PARKE HERITAGE BASEBALL SECTIONAL:Clovers win third-straight game, advance to sectional final over Eagles

Monday, May 29, 2023
Cloverdale's Levi Hilton slides across home plate to get on the board in the second game of the Parke Heritage Baseball Sectional Monday against South Putnam. The Clovers would take a 3-1 lead out of the first inning and keep it from start to finish in a 9-3 win over the Eagles, advancing to the sectional final Monday night.
Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

ROCKVILLE – After watching the other two Putnam County teams face off in the morning, Cloverdale and South Putnam got the chance to finally open postseason play in the fourth game of the IHSAA Baseball Class 2A Sectional No. 44.

The Clovers trailed 1-0 after the top of the first but scored three times in reply and never trailed the rest of the way, knocking out the Eagles 9-3 and advancing to Monday’s final.

South Putnam took advantage of a walk to Wyatt Mullin with a single from Kyle Glasson plating the runner for a 1-0 lead.

Cloverdale started its reply with singles from Levi Hilton and Mcguire Lee with a Corey Branigan ground out plating the first run in the inning.

Ben Campbell followed with a single to plate a second run and after a walk to Jayden Sturges, Layton Allen singled to bring in the third run, giving the Clovers a 3-1 lead after an inning of play.

Campbell tripled to lead off the third inning and scored on a passed ball to make it 4-1 after three innings of play.

Drake Hoffa kept the Eagle offense quiet until the fifth where singles from Hayden Tincher and Mullin were followed by RBI singles from Ethan Harcourt and Glasson that sliced the lead to 4-3.

Cloverdale answered by loading the bases on a dropped third strike, a walk and single, setting up a two-run double from Allen to push the lead out to 6-3.

The Clovers added a run later in the inning as Sturges scored on a passed ball to make it 7-3 after five innings.

Hoffa struck out three Eagles in the sixth and Cloverdale backed him with an additional pair of runs in the bottom of the inning as Lee singled and Campbell and Sturges drew walks to load the bases, eventually scoring twice on passed balls.

A double play wiped out a Mullin single to start the seventh and Harcourt was thrown out going for second to end the contest.

South Putnam 100 020 0 — 3 7 0

Cloverdale 301 032 X — 9 9 1

WP — Hoffa 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 10 K

LP — Mullin 6 IP, 9 H, 9 R (4 ER), 7 BB, 11 K

3B — Campbell

2B — Allen

RBI — Glasson (2), Harcourt; Allen (3), Branigan, Campbell

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