MIDDLEBURY — The Elkhart High School softball team was downright offensive yet again Friday, May 29.
All in a very good way though when it comes to the game.
The Lions used small ball to light up another scoreboard in a big way to claim a second straight sectional championship.
Paced by star Ava Walker, the fast and furious Lions rolled past host Northridge 13-7 in the title game of the Class 4A Northridge Sectional on Jayco Field at the beautiful Jane Allen Athletic Complex.
Elkhart, now 22-7, will host the one-game regional on Tuesday, June 2 at 6 p.m. They will face either No. 3 Penn (26-3) or LaPorte (14-14).
Penn hosts LaPorte Saturday at noon in the title game of the Class 4A Penn Sectional. The Kingsmen will be going for a 12th straight sectional title.
Elkhart lost 13-3 at home to Penn on May 5 and 6-5 at Penn on May 11 in Northern Indiana Conference regular-season play.
Junior shortstop Walker, the No. 3 hitter in the lineup, went 4-fo-5 on the night in a game that offense dominated on both sides.
The Lions piled up 16 hits, including four bunt singles, in scoring double digits for the 13th time this season. Their offense entered play Friday night collectively batting .391 with 257 runs scored and 145 stolen bases in 28 games.
Elkhart used a nine run fourth inning to turn a 4-2 lead into a 13-2 bulge. Walker had a two-run double and an RBI single both in the outburst. The Lions sent 13 batters to the plate and had eight hits.
“You have 16 hits, you better win,” said always confident Elkhart coach Matt Walker. “We don’t look at the runs or the hits though. Our philosophy is to value quality at-bats. We want to pass the bat. … I expected this tonight. We were the better team. Our girls have paid the price since losing in the regional last year. This is a reflection of the hard work that they have put in.”
Elkhart beat Northridge 17-4 in a regular season game on May 9.
“I wouldn’t say there was pressure on us this year as the sectional favorite, but it was a different week for us from last year when we won it,” Ava Walker said. “But it’s fun to play in games like this. Now we just have to have a different type of energy and a positive attitude for Tuesday night.”
Ava Walker, a Division 1 talent with the complete game, is now batting .600 with 48 runs scored, 16 extra base hits and 44 RBIs.
Anna Knight, one of five seniors, got the win in the circle. She worked the first four innings before classmate Ava Sanders pitched the fifth. Knight, the niece of Mishawaka Marian softball assistant coach Katie Rodriguez, came back in to finish the final two innings in a game that featured one total strikeout.
“Both are special to me,” said Knight of two straight sectional titles. “Since this is my senior year, this means I get to keep my season going. I was not worried when Northridge scored first tonight. We have an extremely strong lineup, where we just want to pass the bat.”
The Raiders (13-11) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first frame. Elkhart plated a pair in the home half as Walker and senior Bailey Harris-Rogers smacked RBI singles. The Lions scored two more in the second on an RBI double by Walker and an infield single by Harris-Rogers.
Elkhart scored its nine runs in the fourth to make it 13-2. The trio of Walker, Harris-Rogers and Sanders all had RBI singles in the inning.
Northridge showed its fight in the fifth as they scored four times to make it 13-6. Mia Branam, one of four seniors for coach Andy Robinson’s squad, had an RBI double, junior Willow Staley a two-run single and senior Angelina Barbaro an RBI single for the resilient Raiders.
Coach Walker has seen his team win eight straight games since losing at Penn 6-5 on May 11. The Lions led 5-3 in that game before Penn scored three runs in the home half of the sixth inning for the win. Elkhart lost 10-0 at Penn in a regional game in 2025.
“It’s a safe assumption that we are the underdog Tuesday night,” said Walker of a potential third meeting with Penn. “But I have girls who will compete. We’ve proven the last time that we can hang with them. Now it’s a matter of going out and doing it. We just have to make the plays on defense and be who we are on offense.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Elkhart softball squad uses offense to claim second straight sectional title
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
