Findlay 'blisters' Panther bats for PH regional title
Jun. 1—INDIANAPOLIS — As if battling a hot hazy day and a talented sectional champion wasn't enough, Pendleton Heights junior pitcher Eliza Findlay had to battle against her own body during Tuesday's regional championship game at North Central.
But even a blister breaking open on her pitching hand was not going to deter Findlay and the Arabians from their goal on this day.
Findlay allowed just three hits in a complete-game shutout, and the Arabians got just enough offense against a Division I pitcher and blanked North Central 4-0 to advance to the Class 4A south semistate in Bedford.
It was the first regional title for fifth-ranked Pendleton Heights (25-6) and coach Rob Davis since 2013 and their ninth overall.
"We made mistakes, some mental mistakes, but we overcame them," Davis said. "We played good defense for the most part — I can't recall any mistakes — and Eliza pitched lights out, even with a burr on her finger."
The story of the day was Findlay and her remarkable efficiency.
Consistently working ahead in the count, she did not get to two balls on any batter until the fourth inning and did not walk any Panthers hitters until there were two outs in the fifth inning. That free pass to the No. 8 batter, Kate Rogers, on a 3-1 pitch brought out the first concern of Findlay's night as a blister on her pitching hand cracked open.
"I've been having an issue. I get blisters on my nail on the side of my fingers from the new ball. The seams rip my finger open," she said. "The only thing I can do is put new skin and rosin on it and just push though it until I can get home and put some medicine on it."
Her catcher was also concerned initially but knew it was an issue Findlay battled through before.
"I was getting a little bit nervous just because she started throwing a few balls," Kieli Ryan said. "But I have so much confidence in her, and I knew she would push through."
Findlay persevered, with treatment between innings and extra use of the rosin bag while in the circle. She did not allow a hit after the fourth-inning single by Camille Green and never allowed more than one Panthers runner to reach base in any inning. In the process, she won her 18th game — a new program record — and broke the 100-strikeout plateau for the season.
Davis had sophomore pitcher Shelby Messer warming up in the bullpen if Findlay could not continue.
"I had Shelby ready, and I kept going out there and asking (Findlay) 'Are you OK?'" Davis said. "If she wasn't, I wasn't going to hesitate because I believe in all 20 of these kids."
The PH bats got Findlay the run support she needed early.
With one out in the first, Hailee Brunnemer lined a hit to right that the senior turned into a triple after it eluded right fielder Makiah Pickett. One out later, Ryan lined a single up the middle to score Brunnemer, and it was 1-0.
The Arabians seemed poised for a big inning in the second when they loaded the bases with nobody out against Purdue-bound Emma Bailey on singles by Bo Shelton and Katelin Goodwin and a walk to Brynn Libler. But, in a rare baserunning blunder, Shelton wandered too far off the bag at third and was picked off for the first out. After pinch-hitter Sydney Clark popped out, Kiah Hubble reached on a two-base throwing error that allowed Goodwin and Libler to score for a 3-0 lead.
"That gave us that extra run and a little more ease in the situation," Davis said.
The Arabians added a big insurance run in the fourth when Shelton — who was 3-for-3 with two stolen bases — led off with a single, and Libler singled one out later. No. 9 batter Lillian Coffel dropped a well-placed bunt to the right of the mound for a hit, Shelton scored and it was 4-0, and the Arabians were on their way to semistate.
PH will face Keagan Rothrock and top-ranked Roncalli (30-0) after the Royals blanked Avon 5-0 Tuesday night. The Arabians lost to Roncalli 10-6 early in the season and are looking forward to the rematch.
"We want them," Davis said. "I told the Roncalli coach, 'I'll see you in early June,' and here we are. We're going after them."
"My biggest thing is that we could have beat them earlier this year. We got six runs off of them," Findlay said. "I'm not going to be hitting against Keagan, but I'll be watching the film and seeing what they can hit and what they can't hit. I'll be taking notes."
Contact Rob Hunt at
or 765-640-4886.
