IHSAA baseball and softball sectional pairings released; Ball State, prep weekend results
MUNCIE, Ind. — The IHSAA released its baseball and softball sectional pairings on Sunday.
East Central Indiana saw two baseball teams (Wapahani and Cowan) and Cowan softball win sectional titles in 2021, and those squads and more should be in title contention this season.
Here are the matchups for each area school:
Baseball sectionals (May 25-28, 30)
Class 4A Sectional 9 (at Mt. Vernon)
First round: Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (8-7) v. Pendleton Heights (7-9) ; Richmond (8-3) v. Greenfield-Central (6-8)
Semifinals: Mt. Vernon/Pendleton Heights v. Richmond/Greenfield-Central ; Muncie Central (6-7) v. Anderson (9-7)
Class 3A Sectional 24 (at Yorktown)
First round: New Castle (10-0) v. Hamilton Heights (8-4) ; Yorktown (11-5) v. Jay County (7-4)
Semifinals: New Castle/Hamilton Heights v. Yorktown/Jay County ; Delta (4-11)
v. Guerin Catholic (11-4)
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Class 2A Sectional 39 (at Eastern Greentown)
First round: Tipton (0-9) v. Taylor (7-6-1) ; Blackford (8-6) v. Eastbrook (7-3-1)
Semifinals: Tipton/Taylor v. Blackford/Eastbrook ; Madison-Grant (6-8) v. Eastern (Greentown) (14-0)
Class 2A Sectional 40 (at Frankton)
First round: Elwood (0-9) v. Monroe Central (12-4) ; Wapahani (14-2) v. Lapel (9-4-1) ; Frankton (8-7-1) v. Alexandria (6-11-1) ; Winchester (4-6-1) v. Muncie Burris (1-6)
Semifinals: Elwood/Monroe Central v. Lapel/Wapahani ; Frankton/Alexandria v. Winchester/Muncie Burris
Class 2A Sectional 41 (at Centerville)
First round: Union County (7-7) v. Hagerstown (4-7)
Semifinals: Shenandoah (9-5-1) v. Centerville (10-2) ; Northeastern (3-8) v. Union County/Hagerstown
Class 1A Sectional 55 (at Anderson Prep)
First round: Daleville (2-13) v. Southern Wells (2-8) ; Tri-Central (1-11) v. Anderson Prep (0-7) ; Cowan (9-6) v. Liberty Christian (4-8)
Semifinals: Wes-Del (7-6) v. Daleville/Southern Wells ; Tri-Central/Anderson Prep v. Cowan/Liberty Christian
Class 1A Sectional 56 (at Seton Catholic)
First round: Cambridge City Lincoln (2-7) v. Tri (4-7) ; Randolph Southern (3-7) v. Union City (10-1)
Semifinals: Lincoln/Tri v. Randolph Southern/Union City ; Blue River (5-5) v. Seton Catholic (1-10)
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Softball sectionals (May 23-28)
Class 4A Sectional 9 (at Pendleton Heights)
First round: Richmond (3-6) v. Pendleton Heights (14-3) ; Greenfield-Central (8-4) v. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) (4-5)
Semifinals: Anderson (4-4) v. Richmond/Pendleton Heights ; Muncie Central (2-4) v. Greenfield-Central/Mt. Vernon
Class 3A Sectional 24 (at Delta)
First round: Yorktown (9-1) v. Hamilton Heights (5-9) ; Jay County (5-5) v. New Castle (8-6)
Semifinals: Delta (7-8) v. Yorktown/Hamilton Heights ; Guerin Catholic (4-5) v. Jay County/New Castle
Class 2A Sectional 39 (at Oak Hill)
First round: Madison-Grant (12-2) v. Taylor (1-6) ; Tipton (4-8) v. Eastern (Greentown) (11-3-1) ; Oak Hill (7-6) v. Eastbrook (6-6)
Semifinals: Blackford (2-8) v. Madison-Grant/Tipton ; Tipton/Eastern v. Oak Hill/Eastbrook
Class 2A Sectional 40 (at Lapel)
First round: Alexandria (2-9-1) v. Lapel (7-5) ; Winchester (2-7) v. Frankton (9-4) ; Wapahani (6-7) v. Monroe Central (3-11)
Semifinals: Elwood (7-4) v. Alexandria/Lapel ; Winchester/Frankton v. Wapahani/Monroe Central
Class 2A Sectional 41 (at Union County)
First round: Union County (11-2) v. Shenandoah (11-6)
Semifinals: Northeastern (8-5) v. Centerville (2-7) ; Hagerstown (7-5) v. Union County/Shenandoah
Class 1A Sectional 55 (at Daleville)
First round: Cowan (8-3) v. Liberty Christian (4-7) ; Daleville (2-2) v. Southern Wells (4-10)
Semifinals: Wes-Del (7-6) v. Cowan/Liberty Christian ; Tri-Central (0-8) v. Daleville/Southern Wells
Class 1 Sectional 56 (at Tri)
First round: Blue River (0-7) v. Randolph Southern (0-9)
Semifinals: Tri (5-7) v. Union City (7-5) ; Cambridge City Lincoln (4-8) v. Blue River/Randolph Southern
Here's what else happened in Ball State University and ECI prep sports over the weekend (April 29-May 1):
Ball State women's tennis wins MAC championship, earns conference honors
BSU women's tennis (19-4) on Sunday won the Mid-American Conference championship, the second in program history, with a 4-3 victory over Toledo. The Cardinals advanced to the title match after beating Buffalo 4-2 on Saturday.
