Pioneer beats West Central in 6 innings, advances to sectional semis

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Pioneer baseball team beat West Central 13-3 in six innings in a Class 1A, Sectional 52 quarterfinal at Caston Thursday.

Pioneer, who shared the Hoosier North title with three other teams, improved to 13-9.

West Central finished 4-17.

The game was tied 3-3 after five innings before Pioneer scored 10 runs in the top of the sixth.

The game also featured a rain delay after the fifth inning.

The win was Pioneer’s third this season over West Central. They also beat the Trojans 11-1 in six innings and 22-12 in five innings in an April 17 doubleheader.

Pioneer will play North Miami in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday. North Miami knocked off North White 9-0 in the second quarterfinal at Caston Thursday.

The first semifinal between Caston and Southwood will start at noon Saturday.

Pioneer is seeking its first sectional title since 2016.