By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
And then there were 16 â?¦
The 21st Annual IHSAA Softball State Tournament Series concluded regional play June 4 at 16 sites. Following is a preview of the four-team regionals, plus the complete results …
Class 4A
Looking at the numbers, the only place that doesnâ??t feature three highly ranked teams is at DeKalb, where only No. 10 McCutcheon sits in the latest Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association (ICGSA) rankings.
The Mavericks (20-9) face Anderson Highland (22-5) in Game 2 at DeKalb following an opener of Columbia City (19-6) and Fort Wayne Snider (22-6).
At Elkhart Memorial, Game 1 features a showdown between top-ranked and unbeaten defending state champion Lake Central (30-0-1) and No. 17 Penn (25-8), while fifth-ranked Chesterton (26-2-1) gets South Bend Adams (15-14) in the second semifinal.
At Center Grove, the opener pits third-ranked Brownsburg (27-4) against No. 11 Decatur Central (22-5-1), the Marion County champion. No. 2 Hamilton Southeastern (25-3) then faces Indianapolis Cathedral (17-7) in the second clash.
And at Jeffersonville, we get a Game 1 of third-ranked Martinsville (24-1-1) and sixth-ranked East Central (24-3) prior to a second tilt of No. 15 Jennings County (21-5) and Castle (16-12-1).
So, we could end up with a Class 4A final four of Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 10 at Carmel on June 10. Or of all unranked teams, just like in this yearâ??s 4A girls basketball state finals. Beauty, eh?
Class 3A
The 3A regionals are not as power laden as their bigger-school counterparts, but there are going to be three ranked teams on tap at Twin Lakes, including two of the top six.
No. 13 West Lafayette (26-5) gets things started at Twin Lakes with Griffith (18-14) before second-ranked Andrean (30-2) battles No. 6 Culver Academies (29-2).
At Bellmont, the unranked hosts (17-3) square off with Delta before third-ranked Northridge (28-1) faces No. 15 Whitko (21-4).
At Boonville, there also is a pair of ranked teams as No. 4 Gibson Southern (25-3-1) tackles Edgewood in the opener before ninth-ranked Heritage Hills (23-3) faces North Harrison (12-14).
Top-ranked Pendleton Heights (27-1), meanwhile, appears to have the easiest route to a June 10 date at Pike as the Arabians face Roncalli (18-10-1) in the second game at Mt. Vernon. Rushville (20-7) and Lebanon (17-6) open play in Fortville.
So you would appear to have Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 all favored to make it through. But then thatâ??s why they play the games, right?
Class 2A
There is no place for the timid in 2A this weekend if you are anywhere near Garrett, where the three highest-rated teams will cannibalize each other for the right to advance to the final four at North Central (Indianapolis).
Second-ranked Cass (23-4) and No. 3 Eastside (26-5) tussle in the opener at Garrett before top-ranked Eastern (Greentown) (27-3) takes on Heritage (16-10).
Meanwhile, defending 2A titleist and fourth-ranked Hanover Central (25-4-3) gets a relative cakewalk at LaVille, facing 12-13 Clinton Central in Game 2 following the Rochester-Bremen (22-9) opener.
At Forest Park, the sixth-ranked hosts (22-5-1) play in Game 2 against Tri-West Hendricks after an opening game pitting Providence (21-4) against South Knox.
And at Shenandoah, we get another ranked threesome as No. 9 Frankton (21-5) opens with 12th-ranked Cambridge City Lincoln (18-4) before No. 5 Scecina (22-6), the Indianapolis City champion, takes on Southwestern (Hanover) (17-10) in the second tilt.
Thus, itâ??s eeny-meeny-miney on one of the top three advancing, No. 4 as a heavy favorite, No. 6 looking to take advantage of home field, and, uh, eeny-meeny-miney again for the fourth slot.
Class A
Regional play at the Class A level is a nice mixture of the other three classes: One site has three highly ranked squads, two sites feature just one ranked team, and the fourth site features two ranked schools in the struggle to earn a June 10 berth at Hamilton Southeastern.
At Clinton Prairie, the top-ranked hosts (25-3) play Cowan (11-9) in Game 2 following an opener of third-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran (18-7), the defending Class A champion, and No. 13 Southern Wells (21-5).
