New Palestine High School

The New Palestine baseball team jumped on one of the state's top sophomore pitchers early and never looked back Saturday in a 10-0 sectional semifinal victory over Indian Creek. The six-inning mercy-rule victory puts the fifth-ranked Dragons (22-3) into Monday's 6 p.m. sectional title game against either Greenwood or No. 2 Roncalli at the NPHS diamond. The Dragons wasted little time against Indian Creek starter Nick Winters, who came in with a 1.47 earned run average and having allowed eight earned runs all season. After throwing five pitches to retire the side in the top of the first, Rigg Mahurin led off the bottom of the inning with a sharp single up the middle. After Gavin Neal drew a four-pitch walk, Jacob Morris singled to load the bases. Jackson Kamp brought in the first run with a bases-loaded walk. Kingston Hedges followed with a line-drive single to right to add another run. Liam Atkinson's sacrifice fly to right plated another, and the Dragons scored a fourth run on a balk. The Dragons continued to add on in the third. Kamp was hit by a pitch and Hedges walked. A wild pitch moved both of them into scoring position, where Jesse Isaacs blasted a long double over the centerfielder's head to put the Dragons up 6-0. In the fourth, Ryan Haines led off with a line-drive single to center. Neal followed with a one-out walk. Morris grounded into a fielder's choice. NP stole a run with a double-steal, and Kamp followed with an RBI double. Hedges added a run-scoring single up the middle to put the Dragons up 9-0. In the sixth, they ended the game with Mahurin delivering a leadoff hit and Neal following with a double to the right-centerfield fence, bringing home pinch-runner Trase Quillen with the 10th run. Mahurin had a solid day on the mound, throwing just 57 pitches in five innings. He allowed four hits, no runs and struck out five. He faced just two batters more than the minimum. Neal allowed one hit and had a strikeout in one inning of relief. Indian Creek did not advance a baserunner past second base, and the Dragons erased three on the basepaths. Twice, Mahurin picked off runners on first base, and a heads-up play by Morris to fire his relay through to Atkinson retired a runner rounding first after a single to left in the first inning. Mahurin led the Dragons' 10-hit attack, going 3-for-4. Quillen - who courtesy-ran or pinch-ran for him each time - scored three runs. Neal was 1-for-2 with a double, a run, an RBI and two walks. Morris was 1-for-3 with two runs. Kamp was 1-for-1 with a double and two RBI. Hedges was 2-for-2 with a run and two RBI. Isaacs was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI. Haines was 1-for-2, while Atkinson drove in a run.