By Eric Eaton
HCC Coordinator

CARMEL – Lightening and heavy rains forced IHSAA officials to postpone the 4A Softball State Semifinals Friday June 6 at Cherry Tree Elementary School in Carmel until 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, June 7.

Officials did announce though that the 4A state title game will still take place at its regularly scheduled time of 7:30 P.M. Saturday evening from Ben Davis High School.

Semifinal #1 between #6 Franklin Central and #12 East Central did get underway, but was halted after two-complete innings of play with Franklin Central leading 5-0.

The Flashes jumped on top of East Central by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first-inning. Lead-off hitter Jennifer Demotte scored the first run on an RBI single from clean-up hitter Leah Prewitt. Franklin Central then added a second opening-frame run when Joy Perry drew a bases loaded walk off of Trojans starting pitcher Amber Eckstein, which forced home courtesy runner Denise Coram.

Then, after Franklin Central senior Chanda Bell struck out the East Central side in the top of the second-inning, the Flashes would add three more runs in the bottom-half of the inning.

The number-nine hitter Eleni Prewitt led off the inning being hit by a pitch. Demotte then proceeded to drive her in with a bases clearing triple. The next batter, Bell, then hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. East Central came home with the throw but it was offline, allowing Demotte to score.

However, en route to home-plate Demote collided hard with East Central catcher Beth Moorman. Both players hit the deck, but Demotte managed to crawl and touch the plate, giving Franklin Central a 4-0 lead. Demotte and Moorman were both shaken-up on the play, but neither one was seriously injured.

The Flashes would add a fifth run moments later on Leah Prewitt’s second RBI-single of the game.

Mother-nature then intervened with lightening and heavy rain, forcing the game to be halted until 10:00 A.M. Saturday morning with the Flashes leading 5-0.

And baring a miraculous comeback by the Trojans, Franklin Central will be playing for its first-ever state softball championship at 7:30 P.M. Saturday evening at Ben Davis.

If East Central is to comeback from five-runs down, then they will half to do so against one of the top pitchers in the state in Bell. For the season, Bell has allowed just two earned-runs and sports a miniscule .10 ERA.

Game #2 between LaPorte and #2 McCutcheon will get underway following the conclusion of the East Central/Franklin Central ballgame, which should be sometime between 11:00 A.M. and noon.

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