The title secured the Cardinals their third ever NCAA tournament birth.
No. 3 singles Jessica Braun three-set thriller (7-5, 4-6, 6-4) was the deciding match. She and No. 6 singles Livia Lukacs made the All-Tournament team, with Braun being named MVP.
Prior to the tournament, head coach Max Norris was named as one of the MAC's Co-Coaches of the Year. Mariya Polishchuk made First Team All-MAC, and Emma Peeler made Second Team All-MAC.
High school baseball
New Castle tops Hagerstown
New Castle on Friday won 8-5 at Hagerstown. Senior Eli Cooper led the offense with two hits and two RBI's, and sophomore Gavin Frazier earned the pitching with in 6.1 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs with six walks.
Cowan dominates Seton Catholic, splits double-header at Frankton
Cowan on Friday won by run rule at Seton Catholic, 16-3. Sophomore Bradley Terrell led the offense with three hits and four RBI's, and freshman Gentry Groves earned the pitching win with two earned runs and six strikeouts in four innings of work.
The Blackhawks then played a double-header at Frankton on Saturday, winning 4-0 and losing 14-4. In the victory, Groves (two hits, two RBI's) and senior Michael Hargrave (one hit, two RBI's) led the offense, and pitchers Terrell and senior Chase Smith combined to allow just three hits and zero earned runs with 11 strikeouts.
In the loss, sophomore Jackson Clifford led the offense with two hits and one RBI, and junior Landen Hiatt took the pitching loss in three innings, allowing six innings and six earned runs.
Blue River holds Tri scoreless, edges Liberty Christian
Blue River on Friday won its home game against Tri 10-0 in six innings. Sophomore Isaiah Gard led the offense with two hits and two RBI's, and junior Garrett Grim allowed zero hits with one walk and 16 strikeouts in six innings.
Against Liberty Christian, the Vikings were led offensively by sophomore Ethan Blackburn with three RBI's, and junior Clayton Turley pitched all but the last out of the game, allowing just three earned runs with 12 strikeouts.
Muncie Burris shutout by Park Tudor
Muncie Burris on Friday lost 10-0 at Park Tudor in six innings.
Wapahani tops Knightstown, Jay County in invitational
Wapahani held its invitational tournament on Saturday, beating Knightstown 5-3 and Jay County 5-2. Across the two contests, junior Joseph Foster led the Raiders' offense with five hits and two RBI's, and juniors Ian McLellan and Gavin Lash earned the pitching wins by allowing just one total earned run.
Jay County junior Josh Dowlen and senior Gavin Myers each notched one RBI, and junior pitcher Dusty Pearson allowed three earned runs in as many innings.
Winchester shutout in double-header against Centerville
Winchester on Saturday lost both its games at Centerville, 2-0 and 10-0. Golden Falcons senior Brookes Burelison tallied two hits in Game 1, as well as pitching six innings and allowing two earned runs, but the team went hitless in Game 2. Brayden Tippett took the pitching loss, allowing six earned runs and seven hits in three innings of work.
Monroe Central sweeps Alexandria
Monroe Central on Saturday won both games of its double-header at Alexandria, 10-5 and 11-0.
