Softball Semifinals Set

The 2008 softball state semifinals get underway this Friday and several Central Indiana teams endured exciting regional action to advance to play for a championship. Let's take a look at the matchups and how the local teams advanced to the semifinals (all games to be played Friday, June 6): Class 4A - Franklin Central vs. East Central, 6:30 p.m. at Cherry Tree Complex in Carmel Franklin Central senior standout pitcher Chanda Bell continued her impressive postseason run, pitching both games in Saturday's Center Grove regional. In the semifinal game against Avon, Bell struck out 16 and allowed just one hit in the No. 6 Flashes' 1-0 victory over No. 5 Avon. But it was second baseman Amanda Leming that stole the show on Saturday. First, she drove in the Flashes (24-7) only run with a fourth-inning double in the opener against Avon. Then, in the final against Noblesville, Leming laced a single to left-center field to score teammate Jennifer DeMotte with two outs in the top of the seventh inning for the go ahead run. Bell then retired the side in the bottom half of the inning to secure the 2-1 victory and a spot in the title game. It was Franklin Central's first regional softball title since 1998. Noblesville had defeated Warren Central 7-1 in the other semifinal. Class 3A - New Palestine vs. Belmont, 6:30 p.m. at Pike High School For No. 2 New Pal, it looked like a magical run was about to end at the Mt. Vernon regional on Saturday. Batesville had taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning follow Ashely Wuestefeld's three-run home run. Yet the Dragons (27-3) responded like the champions they were about to become. After two singles to start the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Lauren Schroeder hit a three-run home run of her own, giving New Pal a 4-3 lead. New Pal junior Sara Evans, who had pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings before the Wuestefeld home run, had 13 strikeouts for the game. In the semifinal, Evans pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven as the Dragons defeated No. 17 Roncalli, 4-0. Batesville had topped No. 5 Crawfordsville 4-3 in the other semifinal. Class A - Lutheran vs. Tecumseh, 8:30 p.m. at Hamilton Southeastern High School No. 2 Lutheran (25-4), the defending state Class A champions, are back in the semifinals again this season thanks in large part to the stellar performances for the Saints underclassmen. Sophomore Brandi Lawson hit a two-run home run in the first inning to spark the Saints to a 6-0 victory over North Central (Farmersburg). Fellow sophomore Morgan Lewis had another dominating game on the mound, striking out 11 in a four-hit shutout. In 24 postseason innings pitched, Lewis has yet to yield a run. Other contributors for the young Saints included freshman Franke Shaffer (3-for-4, three runs scored), sophomore Amanda Korb (solo home run) and sophomore Kaila Overstreet (2-for-4 with 2 RBIs). In the semifinals, Lewis struck out 14 as Lutheran topped North Vermillion, 3-0. You can check out the finals brackets and find out more on the tournament at IHSAA.org.