New Palestine High School

Courtney Study and Sadey Hughbanks combined on a five-inning no-hitter Friday, leading the New Palestine softball team to a 12-2 victory over visiting Monrovia. The game was scheduled quickly Friday after the Dragons' originally-scheduled game at Carmel was called off due to wet field conditions. Study pitched four innings, striking out five and allowing one earned run. Hughbanks struck out the side in the fifth inning to finish the game. Allie Blum homered and doubled, leading a nine-hit attack for the Dragons. The Dragons struck first when Jersi Gross led off the first with a walk and advanced to third on Blum's double. Gross scored on a wild pitch. Katie Hirschy reached on a dropped third strike. Sydney Oliver drove both runs home with a double to put NP up 3-0. The Dragons extended the lead to 7-0 in the second. Nyla Lewis hit a one-out double and scored on Gross' single. An error allowed Blum to reach and plated another run. Hirschy and Oliver added RBI singles. Monrovia scored twice in the third on a hit batter, an error, a sacrifice, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice. The Dragons quickly responded. Lewis led off the third with a single. Hirschy had a two-out RBI single, coming after Paige Ernstes walked on a mammoth 13-pitch two-out at-bat. NP added four more runs in the fourth. Maddie Engle and Ella Holman both reached on errors, plating a run. Lewis' sacrifice fly scored Holman. Blum then hit a two-run homer to give the Dragons a 10-run lead and invoke the mercy rule after the next half-inning. Blum was 2-for-4 with three runs, a homer and two RBI. Hirschy was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Oliver was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Lewis was 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Gross had the Dragons' other hit, going 1-for-2 with three runs and an RBI. The Dragons are now 2-0 on the season. They next play Monday at home against Westfield.