High School Sports

CLOVERDALE – While not the ideal day for most sporting events as persistent precipitation and overcast skies painted a glum picture at Cloverdale High School, Tuesday was just right for Greencastle at the Putnam County Track and Field Meet. The Tiger Cubs captured both the boys’ and girls’ county titles, the first time since 2016 that a single school held both titles at the same time and the sixth-straight win for the girls’ squad...

The high school softball week started off with a county matchup between the Cloverdale Clovers and the Greencastle Tiger Cubs on Monday. The visiting Clovers exploded for 11 runs in the first three innings and held on for a 12-5 victory. Cloverdale pounded out 14 hits, including a pair of home runs, to improve its record to 6-8 overall and 3-3 in Western Indiana Conference play. The loss takes the Tiger Cubs to 2-13 and 0-5 in league action...

The Greencastle Tiger Cubs baseball team, powered by four triples and a home run, held off the Cloverdale Clovers 13-6 in Western Indiana Conference action Monday night. Michael LeBlanc got the start for the Cubs and retired the Clovers 1-2-3 in the top of the first...

BAINBRIDGE – The North Putnam Cougars overcame a sluggish start and a South Putnam late rally to defeat the Eagles 11-7 in a Western Indiana Conference and county baseball game on Saturday morning at North Putnam High School. Nic Hensley threw 6 2/3 innings of quality pitching and the opportunistic Cougars took advantage of some Eagle miscues to improve to 7-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. The loss dropped South Putnam to 3-10 and 1-4 in WIC play...

VEEDERSBURG – When the bats are working, they’re working hot for North Putnam as the team picked up its fifth win scoring 10-plus runs Friday at Fountain Central. Ashley Weir singled, moved around the bases and scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead...

In a rematch of the Putnam County championship game, and with the Putnam County Bucket on the line, the Greencastle Tiger Cubs used a five-run first inning and a stellar pitching performance from Brandon Glaze to defeat the North Putnam Cougars 6-1 in Western Indiana Conference play...

ELLETSVILLE – The South Putnam Eagle softball team traveled south for a Western Indiana Conference high school softball game against the 3A No. 2 Edgewood Mustangs on Friday night and the spectators were treated to a pitchers’ duel as the Mustangs came out on top 2-1...

Bree is a senior at South Putnam and participates in three sports, golf, basketball and track. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Athlete: “Sports have never been a family thing. My sister was not the most coordinated person and we showed a lot of livestock with 4-H. ...

SPENCER -- Greencastle looked like it was cruising to another WIC baseball win Wednesday at Owen Valley when holding a 7-0 lead after four innings. A four-run sixth from the Patriots made things interesting late but the Tiger Cubs fended off a late attempt from the hosts to rally in the seventh to hold on for a 7-4 win...

The Greencastle-Cloverdale baseball and softball games have been moved from today, April 29, to Monday, May 3, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Tiger Cub baseball and softball games against Monrovia and Clover softball game against Clay City scheduled for May 3 have been cancelled as a result...

BAINBRIDGE – Northview put together a dominating performance in every phase of the game to defeat North Putnam 14-0 in a Western Indiana Conference softball matchup on Wednesday night. The Knights pounded out 13 hits and limited the Cougars to just three while defensively Northview committed just one error as the Cougars had four miscues...

BAINBRIDGE – The North Putnam Cougars knew they had a tough match up with perennial baseball power Northview coming into Wednesday’s WIC matchup. The Knights used three long balls and one-hit pitching to defeat North Putnam 13-1 in five innings. Northview wasted little time getting on the board in the first inning. ...

South Putnam has postponed all athletic events Wednesday, April 28. This includes: Baseball at Edgewood (Rescheduled for Friday, April 30) Softball at Edgewood (Rescheduled for Friday, April 30) MS Track at Beech Grove

CLOVERDALE – North Putnam methodically put runs on the board and each inning extended a lead on the Greencastle Tiger Cubs as they would pick up a Western Indiana Conference softball win 15-2. The game was played at Cloverdale as a lack of officials in the state of Indiana forced a last-minute scramble by the teams to find a way to play the game...

CLOVERDALE – Cloverdale’s bats came out hot in a Western Indiana Conference softball game on Tuesday night. The hosts scored 17 runs in the first two innings as they were able to cruise to an 18-7, five-inning victory over the Owen Valley Patriots. The victory improved the Clovers to 5-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. Owen Valley dropped to 6-5 and 2-4 in the WIC...

Due to a shortage of officials, the Greencastle v North Putnam softball game has been moved to Cloverdale tonight, April 27, at 7 p.m. The Greencastle v North Putnam baseball tonight has been postponed, also due to a shortage of available officials...

Greencastle didn’t need more than the four runs it scored in the first inning to down Tri-West Saturday afternoon but an additional five runs didn’t hurt midway through as the Tiger Cubs blanked the Bruins 9-0. “This was easily the most complete game we’ve played all year,” Greencastle head coach Ben Wells said. “Brandon Glaze pitched an unbelievable game for us; he was filthy all night...

