CRAWFORDSVILLE — With a consistent approach and an embrace of the noise, No. 11 in Class 2A Lafayette Central Catholic (24-6) clinched its fifth sectional title in a row on Monday, June 1 with an 8-0 shutout of No. 15 North Montgomery.
For head coach Tim Bordenet, his program’s habit of collecting championships begins with their approach before all else.
“It’s just about consistency every day,” Bordenet said. “Put the work in and don’t try to do anything that we haven’t done all year. We faced great competition all season to prepare us for anything in this tournament, and I thought our guys stepped up to the challenge.”
And for LCC, they didn’t stray from the defensive approach that has garnered them success all season. After North Montgomery (21-9) started the game with a base hit, the Knights recorded three straight outs. North Montgomery only recorded two more hits the rest of the way.
From there, it was all Central Catholic as North Montgomery went three up, three down in the fourth inning before a double play between Luke Whitford, Mike Stapleton, and Colton Guyer helped LCC end the fifth inning in quick succession.
Afterward, Stapleton reflected on the potency of Central Catholic’s defensive play.
“It’s always been an expectation that the defense is going to be lock down,” he said. “We don’t always have the big bats, but we know that if we get two runs on the board, then it’s a ball game because our defense gets the job done.”
But while the defense is a given, so too is the expectation for success, says Gus Sandberg.
“This is a staple here,” Sandberg said. “We expect to win sectional championships, but it still feels great to win one. We’re fortunate to have won a lot of these because not every team has the chance to get here, so we don’t take it for granted.”
Sandberg finished the night with the win from the mound, tallying three strikeouts while allowing one walk.
And with a regional championship set for Saturday, June 6 against Lapel (16-7), Stapleton says that he and his teammates are more than prepared for whatever comes their way.
“We’ve had to deal with that target on our back all year,” Stapleton said. “It’s nothing new, and we love it. We love the noise. We love playing in this type of environment and taking on any team at their home field with their best pitcher. This team is ready for any challenge.”
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette Central Catholic blanks North Montgomery for baseball sectional
Reporting by Clay Maxfield, For The Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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