High school softball
Wes-Del dominates Muncie Central with Stark perfect game
Wes-Del on Friday won 17-0 at Muncie Central in five innings. Junior Kenzie Stark led the offense with four hits and four RBI's, and also pitched a perfect five innings in the circle.
Shenandoah dominates at Alexandria and Knightstown
Shenandoah on Friday won by run rule at Alexandria, 13-3, in five innings. Junior Alyssa Allen led the offense with three hits and three RBI's, and junior Emma Whittenburg pitched all five innings, allowing eight hits and three earned runs.
On Saturday, the Raiders shutout Knightstown 7-0. Freshman Lydia Schwagmeier led the offense with three hits and two RBI's, Allen and junior Kayla Muterspaugh each hit a home run, and senior Kaylin Nolan pitched a scoreless seven innings, allowing just four hits with nine strikeouts.
Wapahani shutout at Frankton
Wapahani on Friday lost at Frankton 5-0. The Raiders notched just one hit and stuck out 13 times.
Monroe Central falls to Tipton
Monroe Central on Friday lost its home game to Tipton 13-6. Junior Tessa Chesher hit a two-run home run, but also took the pitching loss after allowing 14 hits and 10 earned runs in six innings.
Blue River shutout by Northeastern
Blue River on Friday lost 14-0 at Northeastern. The Vikings tallied just one hit.
New Castle splits in Miller Invite
New Castle on Saturday competed in the Miller Invitational at Noblesville, falling to the Millers 16-6 and beating Lawrence Central 11-1. In the loss, senior Hannah Essert had four RBI's via two home runs, and junior Madi Moffitt allowed nine hits and nine earned runs in 3.1 innings in the circle.
Cowan beats Centerville
Cowan on Saturday won at Centerville 7-1. Blackhawks junior Tatum Rickert led the offense with three hits and three RBI's while also pitching a complete game, allowing just five hits and one earned run with 10 strikeouts.
High school track and field
Muncie Central girls win Bearcat Invite
Muncie Central on Saturday hosted girls teams for its Bearcat Invitational, winning with a score of 113.
Final team scores:
Muncie Central (113)
Delta (111)
Yorktown (92)
Jay County (90)
Richmond (74)
Anderson (50)
Muncie Burris (38)
Waldron (16)
Delta's Nicki Southerland won the most events, three (400m, 800m, 1,600m).
Wapahani boys, New Castle girls win New Castle Invite
Wapahani, New Castle and Jay County on Friday competed in the New Castle Invitational, with the Raiders boys and Trojans girls winning with a score of 141 and 76 respectively.
New Castle's boys finished third (68), Jay County boys placed sixth out of six teams (47), and Wapahani girls placed third (57).
Winchester girls win Knight Invite
Winchester on Friday traveled to Northeastern for the Knight Invitational. The girls team placed first with a score of 121, and the boys team placed fourth out of nine schools with a score of 63.
Golden Falcons champions were junior Caitlyn Campbell (300m hurdles, 48.83 seconds), senior Dylan Sanders (shot put, 41-feet-5-inches), the 4x400m relay team of freshman Lanie Burger, juniors Ryanne Lacy, Zoey Craw and Campbell (4:24.61 minutes), and the 4x800m relay team of freshmen Alivia Mccoy, Madyson Hummel, Lacy and sophomore Avery Mote (11:34.65).
Monroe Central competes in South Adams Invite
Monroe Central on Friday competed in the South Adams Invitational, with the boys placing fourth (49) and girls placing sixth (30) out of nine and eight schools, respectively.
Golden Bears champions were freshman Easton Foster (high jump, 6-feet) and senior Sami Farmer (shot put, 36-feet-8.5 inches).
Muncie Central boys place fifth at Lime City Relays
Muncie Central's boys team on Saturday competed in the Lime City Relays, placing fifth out of seven schools with a score of 52. The highest-placing Bearcat was sophomore Demetrione Clair (third, long jump, 19-feet-9.5-inches).
Blackford places third at Titan Relays
Both Blackford teams on Saturday placed third at the Titan Relays. The Bruins won the co-ed 800m relay (Patience Campbell, Scott Winger, Sarah Ellison, Noah Kitterman), the boys distance medley relay (Cohen Walls, Kitterman, Evan Watt, Donavan Osborn), the boys sprint medley relay (Watt, James Jernigan, Winger, Austin Smith) and discus (Winger).
