New Palestine High School

Maddie Engle hit a three-run homer to give the New Palestine softball team a lead in the fourth, then added a two-run double in a six-run frame an inning later, leading the Dragons to an 11-2 victory over Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Yorktown. Engle and Allie Blum both homered for the Dragons, who are now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in HHC play. Blum homered in the first inning, but Yorktown plated two runs in the bottom of the frame and took the one-run lead into the fourth. With one out, Katie Hirschy and Sydney Oliver singled, setting the stage for Engle to blast the go-ahead homer to center, putting NP up 4-2. In the fifth, the Dragons got the merry-go-round going on the bases. Jersi Gross led off with a double and Blum walked to put two runners on for Paige Ernstes. She lined a single to center to plate Gross. Hirschy and Oliver followed with RBI hits to extend the lead to 7-2. Engle then hit a hard grounder to right for a double, and then scored on Reese Rosenbaum's sacrifice fly. The Dragons added another run in the sixth when Ernstes and Oliver both doubled. Courtney Study earned the win, allowing one earned run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. She fanned four. Cailyn Hurst struck out two and allowed one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings to finish out the game. In addition to Engle's 2-for-4, five-RBI day, Hirschy and Oliver each went 3-for-4. Oliver drove in two runs - hitting two doubles - while Hirschy drove in one. Ernstes was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Gross, Blum, Payton Dye and Saydie Miller also had hits for the Dragons. NP outhit Yorktown 14-4. The Dragons are next in action Thursday at Mt. Vernon.