Class 3A, No. 2 Roncalli escapes with sectional victory over Shelbyville

NEW PALESTINE – Class 3A, No. 2 Roncalli scored five runs in the final three innings Thursday to escape with a 7-5 victory in eight innings over Shelbyville at the New Palestine Sectional.

The Golden Bears built a 5-2 lead on the strength of three home runs in a four-batter stretch that chased Roncalli starting pitcher Luke Greene from the mound.

The Royals got a run-scoring double by Maddux Haworth in the sixth, consecutive run-scoring doubles from Will Manship and Rudy Schoettle in the seventh and a walkoff two-run home run from Luke Baker in the eighth to steal the win.

“To compete with a quality program and come as far as we did in terms of composure and level headedness, their spirit and their composure and their fight is what they most improved on this year,” said Shelbyville head coach Jacob Shively. “We came a long way.”

Shelbyville (17-8) took advantage of a Roncalli error that extended the first inning when Gavin Reed singled to drive in Dalton Jones for the game’s first run.

Shelbyville starting pitcher Aiden Smith struggled with his control in the second inning which allowed the Royals (23-4) to score a pair of runs without the ball leaving the infield.

Smith walked Drew Nelson and Baker with one out in the inning then hit Greene to load the bases. Smith induced Manship into a ground ball to shortstop Gavin Reed, who went for the inning-ending double play but Reece Prickett’s relay throw to first for the third out was not in time and the game was tied.

A wild pitch then allowed Baker to score and the Royals had their first lead.

Smith redeemed himself with a long two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Golden Bears a 3-2 lead.

Gavyn Fisher and Gavin Reed led off the sixth inning with consecutive solo home runs to extend the lead to 5-2.

Roncalli head coach Tony Vittorio turned to Nico Amodeo on the mound and the senior shut down the Golden Bears for two straight innings. Daylan Powers then pitched a scoreless eighth inning to give Roncalli a chance to close out the game.

Prickett relieved Smith in the seventh inning and allowed the game-tying hit to Schoettle before ending the inning.

The junior struck out the first two Royals he faced in the eighth before Nelson singled bringing Baker to the plate. The junior launched the first pitch he saw to set off the celebration.

Through their first 10 games this season, the Golden Bears were 4-6. They followed that with a four-game win streak and a loss at Columbus North on May 5.

From there, it was nine straight victories and momentum entering a sectional that featured two top-five ranked teams in Roncalli and No. 3 New Palestine.

“We always start with a really tough conference season and we let a few games slip away,” said Shively. “I felt at that point where you would know the real character of the team. They came back strong winning the last 13 of 14 and being on that roll.

“That allowed us to gain some confidence and think it wasn’t a hope to win tonight. It was an expectation.”

Shelbyville graduates five seniors – three (Dalton Jones, Gavyn Fisher and Wes Bailey) were in the starting lineup Thursday. The other two seniors are Bryce Bohlen and Charlie Graham.

“That’s a lot of great kids, great spirits, great minds and great baseball players that will be sorely missed,” said Shively.

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