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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Softball
Pioneer 3, Benton Central 1: Hailey Cripe hit a three-run homer in the sixth off Megan Asher to help Class 2A, No. 1 Pioneer rally past Class 3A, No. 7 Benton Central at Herk Hoffman Field May 20.
Cripe and Kylie Farris had two hits apiece, and Madison Blickenstaff and Hailey Gotshall each had a single.
Cripe also pitched a three-hitter with one walk and 14 strikeouts.
Halie Williams homered in the fourth for Benton Central.
Pioneer also beat Benton Central 4-1 at the Twin Lakes Invitational on May 8.
Pioneer 3, Benton Central 1
Benton Central 000 100 0 – 1
Pioneer 000 003 X – 3
WP – Hailey Cripe (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 14 K)
LP – Asher (6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)
HR – Williams (BC), Hailey Cripe (PIO)
Pioneer 6, Caston 0: Hailey Gotshall pitched a no-hitter and struck out 14 and also hit a two-run homer as the Class 2A, No. 1 Lady Panthers beat Class 1A, No. 2 Caston and clinched the Hoosier North title May 18.
“Basically everything I would say,” Gotshall said afterwards when asked what pitches were working. “I stayed high with the rise ball, and if they decided not to swing at that one, I hit them with the regular screwball and got them inside. Then I hit them outside and got a couple of them watching. A couple change-ups but not a lot of them.”
Caston’s only baserunners were Kinzie Mollenkopf, who walked in the fourth; Eillie Deming, who reached on an error in the fifth; and Maddi Smith, who was hit by a pitch in the sixth.
Pioneer hit four homers, including Kylie Farris’ leadoff-the-game inside-the-park homer off Caston starter Kinzie Mollenkopf. Hailey Cripe hit a solo homer in the third, Gotshall hit her homer in the fifth, and Mackenzie Walker hit a solo homer off reliever Addison Zimpleman in the fifth. Gotshall also had two doubles, and Walker also doubled.
Gotshall also had two doubles, and Walker also doubled.
“Huge,” Pioneer coach Gabrielle Thomas said of Farris’ inside-the-park homer. “I think that was a big momentum shift a little bit in a way. It wasn’t completely a momentum shift for the whole game, no, but it was a great momentum right at that point and what we needed.”
Mollenkopf struck out eight in four innings.
Caston had not been shut out since a 5-0 loss to Knox on May 16, 2019. Burks praised Gotshall afterwards.
“She pitched a hell of a game,” Burks said. “Bottom line, she kept us stifled, and there’s nothing you can do about it. I tried a few things, a couple bunts, to see if we could get things going. We started to get something going, but then it just kind of broke down from there.”
Pioneer has not lost since an 11-0 loss to Harrison (West Lafayette) on April 30.
“I think our hitting hasn't been where it should be and where I hope it will be, but I think this game also will be a turning point for us too. … I have high expectations because I know how good this team can be. I think we’re getting back to where we should be.”
Said Thomas: “We’re playing really well. I told the girls at the beginning of the season I don’t want to peak the first two games. That 5-4 loss (to Delphi in the season opener), I said I don’t want to peak. I want to see where we need to go and go (uphill) like a roller coaster. So we should be peaking right now, and we are, and we’re just going to continue to keep rolling and just do whatever it takes to survive and advance in a week.”
Freshman first baseman Brooklyn Borges suffered a knee bruise against Western on May 11 and did not play.
Pioneer 6, Caston 0
Pioneer 102 030 0 – 6 10 1
Caston 000 000 0 – 0 0 0
WP – Hailey Gotshall (7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 14 K)
LP – Kinzie Mollenkopf (4+ IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)
2B – Hailey Gotshall 2 (PIO), Mackenzie Walker (PIO)
HR – Kylie Farris (PIO), Hailey Cripe (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO), Mackenzie Walker (PIO)
Pioneer 11, North Judson 0 (5 innings): Hailey Cripe pitched a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and also singled, doubled and homered and drove in three runs for the Class 2A, No. 1 Lady Panthers in a win over conference and sectional rival North Judson May 17.
Kylie Farris went 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
Mackenzie Walker singled, tripled and drove in two runs, and Hailey Gotshall had two singles and an RBI. Madison Blickenstaff and Mackenzie Robinson each had a hit and an RBI. Kylie Attinger also had a hit.
Pioneer also stole seven bases.
The win improved Pioneer to 6-0 in the Hoosier North.
Pioneer led 8-0 after two innings.
