athletes to regionals

For more results, check out the complete list of athletes advancing to regionals May 24.

Zach Piatt reports on sports and education for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Centerville girls tennis wins TEC and sectional titles in same week