Vikes defeat JCHS

FORT WAYNE — For the first half of Friday’s sectional semifinal game, the Patriots were the aggressor.
They put runners on base in each of the first three innings, including one in scoring position twice. But they couldn’t push a run across the plate, and eventually the tide turned.
The Huntington North Vikings grabbed the lead with a run on a balk in the top of the fifth inning and defeated Jay County 3-0 in the Class 4A Sectional 6 tournament at Homestead.
“I thought the girls just came to play,” said JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle, whose team fell 8-0 to Huntington North during the regular season. “That’s what it takes. We knew it was going to be a tough game.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the girls. They played with a lot of heart tonight, and effort. … I just can’t say enough about them tonight.
“The girls were giving it their all … they weren’t leaving anything back.”
After Jay County (7-12) couldn’t cash in on its early opportunities, the Vikings came through in the fifth inning.
Peyton Pike got Huntington North (18-8) going with a one-out, infield single up the middle that would be the squad’s only hit of the inning. Laura Daronatsy followed with a walk, and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.
With No. 9 hitter Tara Stoffel at the plate, Patriot pitcher Rachelle Jackson stumbled in the circle anddid not release the ball.
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The play resulted in a balk, sending Pike to the plate with the first run of the game.
“It’s just one of those things, and we took advantage of that,” said Huntington North coach Paris Seibold. “The first run we scored was on an illegal pitch. We could have hit the ball better, but we ran the bases pretty well.”
The Vikings added two more runs on two hits in the sixth inning after Erin Rethlake led off the frame with a walk. She scored on a sacrifice fly by Alyssa Hiple, and Alyssa Grabner, who reached base with an infield single, crossed the plate thanks to Courtney Carpenter’s double to right field.
Rethlake locked up the victory, striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish with 12 for the game. She also struck out the side in the second inning after the Patriots put their first two runners on base, and did so again in the fourth.
“That might have been the difference in the game right there, because if she folds right there we’re in trouble with no outs and two runners on,” said Seibold of the left-hander’s effort in the second. “But she came right back and shut them down.
“She pitched very well, moved the ball a little bit, kept them off balance.”
Jay County had chances to take control early, with Lexie Gierhart drawing a two-out walk in the first inning and advancing to second base on a wild pitch. But a strikeout got Rethlake out of the jam, and she escaped again after a single from Nikka Chaney and a walk by Katlin Petro opened the second inning.
“They put the ball in play and got some base runners,” said Seibold, whose team lost to the Patriots’ 6-2 in the semifinal round in 2010 after beating them during the regular season. “Fortunately Rethlake shut them down. Had they scored early, it might have tightened this up a little bit.
“They’re always a good team to play. At this time of year it doesn’t matter who you are or what you beat somebody by, you start 0-0. They played very well. … I thought it was a good game for them and us.”
The Patriots had runners in scoring position again in the fifth inning, but struggled to get a bunt down. The frame ended when Katie Aker was called out for leaving early as she tried to tag up from first base on a fly ball by Chelsea Tighe.
Jackson was lights out early, allowing just one base runner by way of an error in the first three innings. Huntington North broke up the no hitter on a bunt single in the fourth and finished the game with just four hits against the JCHS sophomore.
“She brings her A game,” said Arbuckle of Jackson, who was the winning pitcher against Huntington North last season. “She steps it up.
“It was about placement. I thought she was keeping them off balance. … She did a great job tonight.”
Jay County’s only hits of the game were the Chaney single to left field in the second inning and an infield hit by Tighe in the third.
The team’s lone senior, Kendra Younger, came up with some key defensive plays in the final game of her career. She made catches on three fly balls — all off the bat of Makayla Whaley — and had all three put-outs it the fifth inning. One of those came as she chased down Daronatsy in a rundown between third and home.
“She played a tough shortstop for us tonight,” said Arbuckle. “I can’t say enough about her. … She plays with a lot of heart. She’s a very dedicated young lady, works hard.
“A lot of tears were flowing there after the game. That’s just a testament to her commitment, and how much effort she puts into it. I’m going to miss her. … She’s a very special young lady.”[[In-content Ad]]