New Palestine High School

The New Palestine softball team got two strong pitching performances from Courtney Study and Sadey Hughbanks Saturday en route to a doubleheader sweep of host Jennings County. The Dragons won the opener 5-1, then won the nightcap 13-1 in six innings. In the opener, Courtney Study pitched a strong game, allowing five hits and one first-inning run in a complete-game victory. She struck out five. Aglaia Rudd's three-hit performance paced a 10-hit day. The Dragons trailed 1-0 going into the fifth but took control with multiple extra-base hits. Jersi Gross led off the inning with a single to center. Rudd followed with an RBI triple to right to tie the game, then scored on Allie Blum's sacrifice fly. Alyssa Mumaw then drilled her fourth homer of the year to cap a three-run frame and give the Dragons a 3-1 lead. The Dragons added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth, when Sydney Oliver led off with a single and scored on Maddie Engle's double to right. Engle then scored on an error. Rudd was 3-for-4 with a triple, a run and an RBI to lad the offense. Oliver was 2-for-4 with a run, while Gross was 2-for-2 with a run. Mumaw was 1-for-4 with a solo homer. Paige Ernstes was 1-for-4. Engle was 1-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI. In the second game, the Dragons pounced early with a four-run second, then added two more in the fifth and put the game away with a seven-run sixth. Hughbanks pitched five strong innings, allowing one earned run and seven hits. She fanned one, while the Dragons drilled 18 hits in the game. The Dragons took a second-inning lead when Engle reached on an error, Oliver walked and Sydney Hugbanks reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Ella Holman drove in a run with an infield hit. Rudd brought in another with a sacrifice fly, before Blum and Mumaw hit back-to-back RBI singles to put the Dragons up 4-0. Back-to-back triples led to two more runs in the fifth. Engle led off with a triple to left, then Oliver drove her in with a triple to center. Katie Hirschy plated Oliver with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6-0. After JC scored in the bottom of the fifth, the Dragons pounced for seven runs in the sixth. Blum led off with a double and Mumaw followed with a single to put two runners in scoring position. Ernstes drove in a run with a base hit. With runners on the corners, the Dragons attempted a double-steal. Ernstes stole second, drawing a wild throw, allowing Mumaw to score. Ernstes would then come home on another error. With two outs, the Dragons loaded the bases on singles by Hirschy and Sydney Hughbanks and a walk to Nyla Lewis. Rudd drove in two runs with a double and Blum another with a single. Gross - courtesy-running for Rudd - then scored on the front end of a double-steal. Three different Dragons had three hits in the game and nine different players had hits in the contest. Rudd was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, giving her six hits for the day. Blum was 3-for-5 with a double, a run and two RBI. Ella Holman was 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Mumaw was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Oliver was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI. Hirschy was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Ernstes was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Engle was 1-for-4 with a triple and two runs. Sydney Hughbanks was 1-for-4 with two runs. The Dragons are now 14-4. They next play Wednesday at Fishers.