New Palestine High School

The New Palestine baseball team entered the week in a four-way tie for the Hoosier Heritage Conference lead. The Dragons are now in sole possession of first place after finishing off a two-game sweep of Pendleton Heights Thursday, beating the Arabians 5-3. Jesse Isaacs broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run homer in the fourth. Jackson Kamp also homered and drove in three runs to lead the Dragons at the plate, while Jacob Morris and Holden Hughes piggybacked the pitching. Morris (3-1) earned the win with four strong innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs and striking out three. Hughes came on in relief and pitched three scoreless innings for his first save. He allowed one hit - a seventh-inning single that put two runners on with one out - then erased it with a game-ending doubleplay. The Dragons took an early lead as Rigg Mahurin hit the first pitch of the game into leftfield for a single. Morris followed with a walk. Kamp doubled them both home with a line drive to center. PH drew a run back without a hit in the second. Two walks to lead off the inning were followed by a sacrifice bunt and an RBI groundout. In the third, the Dragons got that run back when Kamp blasted a solo homer to left on the first pitch he saw, restoring a two-run lead at 3-1. But it again was short-lived, as a single, walk and an errant pickoff throw put runners on second and third with none out. Morris struck out the next batter, but the Arabians followed with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to tie the game. In the fourth, Liam Atkinson drew a one-out walk and was along for the ride when Isaacs blasted a 2-0 pitch over the centerfield fence to put the Dragons back on top 5-3. PH put two runners on base in the fourth, but Morris wiggled out of the jam before yielding to Hughes. He retired the first seven batters he faced before a hit batter and a single put two aboard in the seventh with one out, but erased it by inducing a 5-4-3 doubleplay to end the game. The Class 3A No. 6 Dragons are now 17-3 on the season and 9-3 in HHC play. They entered the week tied for the conference lead with PH - which is now 7-5 - and both Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon. G-C is now 8-3 in league play after a 4-1 victory over Mt. Vernon Thursday, while MV is 7-4. Those two teams will face off Friday at MV. The Dragons' next game is Saturday at Franklin Central.