New Palestine returns to state with 5-inning blowout of Center Grove: 'They beat our best' (2024)

BEDFORD — Many outsiders (present company, included) viewed the Class 4A semistate schedule as an advantage for Center Grove. New Palestine had to finish out its game vs. Avon amidst steamy conditions, while the Trojans were able to rest and reset their pitching ahead of the penultimate game of the 2024 season.

But that's not how New Palestine coach Ed Marcum approached it. No, he was spinning it the opposite direction. "We get to have the high of winning against Avon," he told his players. "We get to celebrate that, then we can come back and just keep it rolling."

That's exactly what happened.

The Dragons parlayed their 6-0 win over Avon into a running start vs. CG, jumping the Trojans for four runs in the first and five more in the second en route to a dominating 14-2 victory in the semistate championship game.

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New Palestine advances to the state championship game for the first time since 2019, where it will face Hamilton Southeastern.

"I can't even put it into words," senior Allie Blum said. "It feels absolutely amazing, especially being a senior. Our last game is going to be on the Purdue field playing for a state championship. It's unreal."

"And it means so much to us seniors," Sydney Oliver continued. "This is our fourth year working towards it and to finally get it just means so much."

Similar to their restart vs. Avon, New Pal used the long ball to set the tone at the outset, with Blum following a lead-off walk to Jersi Gross with a two-run homer to right. From there, a string of three singles and a fielder's choice netted two more runs, with Katie Hirschy and Maddie Engle picking up the RBIs.

Sydney Herrmann brought Center Grove back into it with a lead-off homer in the second, but her retaliation was swiftly negated by New Pal, with Oliver, Hirschy and Payton Dye all driving in runs.

By game's end the Dragons had scored multiple runs across all four innings and racked up 14 hits, while senior pitcher Courtney Study spun another gem, allowing only two runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Put simply: That was a statement performance by the Dragons.

"I'm just so proud of them," said Marcum, whose team accounted for nine of its 14 runs with two outs.

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New Palestine's win came against arguably the other best team out of the 4A south — the 1-A, if you will — a Center Grove squad that had successfully executed a regular-season plan that ensured it would be 100% entering the state tournament.

The Trojans team we saw in sectionals against Bloomington South and Mooresville, then again last week vs. East Central and Castle was the one we'd been waiting on all season — and they were prolific, bringing a lights-out pairing in the circle with senior Riley Henson and freshman Taylor Barrett that perfectly complemented a power-packed lineup that played beyond its years (only four seniors).

Center Grove had the makings of a state championship team. It just ran into another red-and-white buzzsaw, same as Avon earlier in the day … and Cathedral last week … and Pendleton Heights the week before.

"They beat our best," coach Alyssa Coleman said. "We have nothing to hang our heads about. They came ready. They out-hit us in every facet. They were just better today."

As for those four Center Grove seniors: Henson (Indiana State commit), Kynadee Warner (Evansville), Riley Janda (Louisville), Hannah Haberstroh (Ohio State) guided the Trojans to 86 wins over their four seasons with two sectional championships and this year's run to semistate.

"It's really hard to leave a mark at Center Grove and this senior class and this team did that," Coleman said. "I'm just indebted to and thankful for them. Because this experience was amazing for us as a coaching staff. I would choose them all day, I still would, even knowing the outcomes. The way they fight, the way they've grown — not every team gets that. The process-oriented stuff, it left a mark on us. … It was really just a joy to watch them."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at@Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA softball: Allie Blum homer sets tone in New Palestine win