It wasn’t a stretch to say Parker Hacker was going to have several schools interested in picking up a leader and two-way starter from South Putnam’s sectional winning football team. Hacker recently made his decision on where to play next season and will suit up for Franklin College after opting to continue his playing days with the Grizzlies in the fall of the 2021-22 school year...

When South Putnam walked off the court at Southmont in February of 2020, few knew it would be the last time most of the girls on the floor would play in a contest for the next six months of the year as COVID-19 played out in front of everyone. One of the few people that still found game time during the spring and summer was Chloe Custis, who got the chance to play travel ball and keep sharp, working on different facets of her game that would be needed ahead of the 2020-21 season...

Hailey is a senior at Cloverdale and participates in one sport, softball. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Hailey Gardner: “Sports are pretty important to me. I try my very best each game and practice to be there for my teammates and to do my best because I love to watch my team succeed. ...

It was in the middle of basketball season when Judson University offered Cloverdale senior Chase Ashcraft a chance to join a young and growing track and field program. Ashcraft accepted and made it official recently after signing on to join the Chicagoland-based NAIA school starting in the fall of the 2021-22 school year...

B Gary Hazlett For the Banner Graphic CLOVERDALE — The Cloverdale Clover young softball team hosted a tough and talented Northview team on Thursday night and kept the game close for a while, but an eight-run fifth inning by the Knights led to a 14-3, five-inning victory by the visitors in a West Central Conference matchup. The teams were playing after having a couple days in a row that weather kept the teams off the field...

Due to the affects of inclement weather Tuesday, the following events have been postponed for Wednesday, April 21: North Putnam baseball and softball against South Putnam

Due to less-than-spring-like weather on the move into Central Indiana, the following events have been postponed: Greencastle baseball and softball against Cloverdale will now be played tomorrow, Wednesday, April 20. Both games will now start at 5 p.m...

BAINBRIDGE – At Thursday’s school board meeting, North Putnam athletic director Roger Busch submitted and had his resignation approved effective at the end of the month. Busch, who had been the athletic director at the high school since April of 2017, had been designated as an at-will employee at North Putnam since July when his contract was not initially renewed along with the rest of the school building administrators in the corporation in June...

TERRE HAUTE – At the start of the week, Greencastle fell 3-2 to Terre Haute North but got a chance to avenge the loss as part of the Braves Invitational at Terre Haute South Saturday morning. The Tiger Cubs won all five of their opening round matches and won two of the five positions to win the invitational on 17 points with the hosts second on 14 points, the Patriots third on 12 points and Crawfordsville fourth on seven points...

BAINBRIDGE – The Greencastle Tiger Cub baseball team captured its third straight Putnam County championship with a 15-3 victory over North Putnam on Saturday evening. The Tiger Cubs rode a stellar two-home run, seven RBI game from Kiefer Wilson and a solid pitching performance from Nick Sutherlin to take home the county bucket. The Cubs pounded out 13 hits and scored in five of seven innings to take home the hardware...

BAINBRIDGE – The North Putnam Cougars pounded out 15 hits and drew 10 walks en route to a 23-13 victory over the Cloverdale Clovers in the championship game of the Putnam County softball tournament. Offense was the name of the game of the game in this tournament. The four county teams would combine to score 77 runs in just 3 games...

BAINBRIDGE – The Greencastle Tiger Cubs used a big first inning to set the tone for the game and then cruised to a 12-2 victory over the Cloverdale Clovers in the first game of the boys Putnam County baseball tournament. A five-run first inning and a solid pitching performance by D.J. Wells highlighted the Cubs victory as they advanced with the 10-run rule in five innings...

The South Putnam Eagles gave up a big lead and then closed strong to fend off the Cloverdale Clovers 14-11 in a county and Western Indiana Conference baseball game at Cloverdale on Thursday night. The Eagles jumped out to a big 11-3 lead only to see the Clovers rally and tie the score at 11. The Eagles then used a strong seventh inning to pick up the victory behind seniors Hayden Switzer and Dru Teipen...

Fledgling athletic programs are always on the look out for talented athletes to help them grow and find a firm foundation to build on. Hanover College’s young swim programs are going just that with a roster full of underclassmen and will be adding more talent to its ranks as Katie White committed to join the Panther women’s swim team starting in the fall of the 2021-22 school year...

Dru is a senior at South Putnam and participates in three sports., football, basketball and baseball. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Dru Teipen: “Sports have always been important, maybe too important, and have sometimes been put in front of school but I’ve worked hard this year to have good grades. ...

BAINBRIDGE – A see-saw WIC baseball game got away from North Putnam in the final two innings as Sullivan won a 17-14 slugfest Wednesday night. The Golden Arrows got four runs in the top of the first but still trailed as the Cougars hit back for five runs in the bottom half of the inning...

BRAZIL – Brody Whitaker started off Tuesday’s WIC baseball opener at Northview with a single. That would be the extent of Greencastle’s bats on the day as Knight pitcher Dylan Zentko blew through the Tiger Cub order, helping the hosts to a quick 10-0 win in five innings...

