Greencastle bows out of tournament with 5-0 loss to South Vermillion

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

ELLETTSVILLE -- Greencastle's softball squad met their match in sectional play Tuesday night, falling to South Vermillion 5-0 at Edgewood High School.

Having lost to the Wildcats 3-2 earlier in the season, the Tiger Cubs looked to right the offensive wrongs of their April 10th meeting.

Much like the first game, however, Greencastle failed to find the hits in the right spots to put runs on the board.

Both squads threatened in the first inning. South Vermillion loaded the bases before a strikeout ended the top half of the inning.

Greencastle's threat was more serious. With runners on second and third, a grounder was thrown back to home plate as Kaytlynn Beaman came in.

Beaman was ruled out, though the Greencastle bench appealed that the ball had been dropped before the tag was made.

South Vermillion would get their first run of the game in the third inning. Morgan Samuelson singled, stole second and reached third on a wild pitch before being plated by Taylor Andrew's double.

The Wildcats would add on to the lead in the fourth. After getting the first two batters on, Tiger Cub starting pitcher Alex Basile recorded two outs before her command began to get away.

Four consecutive walks pushed three runs across before Basile was pulled for Erynn Beck. An error on the defense allowed a fourth run in and the Tiger Cubs sat staring at a 5-0 deficit.

Greencastle's best chance for runs thereafter came in the fifth inning. Delanie Stoltey and Beck reached on singles before back to back outs left the Tiger Cubs with two on and two out.

A walk to Taylor Pruitt loaded the bases, but the Wildcats escaped harm once Riley Seahorn struck out to end the inning.

Greencastle had one last shot to get runs on the board in the seventh, but Seahorn popped out with runners on first and second to end the game and the season for the Tiger Cubs.

Afterward, Greencastle head coach Dave Keller said that the squad had chances but didn't convert them Tuesday.

"The offense was there at times, but just not in the right situation. We had people on base but just couldn't get them in," Keller said.

"We put the bat on the ball but hit it right at them again. But, I tell you what, the improvement this team has made over the last two weeks, to be in this ballgame, was great."

"We had to score to win in this ballgame, but we didn't. We can't blame that on anybody but ourselves."

Keller said that the season was one that saw the squad raise expectations for following years, even though the squad would lose seniors Pruitt, Beck, Seahorn, Jessie Bennett, Kandice Phillips, Danielle Hunt and Kylie Smotherman.

"We had a rollercoaster of a season. We had a lot of injuries and had to hold players back until the sectionals. We put it all on the line here and it almost worked," Keller said.

"We say goodbye to seven seniors that set the bar pretty high. The girls won a sectional game for the first time in six years. I was proud of them for that and for the leadership."

"When you coach a team, a lot of times there is drama, but not on this team. They were a pleasure to coach, those seven seniors," Keller added.

"It's going to be tough to come back next year and not see their faces."

At Edgewood

IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 28

S. Vermillion 001 400 0 -- 5 5 3

Greencastle 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3

WP -- Dunegan

LP -- Basile