With the Floyd Central softball team playing for its first berth in the state finals, sophomores Samantha McClure and Jordan Batliner carried the day in a 3-1 victory over Plainfield in the Floyd Central regional final.

The pair provided all of the Highlanders’ RBIs and innings pitched in the win.

Floyd coach Joe Witten said the success of his young players often boosts the entire team's energy level.

“They're special players,” he said. “There's just something about having underclassmen succeed that's inspirational to everyone.”

Floyd (23-6-1) first scored off Plainfield pitcher Allison Holsclaw in the bottom of the third inning when Cherrod Gwaltney led off the inning with a double, was sacrificed to third by Paige Davis, and scored on a single by McClure.

With the 1-0 lead in hand, Witten elected to send McClure to the mound in the fourth inning even though Batliner had pitched three scoreless innings and notched three strikeouts.

Witten said the switch was made because he saw that the Plainfield hitters were getting their timing on Batliner and he wanted to go with McClure due to her higher ratio of strikeouts per inning.

“They were getting the ball in play more than I like and in a game like this where there were seven errors, you want to get more strikeouts,” he said.

McClure then pitched two scoreless innings and her team tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 3-0. The run was a result of three consecutive singles by the top of the Highlanders' lineup, followed by a sacrifice fly from Batliner that included a Plainfield throwing error, which allowed two runners to score on the play.

Gwaltney, who hit the game-winning single for Floyd in its semifinal win over Columbus North, was again in on the action, singling and scoring in the inning. Witten said Gwaltney, who made the all-state team last year, is an elite player who has battled through injuries the entire year.

“If she wants to play at the highest D-I level, she can but it's completely up to her,” he said. “She doesn't believe in mediocrity. Her hard work is paying off.”

Plainfield came back to score a single run in the sixth inning and made the final inning suspenseful by putting two runners on base but Floyd finally clinched its trip to the state finals when second baseman Jenna Allen fielded a groundball and threw Plainfield's Taryn Simpson out at first.

The significance of the victory is not lost on Witten, who cited the tough competition that the Highlanders have beaten to get this far.

“This is big for our school. Ever since they went to the class system, it's been tough,” Witten said. “We're playing the best from everywhere-the best team from Columbus, the best team from Evansville. All those are really big schools.”

Floyd's next game will be against Lafayette Harrison on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. The winner of that game will play in the Class 4A State title game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.



Floyd Central vs. Columbus North Semifinal

In its first game of the regional, the Floyd Central softball team used a big second inning and some late-game heroics to edge Columbus North and its senior ace, Cassie Loweth, 4-3.

Columbus North scored one run in the top of the second but Floyd struck back in the bottom of the inning when it put two runners on for senior Brittany Mills, who switched from hitting left-handed to right-handed in the middle of the at-bat before hitting a triple to the rightfield fence. Mills then scored on a wild pitch to put Floyd ahead 3-1.

North didn't go quietly, however. It scored another run in the third to cut the deficit to one, and then Loweth hit a solo blast to left in the fifth frame to tie the score at 3-3.

Floyd pitcher Samantha McClure then held the visitors scoreless for the next two innings, which enabled the Highlanders to bat in the seventh needing only one run to advance. Jenna Mackin led off the inning with a single, then moved to third after a sacrifice bunt and a passed ball. Floyd leadoff batter Cherrod Gwaltney then hit a two-out single up the middle to seal the game.

McClure went the distance for the Highlanders, giving up eight hits and striking out eight with three walks, one intentional.

Floyd coach Joe Witten said the intense regional atmosphere gave his players the jitters.

“You could tell we were a little nervous, but we definitely came through in the clutch,” he said.



CLASS 4A FLOYD CENTRAL REGIONAL

Final

PLAINFIELD 000 001 0—1 5 4

FLOYD CENT. 001 020 x—3 6 3

W — Batliner L — Holsclaw; 2B-Gwaltney (F), Simmonds (P)



SEMIFINAL

COL. NORTH 011 010 0—3 8 0

FLOYD CENT. 030 000 1—4 8 1

W — McClure; L —Loweth; 2B — Jackson (C) 3B — Mills (F) HR — Loweth (C)