New Palestine High School

The New Palestine softball team rallied from an early three-run deficit to tie the game in the seventh Saturday, but Avon scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Dragons 7-6 in extra innings. The Dragons finish the regular season with a 19-4 mark. The Dragons scored first when Paige Ernstes' RBI double scored Sydney Oliver in the top of the first, but Avon countered with three runs on two walks and two hits in the bottom of the frame. A walk and a triple led to the Orioles taking a 4-1 lead in the third. In the fourth, the Dragons began to rally. Sydney Oliver led off with a double. After the next two were retired, Katie Hirschy drove in a run with a base hit to left. Reese Rosenbaum plated another with a double to left, cutting the deficit to 4-3. The Dragons tied the game in the fifth when Ernstes drew a bases-loaded walk and took a 5-4 lead in the sixth when Hirschy reached on an error and scored on Jersi Gross' double. Avon re-took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer. But the Dragons continued to rally, as Ernstes led off the top of the seventh with a solo homer to tie the game at 6-6, sending the game to extra innings. The Dragons put two runners on in the eighth, but were unable to score. In the bottom of the inning, Avon scored on a single, sacrifice and double to left. Ernstes led the Dragons' nine-hit attack, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and three RBI. Payton Dye was 2-for-3. Gross was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Allie Blum was 1-for-3. Oliver was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs. Hirschy was 1-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Rosenbaum was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Courtney Study allowed eight hits and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, fanning two. Cailyn Hurst came on and struck out two in two innings of relief. The Dragons open sectional play Tuesday at Pendleton Heights against Muncie Central.