New Palestine High School

The New Palestine softball team beat East Central 8-0 Saturday afternoon to clinch the Dragons eighth straight victory to start the season. The start was pushed back four hours due to rain, but when the game began, the Dragons took command quickly. Sadey Hughbanks and Kenna Tweedy combined on a two-hit shutout. Hughbanks allowed both hits in 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight Trojans. Tweedy fanned two in a perfect 1 2/3 frames to finish the game. The Dragons took command in the second and never looked back, building a 4-0 lead. They loaded the bases on a walk and two hit batters. Callie Cromwell drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Jersi Gross reached on an error, plating another run. Maddie Engle followed with a two-run single to center. The Dragons added another run in the third when Payton Dye singled and scored on Tweedy's double. Three more runs came home in the sixth. Dye led off with a single. Katie Hirschy was hit by a pitch and Tweedy followed with a one-out single to load the bases. Catherine Trebley made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly. After a walk to Cromwell, back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Kylee Beranek and Gross forced in two more runs. Dye led the Dragons' eight-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs. Tweedy was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Engle was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Gross was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. The Dragons are next in action Tuesday at home against Yorktown, in which they will open conference play.