At Lanesville, the fourth-ranked hosts (23-2) play Springs Valley in the second game after Hauser (7-8) and Jac-Cen-Del open the regional.
At Caston, No. 9 South Central (Union Mills) puts its 20-10 record on the line vs. Hebron (21-8) in the opener prior to a second game featuring Pioneer and Lakewood Park Christian.
And at Barr-Reeve, second-ranked North Daviess (24-4) opens with Shakamak (13-15) before No. 11 Tecumseh (13-12) tackles Turkey Run, the last â??small schoolâ? to win the pre-class tournament.
So in Class A, youâ??re lookinâ?? at two schools with home-field advantage, a No. 9 that hopes to flex its ranked status, and a heavily favored No. 2. That what is says on paper, anyhoo.
PLAY BALL!!!
The regional results:
REGIONALS
Date: June 4, 2005; semifinal games at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., championship game at 7 p.m. where possible.
Admission: $5 per session; $7 for both sessions.
Home Team: Second team listed in each game.
Class 4A
1. Elkhart Memorial Regional
Lake Central 3, Penn 0.
Chesterton 2, South Bend Adams 0.
Championship: Lake Central 2, Chesterton 1 (8 innings).
2. DeKalb Regional
Columbia City 4, Fort Wayne Snider 2.
McCutcheon 3, Anderson Highland 0.
Championship: McCutcheon 11, Columbia City 1.
3. Center Grove Regional
Brownsburg 5, Decatur Central 0.
Hamilton Southeastern 3, Indianapolis Cathedral 2 (8 innings).
Championship: Brownsburg 3, Hamilton Southeastern 2.
4. Jeffersonville Regional
Martinsville 1, East Central 0.
Castle 4, Jennings County 0.
Championship: Martinsville 1, Castle 0 (11 innings).
Class 3A
5. Twin Lakes Regional
West Lafayette 6, Griffith 0.
Andrean 6, Culver Academies 0.
Championship: Andrean 5, West Lafayette 0.
6. Bellmont Regional
Bellmont 4, Delta 0.
Northridge 4, Whitko 1.
Championship: Bellmont 1, Northridge 0.
7. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Regional
Lebanon 2, Rushville 0.
Pendleton Heights 2, Roncalli 1
Championship: Pendleton Heights 5, Lebanon 1.
8. Boonville Regional
Gibson Southern 7, Edgewood 0.
Heritage Hills 9, North Harrison 2.
Championship: Gibson Southern 1, Heritage Hills 0.
Class 2A
9. LaVille Regional
Bremen 2, Rochester 1.
Hanover Central 3, Clinton Central 0.
Championship: Bremen 1, Hanover Central 0 (9 innings).
10. Garrett Regional
Cass 3, Eastside 0.
Eastern (Greentown) 1, Heritage 0 (13 innings).
Championship: Eastern (Greentown) 1, Cass 0 (16 innings).
11. Shenandoah Regional
Frankton 10, Cambridge City Lincoln 0.
Indianapolis Scecina 1, Southwestern (Hanover) 0 (9 innings)
Championship: Frankton 1, Indianapolis Scecina 0.
12. Forest Park Regional
Providence 3, South Knox 0.
Forest Park 4, Tri-West Hendricks 2
Championship: Providence 1, Forest Park 0.
Class A
13. Caston Regional
South Central (Union Mills) 5, Hebron 2.
Pioneer 11, Lakewood Park Christian 1 (5 innings).
Championship: Pioneer 4, South Central (Union Mills) 2.
14. Clinton Prairie Regional
Indianapolis Lutheran 4, Southern Wells 0.
Clinton Prairie 11, Cowan 1.
Championship: Clinton Prairie 4, Indianapolis Lutheran 1.
15. Lanesville Regional
Hauser 4, Jac-Cen-Del 1.
Lanesville 3, Springs Valley 0.
Championship: Lanesville 2, Hauser 1.
16. Barr-Reeve Regional
North Daviess 1, Shakamak 0.
Turkey Run 1, Tecumseh 0.
Championship: North Daviess 3, Turkey Run 0.
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