JASPER — This result mattered deeply to those on the visitor side at Alvin C. Ruxer Field.
Vincennes Lincoln won’t shy from admitting such either. Difficult to blame them after decades of missed opportunities in the state tournament, including one year ago, against this specific opponent. The Alices were determined to right the wrongs of years gone by.
Or as they put it: “Enough was enough.”
Vincennes Lincoln delivered a 2-0 victory over Jasper to open the Class 3A baseball sectional on Wednesday, May 27. Its first postseason victory over the Wildcats in 19 years — a run equal parts difficult to comprehend (Alices had several capable teams) and believable (the Jasper program has few peers in state history).
“They were on a mission,” Lincoln coach Daniel Ashby said. “We had so many ups and downs throughout the season that I think it actually brought them closer to finally finish it off. There’s a lot of demons that have been exorcised on this field for a lot of people who have worn this uniform.”
The Alices (15-12) had a full year to stew on the last postseason shortcoming.
Vincennes led Jasper by two runs with one out in the seventh inning before surrendering a game-tying home run in 2025. The Wildcats added two more in the eighth to spark a run to Victory Field.
The Alices got a dose of revenge with a 6-0 victory at Robert M. Hill Field on May 12. The rematch was a different animal with more at stake.
Lincoln has the look of a different team since losing six of seven to start May. Nash Ransom sent an RBI single up the middle in the first. Tyson Gillis secured an infield single to score another in the seventh. Nothing more required to earn a spot in the semifinals.
“We were tired of losing to them,” senior Brady Anderson said. “We’ve been choking it away every year. We decided enough is enough. We’re here it. We want them.”
At the center of this victory, whether he wants to accept credit or not, was Anderson. This was arguably the finest effort of his career, considering the stakes and opponent. The senior went the distance and allowed only one hit to pair with eight strikeouts.
Jasper (17-11) had the bases loaded with one out in the third. Two runners in scoring position in the fifth. Anderson erased each threat with a strikeout or simple ground ball. The ball only left the infield five times. The lone hit was a single from Connor Perkins.
Anderson struck out the side in the seventh to slam the door.
“I’m going to go ahead and put that one at the top of the list for him,” Ashby said. “He’s been questioned a lot this year and throughout his career, whether or not he could really go win a big game. He made quite the statement. We had some confidence beating them in the season, but (Jack) Levin is a different story. Over here is a different story.”
Levin struck out 11 and allowed only five hits for Jasper.
The next challenge for Vincennes is recovering mentally to take on No. 4 Gibson Southern in the semifinal on Friday. But this group already cleared one major hurdle. The potential is there to repeat itself.
“I trust my guys,” Anderson said. “We’ve had a rocky start (this spring), but we finished it. I trust them in a sectional game. I know my guys can get it done.”
Gibson Southern survives a battle against county rival
Don’t let the final score fool you. This was a true battle for the entirety of the game.
Gibson Southern advanced to the Sectional 31 semifinals with an 11-1 victory over Princeton. The Titans (23-6) only pulled away late with an eight-run sixth inning. The Tigers took the lead in the third on an error before surrendering a pair in the bottom half.
Brogan McCllelan provided a strong outing with zero earned runs in six innings on 86 pitches. The junior allowed only three hits and struck out nine.
Brayden Alldredge (single) and Cooper Wahl (sacrifice fly) started the scoring in the third. A two-run single from Ben Rich gave Gibson Southern needed insurance runs before Princeton pulled starting pitcher Jaron Clutter. The lineup took advantage of six errors in the final inning.
A competitive outing should be no surprise considering the history between these programs.
“In the postseason, there’s no cake walks,” Gibson Southern coach Bobby Segal said. “We’re not planning on seeing any in the, hopefully, seven games we get to play this year. (Princeton) really battled and came to play. They were a hard team to beat. Brogan McCllelan showed signs of coming out and attacking. He did a great job of letting his defense work behind him.”
Other thoughts around Southwestern Indiana
It was an interesting start to the playoffs around Evansville, even with Class 4A starting on Friday. There wasn’t a true dud on the schedule. A few more thoughts:
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Takeaways from first night of IHSAA baseball sectionals around Evansville
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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