By MATT CRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — It took until the bottom of the sixth inning for the scoreboard to light up the evening at Ben Davis High School.
For the Floyd Central softball team, it would have been better to have left it off.
More than anything, seeing the score ended up serving as a reminder of what Lafayette Harrison had just pulled off in the top half.
The Raiders — who threatened to blow open a tight game by loading the bases with none out — did exactly that when Megan Mitchell crushed a pitch from Highlander ace Samantha McClure over the wall in dead centerfield for a grand slam that provided all the runs they’d need.
From there, Harrison moved to the Saturday’s championship game with a 5-1 win over Floyd Central in the Class 4A state semifinals on Friday in Indianapolis.
It took Mitchell’s dramatic hit to beat McClure, the sophomore star who proved to be one of Indiana’s elite arms this spring, and end a record-setting season for the Highlanders (23-7-1).
It was Floyd Central’s first appearance in the state finals after winning the Jennings County Sectional in easy fashion and breaking through the Floyd Regional by beating Columbus North and Plainfield. Despite having just three seniors and a lineup made up in large part by the sophomore class, the Highlanders proved themselves to be among the elite by taking the Raiders (25-7) to their limit.
“We’re disappointed, sure,” said Floyd coach Joe Witten, who took a team to state in his seventh season at the helm. “But that ending had no bearing on how this season went.”
For much of the way, it went exactly like the rest of the season, with the Highlanders perfectly executing their game plan — take an early lead to put pressure on the opponent and then ride another great effort by McClure to the finish.
Floyd Central got back-to-back singles, from Jordan Batliner and McClure, off Harrison starter Morgan Stephens (13-5) in the first inning. While Stephens didn’t allow a run to cross the plate in that situation, the confidence carried over into the Highlanders’ second time at the plate.
Senior shortstop Brittany Mills singled, and later scored the game’s first run on a double off the bat of Jenna Mackin. Brigid Morrissey, pinch-running for Mackin, nearly added another score on a single by Meghan McRae, but the throw from right field was spot on to Raider catcher Ashley Courtney, who blocked the plate well and tagged Morrissey out on a collision.
The 1-0 lead looked like it might be plenty for McClure, who rolled right along until the Floyd defense, perhaps afflicted by a combination of pressure and nerves, put its ace in a series of tough situations.
“It’s awesome to play here (in the finals),” Batliner said. “But when we got here, I think the nerves set in. We tried to say ‘it’s just another game,’ but that’s hard to do.”
A single by Jordyn Garrett, coupled with a throwing error, resulted in a runner on second with none out in the top of the fifth for the Raiders. That’s when Brooke Jordan, the pitcher who would eventually record the win, laid down a well-placed push bunt that plated Garrett and tied things at 1.
“They place the ball so well, it’s like it falls just out of the reach of your glove,” Witten said. “I think sometimes the girls saw some opportunities to do more than make the routine play. Those small things add up.”
Neither team could mount a charge in the fifth, as Floyd hitters struck out twice in the inning – part of 14 Highlander whiffs – and McClure struck out all three Harrison batters she faced in the inning.
But things turned so suddenly in the sixth that they almost didn’t turn at all.
Harrison’s lead-off hitter, Hailey Baker, hit right into an outfield shift, but the ball was dropped by Mackin. Courtney followed with a hard grounder that barely eluded both third baseman Paige Davis and Mills, and the Raiders loaded the bases on a sacrifice play when the Highlanders didn’t get the out at first quick enough to beat the runner.
The situation – bases loaded and no outs — brought the Harrison faithful to their feet in anticipation of a big rally. But McClure came within a pitch of escaping, getting both Jordan and Stephens, Harrison’s top two hitters, to ground into what became force outs at home when Floyd catcher Bailey Hubert made two alert plays at the plate.
But that brought up Mitchell, who took one strike from McClure before delivering a deep blast that left no doubt as it escaped the park just in front of the dark scoreboard in center.
When the board came to life, showing the 5-1 margin, just before Floyd’s at-bat in the bottom half, optimism still reigned in the Highlander dugout.
“As soon as it happened I thought we were OK,” Batliner said. “We’ve scored four or five runs in an inning before. We still thought we could pull it out, but we didn’t get what we hoped for.”
It wasn’t to be. Jordan replaced Stephens in the fifth and proceeded to shut Floyd down the rest of the way. The Raider star struck out three of the final four batters she faced, including the final two, to send Harrison on to attempt to claim the state’s biggest softball prize and Floyd back to regroup for next season.
It was the final game for Mills, Hubert and Mackin, the senior class that helped to carry their program further than it had ever gone.
“They’re the classiest group I’ve ever had here,” said Witten, who will still have the services of McClure, Batliner – who went 2-for-3 on the day – and the rest of a deep and talented group of sophomores and juniors next season. “They care more about their teammates than themselves and I know they’ll go on to succeed in whatever they do. They’re going to make a lot of money one day. Maybe I can work for them.”
Most of what Floyd did worked this season, and Batliner said the experience won’t be lost on a team that will be favored to be one of the top dogs in the South next year.
“I’m pretty sure this will make us all work even harder in the preseason and over the summer,” she said. “We had a great time. We want to come back again.”
LAF. HARRISON 000 104 0—5 3 0
FLOYD CENTRAL 010 000 0—1 7 4
W – Jordan (13-2). L -- McClure (12-5-1). 2B – Mackin (F). HR – Mitchell (L).
