Shelbyville splits four games at Castle Invitational

EVANSVILLE – Shelbyville softball finished 2-2 at the Castle Invitational – a two-day event in Evansville featuring 24 teams from three states.

The Golden Bears won its two pool games Friday then suffered back-to-back losses Saturday in Evansville.

Shelbyville defeated Evansville North, 11-7, in its pool play opener Friday. June Murdick pitched a complete game, allowing 11 hits and two walks while striking out five. She improved to 2-0 this season.

Lexi Rogers (main photo) continued her torrid start to the season with a 3-for-5 performance that included her third home run.

Gracie Crafton had three doubles and a walk. Reagan Dillon and Murdick (photo below) each had two hits.

Crafton (photo) took the circle in game two against Elkhart and went the distance in an 8-4 victory, allowing nine hits and three walks while striking out six. Only two of the four runs that scored were earned.

Shelbyville’s offense produced a pair of runs in four of the seven innings to secure the victory and improve to 4-2.

Addie Herald finished with three hits and three RBIs.

Shelbyville faced a veteran Avon squad Saturday morning. The Orioles scored five runs in the first and the Golden Bears’ offense struggled against Addie Forst, who allowed no hits through four innings of work, in a 10-0 win.

Crafton (2-3) took the loss. She pitched three innings before being relieved by Anna Newhouse, who allowed two hits and one run over the final two innings.

Crafton (photo) had the lone hit in the loss.

Shelbyville defeated Columbus North, 12-1, on Thursday. The two teams met again in the final game in Evansville.

This time the Bull Dogs prevailed, 5-4. Columbus North scored four runs in the third inning off Shelbyville starter Sydney Brown (0-1), then added the game-winning run in the fifth inning off an RBI single by Maddi Morgan. Brown, a senior, pitched a complete game, her first as a Golden Bear, allowing 11 hits while striking out three.

Rogers had two hits, including her fourth home run of the season, and drove in two more runs to push her team-leading total to 13 RBI. She is hitting .630 through her team’s first eight games.

Senior Hailey Maulden had two hits and scored a run.

Shelbyville begins a stretch of four straight Hoosier Heritage Conference games, all this week. The Golden Bears are home tonight against Pendleton Heights (3-4).

Shelbyville is at New Castle (2-3) Tuesday and at Delta (1-3) Friday before hosting Class 3A, No. 3 Yorktown (3-0) Saturday morning for its annual “Pink Out” game.

Deidrea Crafton photos

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