New Palestine High School

Claire Fitzgerald and Payton Dye each hit two homers and drove in four runs Saturday, leading a powerful New Palestine softball attack as the Dragons beat Jennings County 14-4 in six innings in the first semifinal of the 3A Jasper semistate. The seventh-ranked Dragons (23-7) advance to face either No. 3 Cathedral or Evansville Memorial in tonight's 7 p.m. championship game at Jasper. Dye and Fitzgerald both homered in a six-run fourth inning that broke the game open, with Dye hitting a three-run shot and Fitzgerald a two-run blast. Dye put the Dragons up for good with a third-inning leadoff homer. Fitzgerald led off the sixth with a homer that set the Dragons in motion to walk the game off. Sadey Hughbanks had a solid game in the circle. After allowing two runs on two hits in the first, she allowed two hits the remainder of the game. In five innings, she scattered four hits, two earned runs and struck out two. She did not walk a batter for the second straight game. Cailyn Hurst pitched the sixth inning, allowing an unearned run on three hits and striking out one. The Dragons had 19 hits in the game, and every starter had at least one. Nine hits were for extra bases. Callie Cromwell was 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, a run and two RBI. Dye was 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI. Saydie Miller was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs. Fitzgerald was 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI. Cara Steele was 1-for-4. Amber Hurt was 2-for-4 with a run. Tessa Mohr was 1-for-3 and Morgan Hutchinson 1-for-1. Lyndsay Goodin was 2-for-4 and Kenna Tweedy 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI. Jennings County took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first on two hits and an error. Cromwell led off the Dragons' first with a triple, but was stranded on third base. The Dragons broke through in the second. Steele and Hurt led off with singles and moved up 60 feet on a passed ball. With one out, the Panthers cut down the lead runner trying to score on a grounder to third, putting runners on the corners. Hutchinson, a courtesy runner, and Hurt executed a double-steal, with Hurt scoring the Dragons' first run. Tweedy then singled up to right to the game. The Dragons took the lead for good in the third, as Dye blasted a 3-1 pitch over the rightfield fence for an opposite-field solo homer to lead off the inning. Miller and Fitzgerald followed with back-to-back doubles to extend the lead to 4-2. The Dragons were unable to add on that inning, but did so in a big way in the fourth. After Hughbanks pitched around a leadoff single in the top of the fourth, the Dragons had six consecutive batters reach - and score - in the bottom of the frame to go up 10-2. Goodin led off with a triple, followed by Tweedy's second RBI single of the day. After a base hit by Callie Cromwell put two runners on, Dye stepped in. After taking a strike, she hit a long three-run homer to center. Miller then drew a walk, setting the stage for Fitzgerald, who lined a two-run homer to left. JC hit a solo homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 10-3. In the bottom of the frame, Dye hit a two-out single but the Dragons were held scoreless. It was the lone inning in which the Dragons did not have the leadoff batter reach base. Hurst took over in the circle in the sixth inning. Jennings County greeted her with three hits, driving in a run and putting runners on the corners with one out. Hurst struck out the next batter and induced a groundout to Miller at short to retire the side. The Dragons then finished the game off in the bottom of the frame. Fitzgerald hit the first pitch over the leftfield fence for a solo homer to make it an 11-4 game. With one out, Hurt, Hutchinson and Goodin loaded the bases with consecutive singles. Tweedy drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Cromwell then stepped in and doubled to the leftfield fence, clearing the bases and triggering the mercy rule. The Dragons will be seeking their ninth State Finals appearance in school history - and second in three years - in tonight's semistate title game. The Dragons are averaging 8.6 runs per game in the state tournament as their offense has come alive.