June 02, 2008

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The Paper file photo
Crawfordsville High School sophomore Marissa French scored a run and had a hit in the Class 3A No. 5 Athenians’ 4-3 IHSAA Mount Vernon (Fortville) Regional semifinal loss Saturday to Batesville.
Softball

Saturday

IHSAA Mount Vernon (Fortville) Regional

At Mount Vernon HS

First semifinal

Batesville 4, Crawfordsville 3

Crawfordsville 000 210 0 - 3 3 0

Batesville 010 200 1 - 4 10 4

WP: Devin Moorman B. LP: Chelsea Day C.

Crawfordsville runs scored: Marissa French, Stormy Staton, Chelsea Day

Batesville runs scored: Madi Lamppert, Ashley Wuestefeld, Cassie Lecher, Billeigh Hankins

Crawfordsville RBI: Stormy Staton, Hannah Fink, Marissa French

Batesville RBI: Jenny Meyer 2, Madi Lamppert, Amy Wuestefeld

Crawfordsville hits: Stormy Staton, Hannah Fink, Marissa French

Batesville hits: Amy Wuestefeld 3, Jenny Meyer 2, Ashley Wuestefeld, Stacy Kessens, Madi Lamppert, Cassi Lecher, Billeigh Hankins

HR: Madi Lamppert B

2B: Stormy Staton C; Amy Wuestefeld B

Stolen bases: Crawfordsville 2 (Marissa French), Batesville 2 (Sarah Schwegman, Cassi Lecher)

LOB: Crawfordsville 5, Batesville 4

Records: Crawfordsville 27-3, Batesville 17-6
Reprinted Coutesy Of:
The Paper Of Montgomery County
www.thepaper24-7.com

By John Groth
Sports Editor

FORTVILLE, Ind. - Crawfordsville High School softball coach Brian Norris wanted the Athenians seniors to have their moment, their day.

But what was supposed to be a special afternoon for Crawfordsville's four seniors - filled with graduation and a championship game appearance all in the same day - turned into heartbreak in the last inning of Saturday's Indiana High School Athletic Association Mount Vernon (Fortville) Regional semifinal.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Batesville junior Amy Wuestefeld connected on an RBI double to deep centerfield and junior Billeigh Hankins raced all the way around from first base to give Batesville a 4-3 victory over Class 3A No. 5 Crawfordsville in Saturday's opening IHSAA Mount Vernon (Fortville) Regional semifinal.

"This is a tough way to lose," Norris said. "I really felt good about this game. I don't know. I would've liked to have had a try (in the sectional title game)."

Batesville (18-7) advanced to the Mount Vernon (Fortville) Regional final, losing 4-3 to Class 3A No. 2 New Palestine (27-3).

Crawfordsville (27-3) had its record-breaking season come to a close. But Norris still hopes the Athenians will remember what a season they had.

Crawfordsville set a school record for wins (27); finished undefeated in Sagamore Athletic Conference play (14-0) and won the conference title outright; won its first Athenian Invitational championship; achieved a top 5 Class 3A ranking; and captured its first IHSAA sectional championship in five years with its 7-0 victory over conference rival Danville in the title game.

"It hurts now. It should hurt," Norris said. "I hope our younger players come back and step up and do better next year. This is something they seniors will look back on it and say 'wow, that was an awesome, awesome year.' It's hard to look back on that now, though."

After battling back from its first two deficits of this postseason, Crawfordsville couldn't find a way to pull out the victory.

The Athenians rallied two one-run deficits (1-0 and 3-2), tying the game at 3-3 after sophomore Marissa French's RBI single in the top of the fifth inning.

But Crawfordsville left two runners on in that fifth inning and one more in the top of the seventh, along with one each in the first, second and fourth innings.

Senior Alex Brock was one of those runners. She was hit by a pitch to start the top of the seventh but was left stranded after the Athenians recorded three straight outs.

They scored runs off only two of Batesville's four errors and only had three hits.

After their post-game meeting, senior third baseman Hayley Fink stopped to hug each one of her teammates - a final hug before graduating a few hours later.

She and her twin sister, Hannah, each won their first sectional titles in their careers this year.

"They're like my family," Hayley Fink said. "I think this is the closest group of girls we've ever had. We all love each other like a family."

Junior Stormy Staton pitched four innings - allowing seven hits and three runs. Sophomore Chelsea Day pitched the final three innings, striking out three batters and allowing three hits and a run.

Batesville junior Madi Lamppert hit a solo home run to left field off Staton in the second inning to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.

Staton responded two innings later, smashing an RBI double to the left field fence and then scoring on a wild pitch to put Crawfordsville up 2-1.

Batesville junior Jenny Meyer gave the Bulldogs the lead again in the fifth at 3-2 with a two-RBI single before Crawfordsville scored the tying run in the sixth.

Norris reiterated the loss doesn't diminish what Crawfordsville accomplished this season.

They'll lose the Finks, Brock and Sarah Williams - who not only were valued athletically but also mentally.

"We'll miss their softball ability but mostly their whole attitude about softball this year and the game," Norris said. "I've moved some of them around from position to position and they've never griped. They did what they needed to do. We'll have shoes to fill in more ways than just their softball abilities."