New Palestine High School

The Class 3A No. 1 New Palestine softball team had a dominant Saturday in sweeping the day with a pair of five-inning mercy-rule victories at Jennings County. The Dragons opened the day by pounding 18 hits - including four homers - in a 14-1 victory over the host Panthers. The two teams were scoreless for two innings, but the Dragons broke through in the third, when Katie Hirschy hit a two-run homer and Maddie Engle followed with a solo blast. In the fourth, Kenna Tweedy led off with a homer, setting off a nine-run inning that put the Dragons up 12-0. Lyndsay Goodin capped the frame with a three-run homer. Engle was 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, three runs and two RBI. Tweedy was 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs. Jersi Gross was 3-for-4 with two runs. Payton Dye was 2-for-3 with two runs. Katie Hirschy was 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs and three RBI. Goodin was 2-for-2 with a homer, a run and four RBI. Saydie Miller was 1-for-3 with a double, a run and three RBI. Lauren Wagoner and Cara Steele also had hits for the DRagons. Sadey Hughbanks pitched 3 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings for the Dragons, striking out six, before yielding way to Tessa Mohr. She allowed two hits, one run and struck out one over 1 2/3 innings. In the second game, the Dragons again used a nine-run inning to take command in a 12-1 victory over Columbus North. The teams were tied 1-1 after one - Gross and Dye hit back-to-back doubles to plate the Dragons' run - and the Dragons took a 3-1 lead on Miller's two-run single in the third. But the Dragons broke through in the fifth, scoring nine runs on eight hits and a walk. Hirschy punctuated it with a two-run homer. She was 4-for-4 and was a double shy of the cycle, as she had a triple, a homer, three runs and three RBI. Dye was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBI. Gross was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Engle was 1-for-2 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Miller was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Tweedy was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Callie Cromwell was 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Goodin was 1-for-1. Hughbanks pitched a complete-game win, allowing no earned runs and two hits, striking out five.