High school boys golf
RELATED: Yorktown boys golf wins 4th straight Delaware County title; Delta medalist wins playoff
Shenandoah wins third straight Henry County championship:
Shenandoah and Blue River on Saturday competed in the Henry County tournament, with the Raiders beating the Vikings 316-404 in the four-team field.
The Raiders were led by Jordan Zody (71), Landen Mathes (79) and Ryan Craig (82). The Vikings were led by Zane Parrish (94), (Wyatt Thornburg (95), Carter McGrady (104) and Connor Swoveland (111).
Winchester hosts 12-team Invite
Winchester on Saturday hosted its 34th annual 12-team invitational. Jay County placed third (331), Winchester fifth (335), Monroe Central eighth (390), Muncie Central ninth (414) and Blackford 11th (441).
Jay County was led by Caleb Derome (76, fifth overall), Kyle Sanders (81), Ricky Nava (86) and Gage Sims (88).
Winchester was led by Cooper McCoy (79), Drew Loyd (81), Paul Welch (81) and Bretton Basford (94).
High school girls tennis
Delta places second in home Invitational
Following a Friday 5-0 sweep of New Castle, Delta hosted its invitational tournament on Saturday, placing second. Muncie Burris placed seventh and Yorktown finished in eighth place.
The 22nd-ranked Eagles beat Kokomo and Bishop Chatard 5-0 before falling 4-1 to 15th-ranked Hamilton Southeastern in the championship. Senior No. 1 singles Gwendolyn Clark went 3-0 in a Saturday invite for the first time in her high school tennis career.
Blue River falls to Waldron
Blue River on Saturday lost to Waldron 3-2. No. 1 singles Ava Willis lost 1-6, 2-6, No. 2 singles Jenna Willis lost 0-6, 0-6, No. 3 singles Reagan Parmley lost 0-6, 1-6, No. 1 doubles Samantha Webb/Tara Jarvis won 6-3, 6-3, and No. 2 doubles Kearsten Perdue/Leah Foster won 6-2, 7-6(7-3).
Winchester swept by Centerville
Winchester on Saturday lost to Centerville 5-0.
Ball State baseball sweeps Central Michigan
BSU baseball (29-14, 23-4 MAC) won all four games of its weekend series against Central Michigan, winning 7-1, 6-4, 10-7 and 4-3. Hunter Dobbins capped Sunday's win with a walk-off single.
The Cardinals are now first place in the MAC after the dominating weekend.
BSU softball loses series to Bowling Green
Ball State softball (20-27, 13-10 MAC) lost two out of three games to Bowling Green over the weekend. The Cardinals first lost 2-1, then won 7-2 on Friday before losing 2-1 on Saturday.
Ball State men's golf placed 7th in MAC championship
BSU men's golf on Sunday placed seventh of eight teams in the MAC championship, shooting 50-over (301-315-298 — 914) as a team. Cardinals placers were Ali Khan (tied 10th, plus-8, Joey Ranieri (tied 12th, plus-9), Kash Bellar (33rd, plus-17) and Colin Nasser (tied 35th, plus-22).
BSU track competes in Jack Shaw Invitational
Ball State track on Saturday concluded its regular season at the Jack Shaw Invitational, earning several event wins.
Karlie Zumbro won long jump (5.47m), Payton Barlow won the 400m (55.45), Jenna Oriani won the 100m (12.25), and the 4x400-meter relay team of Karleigh Conner, Sarah Greer, Juliana Stogsdill and Emma Cunningham won the race in a time of 4:22.02.
Ball State women's basketball adds Hana Muhl
BSU women's basketball has added Hana Muhl from Croatia to its 2022-23 women's basketball roster. Muhl has been selected to four Croatian National Teams (U14-U16-U18), won two U19 National Championships in 2021 and 2019 while also leading her squad to that exact title again in 2019 with the U17 team.
Muhl has received individual honors, including All-Star Five in 2021 and 2020, as well as the Most Valuable Player of the U17 WABA League Championship in 2019.
This season, Muhl averaged 12.9 points, 4.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as she helped her team win the 2022 National Cup.
Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com or 765-729-4742.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA baseball and softball sectional pairings released in Muncie area
