There were a number of close calls amidst the first round of sectional championship games Wednesday. Here's what happened during the third night of the Indiana high school state softball tournament.
There will be Players of the Week for sectionals, so send me your nominees either via Twitter (my DMs are open) or email.
'Everyone was just spectacular' New Pal demonstrates defensive dominance in semis rout
Sectionals: Central Indiana scores, schedule, complete coverage
Hornet seniors come through: Beech Grove 3, Speedway 2
Hayli Clampitt had defending sectional champion Beech Grove on the ropes in the Class 3A Sectional 28 championship game, allowing only one run through five innings to ensure the Sparkplugs' two second-inning runs stood up. She retired the side in order in the second, third and fifth; stranded a pair of runners in the fourth with back-to-back strikeouts; and opened the sixth with a couple groundouts. The sophomore was in cruise control, but BG's seniors would not be denied.
Lilliana Jansen broke up a string of seven straight outs with a two-out double to center, then came around to score the game-tying run on a Mylee Boling triple. Following a scoreless top of the seventh by Malone Moore, Holly Garrett doubled to left, stole third and came around to score the game-winning run on a Kylee Robinson walk-off base hit.
Moore, Jansen and Boling all clocked two hits apiece, with Moore tacking on 10 strikeouts from the circle to help secure Beech Grove's second sectional title in program history.
Clampitt and Kathryn Hill accounted for Speedway's two hits, with Clampitt allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts over 6.1 innings pitched.
(I'll have a feature on Holly Garrett, a two-sport college commit, and her sister Jennifer, who's battling cancer, next week.)
More: Tri-West wins 4th straight softball sectional, 'ready for another run' to 3A state finals
Royal freshmen deliver: Eastern Hancock 5, Shenandoah 4 (10 innings)
What a game Class 2A Sectional 41 semifinal. Shenandoah's Elise Boyd hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh, then a couple two-out errors allowed Gabrielle Patrick and Tarran Mills to score the go-ahead runs.
The Royals were quick to respond. Back-to-back walks to leadoff the inning were followed by a two-RBI single by freshman Camryn Blue that tied the score at four.
Eastern Hancock stranded runners in the eighth and ninth before freshman Chyan Evans walked it off in the 10th with a bases-loaded base hit back up the middle.
Junior Emree Truitt and senior Brooklyn Willis both had two hits apiece, but it was the freshmen who came through in the clutch and sent EH to the sectional final. Tatem Adams struck out 13 and allowed only two runs on three hits over 6.1 innings pitched for EH.
Saints pull away and advance: Lutheran 8, Edinburgh 3
Lutheran is among the best teams in Class A, but it had its hands full with Edinburgh in the Class A Sectional 59 final.
Sophomore Kenna Streeval accounted for two of the Lancers' first three runs, coming around to score on an error following a lead-off double to open the game, then leading off the third with a homer to push the score to 3-0.
Lutheran would not get on the board until the third (Maddux Tindall and Leyla Miller with an RBI apiece), and was unable to pull ahead against Streeval until the fifth, when Grace King (three hits, two runs) came in to score on a wild pitch.
Lutheran pulled ahead and put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth. Gracie Boggs, King and Maddux Tindall all contributed runs, then Boggs worked around a two-out walk to close it out in the seventh.
Eels' drought continues: Bethesda Christian 6, Eminence 2
Bethesda Christian maintained its May momentum with its eighth win in nine games to advance to the Class A Sectional 58 semifinals.
Lindsey Dodson had three hits and a couple runs scored, Leah Heim had two hits, three runs and an RBI, Kiley O'Haver tallied two hits and two RBIs and Grace Carr notched a couple RBIs for the Patriots at the plate, while Annah Heath allowed only two runs on five hits with a couple strikeouts.
Bella Dittemore led Eminence with a couple hits and a run scored.
Bethesda Christian awaits the winner of Providence Cristo Rey and Indiana Deaf; Eminence finishes the season 14-4. The Eels have yet to win a sectional championship.
Orioles, Royals to tangle for fourth consecutive season: Avon 10, Terre Haute North 1; Roncalli 13, Southport 3
Following an eventful Tuesday , Avon left little room for drama in Wednesday's Class 4A Sectional 12 final vs. host Terre Haute North.
The Orioles scored four runs in the first, two more in the second and cruised from there. Jaylee Fansler went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored, Hannah Sutton and Lylah DeArmond both had two hits, two RBIs and a run scored and Zoey Chavez had two RBIs. Sutton, Fansler and DeArmond all homered.
Addie Forst went the distance in the circle, allowing one run on two hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
More: Avon team bus breaks down on way to softball sectional. 'I was freaking out a little bit.'
Avon's win sets up a regional rematch with Roncalli, which made similarly quick work of Southport, scoring seven unanswered runs after spotting the Cardinals three in the top of the first.
Natalie Summers hit a two-run homer in the first as part of a three-RBI night, while Elise Baker drove in three runs and scored a run on two hits. Carly Keller posted three runs and two RBIs and Sarah Hofmann went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored (she walked it off with a single in the bottom of the fifth).
Southport's Ally Kiefner and Ava Thorpe hit back-to-back homers in the top of the first.
Regional outlook
Early glance at pairings for next Tuesday…
Class 4A: Roncalli at Avon
Class 3A: Tri-West at Edgewood; Bishop Chatard/Hamilton Heights at Beech Grove
Class 2A: Eastern Hancock/Union County/Knightstown at Triton Central; Cascade at Greencastle
Class A: Lutheran at North Decatur/Jac-Cen-Del
Thursday's best offerings
Sectional 13: Center Grove vs. Mooresville
Sectional 14: Whiteland vs. Columbus East
Sectional 27: Hamilton Heights vs. Bishop Chatard
Sectional 40: Lapel vs. Alexandria Monroe
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Softball sectionals: Seniors & freshmen deliver, trophies hoisted, early regional preview
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