Pioneer 11, North Judson 0 (5 innings)
Pioneer 440 21 – 11
North Judson 000 00 – 0
WP – Hailey Cripe (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 10 K)
LP – Kaminski (3 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
2B – Kylie Farris (PIO), Hailey Cripe (PIO), Madison Blickenstaff (PIO), Korous (NJSP)
3B – Mackenzie Walker (PIO)
HR – Hailey Cripe (PIO)
Pioneer 10, Culver Academy 0 (5 innings): Hailey Cripe struck out all 16 batters she faced and threw a no-hitter as the Lady Panthers handled Culver Academy on May 14.
Mackenzie Walker doubled, homered and drove in two runs, and Hailey Gotshall also homered.
Kylie Farris singled and tripled and drove in a run, and Mackenzie Robinson and Madison Blickenstaff each had a double and two RBIs. Crystabelle Blickenstaff doubled and drove in a run, and Jocelynn Vincent doubled and scored a run.
Cripe stole two bases and scored twice.
Pioneer scored in all four innings in which they batted.
Pioneer 10, Culver Academy 0 (5 innings)
Culver Academy 000 00 – 0 0 1
Pioneer 422 2X – 10 9 1
WP – Hailey Cripe (5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 16 K)
2B – Mackenzie Walker (PIO), Mackenzie Robinson (PIO), Crystabelle Blickenstaff (PIO), Jocelynn Vincent (PIO), Madison Blickenstaff (PIO)
3B – Kylie Farris (PIO)
HR – Mackenzie Walker (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
Pioneer 3, West Central 0: Hailey Cripe tossed a two-hitter with one walk and 17 strikeouts, and Mackenzie Walker singled, homered and had two RBIs for the Class 2A, No. 2 Lady Panthers in a win over Class 1A, No. 8 West Central on May 13.
Cripe and Hailey Gotshall also contributed two hits each, and Jocelynn Vincent also singled. Mackenzie Robinson contributed a sacrifice fly.
Pioneer 3, West Central 0
West Central 000 000 0 – 0 2 0
Pioneer 200 010 X – 3 7 2
WP – Hailey Cripe (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 17 K)
LP – Pilarski (6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
HR – Mackenzie Walker (PIO)
Pioneer 19, Triton 3 (5 innings): Hailey Gotshall crushed two homers and drove in eight runs, and Madison Blickenstaff also homered twice, including a grand slam, and had seven RBIs for the Class 2A, No. 2 Lady Panthers in a Hoosier North win over Triton at Herk Hoffman Field on May 13.
Hailey Cripe also hit a pair of solo homers. Mackenzie Walker singled, doubled and drove in two runs. Gotshall and Blickenstaff each had a double as well.
Kylie Farris, Crystabelle Blickenstaff and Kylie Attinger each had a hit and two runs scored.
Pioneer also received 11 walks.
Gotshall threw 3 ⅔ scoreless innings in the circle for the win. She allowed one hit and no walks while striking out 10. Crystabelle Blickenstaff allowed three unearned runs in 1 ⅓ innings of relief. She allowed one hit and walked six.
Pioneer led 13-0 after three innings.
Pioneer had beaten West Central 3-0 earlier in the day.
Pioneer 19, Triton 3 (5 innings)
Triton 000 21 – 3
Pioneer 445 6X – 19
WP – Hailey Gotshall (3 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K)
LP – L. Doll (4 IP, 11 H, 19 R, 17 ER, 11 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K)
2B – Mackenzie Walker (PIO), Madison Blickenstaff (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
HR – Hailey Cripe 2 (PIO), Madison Blickenstaff 2 (PIO), Hailey Gotshall 2 (PIO)
Pioneer 7, Northwestern 3: Hailey Cripe and Mackenzie Walker homered, and Hailey Gotshall singled, doubled and drove in three runs for Class 2A, No. 2 Pioneer in a home win over Class 3A, No. 5 Northwestern May 12.
Kylie Farris and Crystabelle Blickenstaff also had multi-hit games. Cripe had two RBIs, and Farris and Walker had one RBI each.
Gotshall got the win in the circle after allowing seven hits and two earned runs. She walked one and struck out six.
Ellie Boyer homered for Northwestern.
Pioneer 7, Northwestern 3
Northwestern 100 000 2 – 3 7 1
Pioneer 005 200 X – 7 10 1
WP – Hailey Gotshall (7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
LP – Harrison (6 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
2B – Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
HR – Boyer (NW), Mackenzie Walker (PIO), Hailey Cripe (PIO)
Pioneer 3, Western 1 (12 innings): Hailey Cripe hit a solo homer, and Hailey Gotshall delivered a tiebreaking two-run triple in the 12th inning and also got the win in the circle as Class 2A, No. 2 Pioneer topped host Western May 11.