BAINBRIDGE — After seeing an 8-3 lead disappear in the sixth, North Putnam’s softball team scored twice in the bottom half of the inning and kept Monrovia at bay to pick up its first win of the season Friday. Emma Williams hit a two-run home run and Brilye Schmitz added a solo shot in the first inning to give the hosts a 3-0 lead, only to give all three runs back by the top of the third inning...

EMINENCE — Greencastle’s baseball team planted a seven-spot on Eminence before strolling to a comfortable five-inning win with potential weather limiting the day to a single game on Saturday. Free bases to Brody Whitaker, Bryce Barger and Nick Sutherlin set the table for a bases-clearing double from Keifer Wilson and a 3-0 start...

Greencastle swept aside South Putnam in the Putnam County Tennis Match Thursday night, not conceding a set in a 5-0 win. Three matches ended 6-0, 6-0 for the Tiger Cubs with Molly Ramey defeating Sammi Jones at No. 1 singles, Ally Schimpf winning at No. 3 singles over Catherine Hodge and the No. 2 doubles team of Caroline Gooch and Sophie Riggle defeating Allie Newby and Sydney Boswell...

Spring time typically means the only time you catch athletes indoors is when they’re in the weight room or when the weather has interceded and forced everyone to alter their practice plans for the day. At North Putnam, though, a small collection of boys is busy running through drills and learning technique typically reserved for girls in the fall...

Shay is a senior at Greencastle and participates in two sports, volleyball and softball. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Shay Baker-Watson: “Sports have been not only important but have played a major role in my life since I was born. ...

Greencastle made it two-for-two to start the 2021 baseball season after defeating South Vermillion 8-5 Wednesday evening. "Tonight was a very big win for our team and our program,” Greencastle head coach Ben Wells said. “South Vermillion is a very well-coached team with a great history, so for us to come out and play the way we did is a big momentum boost moving forward.”...

The South Putnam Eagle softball team picked up its first victory of the 2021 season with a 3-1 win over the visiting Lebanon Tigers on Wednesday night. The Eagles rode a solid pitching performance from Brionna Egold, solid defense and a big home run from Macie Bumgardner to improve their record to 1-2 on the season...

CRAWFORDSVILLE – Following a pair of big wins at White River Valley to start the year, North Putnam’s baseball team crashed back down to earth after suffering an 18-0 loss at North Montgomery Tuesday night, The Cougars got a solitary hit on the night, a double by Cody Perkins to lead off the second, as well as a walk to Jaylen Windmiller in the fourth but little else that went right as the Chargers banged out 12 hits and received 12 free passes in total, 11 walks and a hit batsman...

CRAWFORDSVILLE — The South Putnam Boys’ Golf Team opened the 2021 campaign with a win at Crawfordsville Municipal Golf Course Tuesday Night. The Eagles defeated the Crawfordsville Athenians 213-241. Marcus Robinson paced the Eagles and took home medalist honors with a round of 49. Others scoring for the Eagles were Brady Robinson (53), Lee Haywood (54), Brett Van Rensselaer (57) and Lane Robinson (60)...

CLOVERDALE – Hailey Gardner was as big a help to her own cause on the mound as anyone during Cloverdale’s softball opener against Dugger Union Monday night. The senior pitcher broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the third inning with a two-run home run that helped paved the way for the Clovers to start 1-0 with a 10-4 win over the Bulldogs...

With the conclusion of the winter sports season, the WIC has announced its All-WIC winter sports teams for the 2020-21 season. Athletes in boys’ and girls’ basketball were chosen to the All-WIC teams based on a vote by the coaches within the conference. All-WIC members in boys’ and girls’ swimming and wrestling were based on their performance in their respective conference meets...

Sitting out most of the basketball season and the start of the baseball season has been anything but fun for Greencastle senior Ethan Maier. One thing he could be happy about sitting down to do recently was determine his post high school direction as the Tiger Cub signed on to continue his baseball playing days at Indianan Wesleyan University in the fall of the 2021-22 school year...

Despite it not feeling like spring again, Greencastle’s baseball team brought all the heat it needed in its bats Wednesday evening, knocking out North Central (Farmersburg) in its season opener 12-2 in five innings. “Overall, for being our first game in almost two years, I was pretty pleased with how we played,” Greencastle head coach Ben Wells said. ...

A senior at Greencastle High School, Ethan Maier is the son of Andy and Annette Maier. He has participated in basketball and baseball for four years. Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?...

BAINBRIDGE – North Putnam looked good in its opening softball game of the season against Eminence Monday night, right until the final three outs needed to secure the win. It was in the top of the seventh the Eels finally came alive, scoring four runs to upend the Cougars in a 5-4 loss...

Hayden Switzer is a senior at South Putnam High School, where he has particpated in football, wrestling and baseball. ——— Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them? Hayden Switzer: “I wouldn’t say sports are the most important thing in my life but they keep me on the right side of things. ...