Eberhart pitches 2-hitter, leads Jimtown past Winamac

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

BREMEN — The Winamac softball team had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the third inning of their Class 2A, Sectional 34 semifinal against Jimtown at Pfeiffer Field Tuesday.

They were down 5-0, but the batting order had flipped, and leadoff hitter Makayla Werner was now due.

Winamac’s offense came in averaging eight runs per game. They scored 21 runs against Triton in their regular season finale Saturday.

But Jimtown senior pitcher Kiyla Eberhart did not allow a comeback.

She struck out Werner and got Brody Goodman on a foul pop to first. Eberhart threw a wild pitch that allowed Adrianna Hall to score, but she got Maggie Keller on a fly to right and got out of the inning with a 5-1 lead.

Eberhart retired 15 of the final 16 batters she faced after the bases-loaded, nobody-out jam – the only baserunner was Grace Roth on a fourth-inning double – and pitched a two-hitter in Jimtown’s 7-1 win.

Jimtown improved to 15-12 and will face Knox in the sectional final at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Knox socked Bremen 10-0 in five innings in the other semifinal.

Winamac, the Hoosier North champs who completed an undefeated run through the league Saturday, finished 20-7.

The top four hitters in Winamac’s order went a combined 0 for 12. Eberhart walked none and struck out five. Oddly enough, she did not have any strikeouts after the fourth inning, but she did not allow any baserunners either.

“She was really hitting her spots well, and I think she just seemed like she was relaxed and in control and throwing with some velocity too,” Winamac coach Jennifer Belcher said. “But I thought we adjusted decently to her speed after the first inning or two, and we were able to put the ball in play a little bit better. We just needed to get those hits.”

Bremen scored two runs in the first off Winamac starter Brooke Rausch on Jasmyne Farkas’ two-out, two-run single.

Rausch allowed four hits in the first inning. In the second, Brooklynn Gillespie led off with a hit, and Rylan Polston was hit by a pitch.

Hall, who typically starts the game playing left field and then moves to the circle in the fifth inning, was summoned earlier than usual.

Hall struck out Lily Gaugler looking.

Then Gillespie and Polston pulled off a double steal. Hall walked Eberhart to load the bases.

Then Kendal McPhee sprayed a single to right field. Gillespie and Polston scored, and when the throw home was mishandled for an error, Eberhart hustled in from first.

The lead was 5-0.

Hall struck out Layla Winrott and Campbell to prevent further damage.

Hall reached on a third-strike wild pitch to start the third. Rausch crushed a double to deep left that moved Hall to third. Linzy Walters’ grounder to third was booted for an error with the other runners holding.

The bases were loaded, and nobody was out.

“I just look back at the game, and I thought both teams early on had those similar situations with bases loaded and no outs or one out, and they were able to score their runs, and we weren’t,” Belcher said. “They were able to get their hit and drive in some runs, and we did not come up with that hit. I talked to the team after the game. You know, we scored one. We’re not going to win many ballgames just scoring one run. Couldn’t string any hits together tonight. Just didn’t come up with that hit when we needed it. You saw as well our defense wasn't on point, but still, we really expected to hit better than we did tonight.”

Jimtown added two more runs in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles from Winrott and Campbell. Hall finished with nine strikeouts in five innings of relief.

Winamac graduated Maggie Smith, Olivia Link, Piper Link, Gabby Joseph, Izzy Decker and Olivia Browning from last year’s 16-win team and won four more games.

Belcher was asked how much fun she had coaching this year’s team.

“It was a lot of fun,” Belcher said. “When we talked at the end, obviously no one wants to lose. We didn't come here wanting to lose. But when we look back on the season, hopefully in days to come, for them they honestly exceeded our expectations. That was the nice thing. For them to be able to get 20 wins on the season and win the HNAC, those were some things I couldn’t have predicted at the beginning of the season. The nice thing about this team… is that they learned how to support each other. They learned how to be happy for each other. They didn’t have to be the one that’s coming through with the base hit or making the great play. They could see their teammates do it and get as much enjoyment out of it as if it were them.

“So that’s always fun to see. They had a great year. Hopefully in a few days, they can look back and enjoy it a little more than they do now.”

Jimtown 7, Winamac 1

Winamac 001 000 0 – 1 2 2

Jimtown 230 200 X – 7 12 1

WP – Kiyla Eberhart (7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

LP – Brooke Rausch (1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K)

2B – Brooke Rausch (WIN), Grace Roth (WIN)