Emma Novaski and Brooklyn Borges had two hits each, and Kylie Farris, Mackenzie Walker, Jocelynn Vincent and Madison Blickenstaff each had one hit.
Cripe also had two of Pioneer’s five stolen bases.
Cripe worked the first 10 ⅔ innings and allowed seven hits and one unearned run. She walked three and struck out 14. Gotshall got the win in relief with 1 ⅓ hitless innings.
Pioneer 3, Western 1 (12 innings)
Pioneer 000 000 000 012 – 3
Western 000 000 000 010 – 1
WP – Hailey Gotshall (1 ⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K)
LP – Ousley (12 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)
2B – Emma Novaski (PIO), King (WEST)
3B – Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
HR – Hailey Cripe (PIO)
Pioneer goes 5-0 to win Twin Lakes Invite: The Pioneer softball team went 5-0 at the Twin Lakes Invitational May 7-8 to win the tournament for the first time in program history.
Pioneer defeated Munster 6-1 on May 7 and Lewis Cass 6-1 and Delphi 6-0 on May 8 in pool play.
In the place round on May 8, Pioneer beat Northwestern 17-0 in five innings before beating Benton Central 4-1 in the championship game.
Pioneer 6, Munster 1: Hailey Gotshall had a double and two singles and three RBIs, and Mackenzie Walker singled, doubled and drove in two. Kylie Farris had two hits and two runs scored. Hailey Cripe, Emma Novaski and Crystabelle Blickenstaff each had a hit. Gotshall tossed a five-hitter with four walks and 14 strikeouts.
Pioneer 6, Lewis Cass 1: Gotshall singled, doubled and tripled and drove in two runs, and Kylie Farris also had three of Pioneer’s 10 hits. Mackenzie Walker and Hailey Cripe each had a hit and an RBI. Madison Blickenstaff had an RBI, and Crystabelle Blickenstaff and Brooklyn Borges each had a hit. Cripe threw a four-hitter with three walks and 10 strikeouts. The only run she allowed was unearned. Lewis Cass did not score after the first inning.
Pioneer 6, Delphi 0: Gotshall pitched a one-hitter with no walks and 16 strikeouts, and she also had three hits and two RBIs at the plate as Pioneer avenged a loss to Delphi in their season opener. Cripe also had three hits and two RBIs. Walker and Novaski each had a hit and an RBI. Borges had two hits, and Farris, Mackenzie Robinson and Crystabelle Blickenstaff had one hit each. Already leading 1-0, Pioneer scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Pioneer 17, Northwestern 0 (5 innings): Gotshall hit two homers and drove in four runs, and Walker singled, doubled twice and drove in two runs for Pioneer in the rout. Madison Blickenstaff also had three hits and an RBI. Borges and Robinson each had two hits and an RBI, and Farris also had two hits. Crystabelle Blickenstaff had a hit and an RBI, and Emma Novaski had an RBI. Pioneer had 15 hits and also received 12 walks and stole eight bases. Cripe pitched a two-hitter with one walk and eight strikeouts. Pioneer started with back-to-back five-run innings to build a 10-0 lead.
Pioneer 4, Benton Central 1: Cripe homered and drove in two runs, and Madison Blickenstaff went 3 for 3 for Pioneer in the championship game win over Benton Central. Gotshall and Robinson each had a hit and an RBI. Farris, Walker and Novaski each had a hit. Gotshall pitched a two-hitter with two walks, a hit batter and eight strikeouts. Pioneer scored twice in the first inning and never trailed in their fourth game of the day.
