Triton Central softball on road to Forest Park Semistate

Triton Central softball is two wins away from playing for the Class 2A state championship.

The Tigers travel to Forest Park Saturday for the 2A semistate tournament. In the opener, No. 1 Tecumseh (28-2) takes on Monrovia (10-9) at 11 a.m.

Triton Central (23-2) follows against Salem (15-8) at approximately 1 p.m.

The semistate championship game is slated for 7 p.m.

Triton Central’s only two losses this season came to Hoosier Heritage Conference foes – New Palestine in the season opener and Shelbyville on May 2. The Tigers have won 15 straight since their loss to the Golden Bears.

Brylie Couch (photo), committed to Trine University who won the NCAA DIII national championship Thursday, is 11-1 this season with a 1.43 earned run average and 117 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.

If Couch does not start in the circle against Salem, Triton Central can utilize senior Lillie Fillippinie (photo), a Muskingum recruit who is 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched, or junior Madi Peterson (5-0, 2.12 ERA).

Freshman Ashlyn Hittle had added extra punch to Triton Central’s offense this season. She is leading the team with a .516 average. Her nine home runs are tied with Couch for the team lead, and she is third on the team with 30 RBI.

Couch is hitting .500 with nine home runs, 14 doubles and a team-leading 39 RBI. Fillippinie is batting .408 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 34 home runs.

Also hitting better than .300 are Anderson recruit Jayda McKee (photo) (.435, 38 runs), Olivia Schaadt (.412, 19 RBI), Peterson (.358, 17 RBI), Makinah Noel (.333, 16 runs) and Madison Collins (.324, 20 RBI).

Salem arrives at the semistate riding an 8-game win streak. The Lions defeated Brownstown Central, 9-8, in the regional championship game Tuesday. That avenged a 10-0 loss at Brownstown Central on April 15.

In the other semistate semifinal, state power Tecumseh is seeking its first state championship in Class 2A. The Braves have won five Class A state titles, including back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.

Tecumseh is led by Miss Softball Finalist Katelyn Marx (single season record 56 hits as well as 43 runs scored and 23 stolen bases). The outfielder will play collegiately at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.

Tecumseh will rely on highly touted freshman Audrey Seiler to handle the pitching duties. She pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout Tuesday in a 4-0 win over No. 6 West Vigo.

Seiler threw a perfect game in the sectional, allowed just one hit over 17 innings and struck out 38 batters. Extra Inning Softball has her ranked as the No. 1 pitcher in the Class of 2028.

Monrovia defeated Covenant Christian, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter and Greencastle to reach the semistate round for the first time since 2015.

Freshman Camryn Wolfe leads the Bulldogs with a .560 average, seven doubles and 20 RBI.

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