New Palestine High School

Two solo homers helped the No. 9 New Palestine softball team build a lead against rival Mt. Vernon Thursday, then a seven-run sixth inning put the game away in an 11-1 victory over the Marauders. The seven-run sixth invoked the mercy rule and improved the Dragons' record to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. Alyssa Mumaw and Maddie Engle both homered for the Dragons to help build a 4-1 lead before the team put the game away. Courtney Study allowed four hits and one earned run over six innings, striking out eight, to earn the win. In the first, Aglaia Rudd led off with a double and scored on Mumaw's RBI groundout to give the Dragons an early lead. The Dragons doubled the lead in the third, when Paige Ernstes reached on an error and scored on Allie Blum's two-out triple. Engle hit a first-pitch homer to left to make it 3-0 in the fourth. After an MV homer in the fifth, Mumaw led off the bottom of the frame with a blast to center to restore a three-run lead. In the sixth, the Dragons got the merry-go-round going, starting with Engle reaching on a three-base error. Sydney Oliver's single to center plated her. Rudd singled and Ernstes walked to load the bases. Mumaw drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Blum, Kayla Bain, Sydney Hughbanks, Engle and Nyla Lewis all followed with consecutive RBI singles to end the game with a seven-run, seven-hit frame. The Dragons outhit MV 14-4 for the game. Rudd was 3-for-4 with a double. Mumaw was 1-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three, in addition to her solo homer. Blum was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run and two RBI. Engle was 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a homer. Lewis was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Oliver was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Hughbanks and Bain also had hits. The Dragons are next in action Friday at Zionsville. The Dragons also won the JV game 18-1, with Lucy Dunn and Kenna Tweedy hitting homeruns.