Pool play: Pioneer 6, Munster 1
Pioneer 100 030 2 – 6 10 1
Munster 100 000 0 – 1 5 0
WP – Hailey Gotshall (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 14 K)
LP – Kindy (7 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)
2B – Mackenzie Walker (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
Pool play: Pioneer 6, Lewis Cass 1
Lewis Cass 100 000 0 – 1 4 2
Pioneer 203 100 X – 6 10 0
WP – Hailey Cripe (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K)
2B – Kylie Farris (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
3B – Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
Pool play: Pioneer 6, Delphi 0
Delphi 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Pioneer 100 500 X – 6 13 1
WP – Hailey Gotshall (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 16 K)
LP – Myers (6 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)
2B – Hailey Cripe (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
3B – Hailey Cripe (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
Semifinal: Pioneer 17, Northwestern 0 (5 innings)
Pioneer 550 70 – 17 15 0
Northwestern 000 00 – 0 2 2
WP – Hailey Cripe (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)
LP – Harrison (1 ⅓ IP, 10 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 BB, 0 K)
2B – Mackenzie Walker 2 (PIO), Madison Blickenstaff (PIO)
HR – Hailey Gotshall 2 (PIO)
Final: Pioneer 4, Benton Central 1
Pioneer 200 001 1 – 4 9 0
Benton Central 000 000 1 – 1 3 0
WP – Hailey Gotshall (7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K)
LP – Cummings (6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
2B – Emma Novaski (PIO), Williams (BC)
HR – Hailey Cripe (PIO)
Pioneer 13, Knox 0 (6 innings): Hailey Gotshall went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs scored, and she also threw a shutout with 12 strikeouts as the Lady Panthers claimed a Hoosier North road win on May 4.
Kylie Farris also had four hits for Pioneer and drove in a run.
Gotshall and Hailey Cripe both homered. Cripe also had a single and three RBIs. Madison Blickenstaff had three hits and an RBI, and Emma Novaski had two hits and two RBIs. Brooklyn Borges and Mackenzie Robinson added two hits each. Mackenzie Walker and Crystabelle Blickenstaff each had a hit and an RBI.
Borges also had three of Pioneer’s seven stolen bases.
Gotshall allowed three hits and walked one.
Pioneer led 6-0 after two innings.
Pioneer 13, Knox 0 (6 innings)
Pioneer 240 007 – 13
Knox 000 000 – 0
WP – Hailey Gotshall (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K)
LP – Rotering (5 IP, 15 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K)
2B – Williams (KNOX)
HR – Hailey Cripe (PIO), Hailey Gotshall (PIO)
Harrison (West Lafayette) 11, Pioneer 0 (6 innings): Mackenzie Walker, Brooklyn Borges, Crystabelle Blickenstaff, Hailey Cripe and Madison Blickenstaff each had a single for Pioneer in a road loss to Harrison April 30.
Hailey Gotshall took the loss in the circle after allowing eight hits and 11 runs (six earned) in 5 ⅓ innings. She walked two and fanned six.
Abbott Badgley had a single and a homer and drove in four runs, and Anna Henderson had two hits and three RBIs for Harrison in the win.
Badgley tossed a five-hit shutout with one walk and six strikeouts.
The loss snapped Pioneer’s 12-game winning streak. This was their last loss of the season. They won their final 23 games, culminating with a 4-2 win over Sullivan in the Class 2A state title game on June 12.
Harrison (West Lafayette) 11, Pioneer 0
Pioneer 000 000 – 0 5 3
Harrison 010 037 – 11 8 1
WP – Badgley (6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
LP – Hailey Gotshall (5 ⅓ IP, 8 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
2B – Tolen (HARR)
3B – A. Henderson (HARR)
HR – Badgley (HARR)
Baseball
North Miami 7, Pioneer 6: Trailing 6-4, Pioneer scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game before North Miami scored one run in the bottom of the seventh to get the win at North Miami on May 22.
Pioneer would avenge this loss with a 4-1 sectional win over the Warriors on May 29.
Culver Academy 14, Pioneer 3 (5 innings): Culver Academy scored seven runs in the second inning and seven more in the fourth en route to a five-inning win at Pioneer on May 20.
Pioneer 7, Knox 6: Pioneer rallied from a 4-0 deficit for a Hoosier North home win over Knox on May 18. Trailing 6-5, Pioneer scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for good.
Pioneer 5, Knox 0: Pioneer scored a run in the top of the first inning and added two in the third, one in fifth and one in the sixth in a road shutout of Knox on May 17.
Pioneer 13-7, Triton 0-6: Pioneer swept a doubleheader from Triton on May 8, winning the first game 13-0 in five innings and the second game 7-6 in nine innings.
In Game 1, Pioneer broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the third and added four in the fourth and sixth in the fifth.
In Game 2, Pioneer scored four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 6 and then won it with a run in the ninth.
Pioneer 2, North Judson 1: The host Panthers scored a run in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and earn a Hoosier North win over North Judson on May 4. Pioneer led 1-0 after five innings before the Blue Jays tied it with a run in the top of the sixth.
The teams would be part of a four-way tie with Winamac and LaVille for the Hoosier North title.
North Judson 6, Pioneer 2: The visiting Panthers suffered a Hoosier North loss to North Judson on May 3.
