YORKTOWN — For the third straight year, Yorktown softball’s season ended with a regional championship loss in a low-scoring pitcher’s duel.
It was standing room only at the Yorktown Sports Complex on Tuesday, June 2, with fans lined up shoulder-to-shoulder from one foul pole to the other for a highly anticipated battle between the top-two teams in Class 3A. The home fans left disappointed after No. 1 Yorktown lost 1-0 to No. 2 Logansport.
The Tigers managed just one hit offensively and surrendered the lone run of the game in the top of the fourth inning.
“I’ve been saying all year, since January, we’ve got to do the small stuff,” Yorktown coach Jeremy Penrod said. “Small stuff wins big games, and we did not do the small stuff. It’s frustrating.”
Both offenses were shut down as two of the state’s best pitchers went toe-to-toe in the circle — sophomore Liv Jones for Yorktown and junior Texas commit Brooklynn Hagerty for Logansport. Jones entered the matchup with a 0.61 ERA and 244 strikeouts, limiting hitters to a .139 average (.202 OBP), while Hagerty boasted a 0.71 ERA with 253 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .088 average (.142 OBP).
Jones, as usual, was great, striking out 13 while surrendering four hits and one walk. Hagerty, however, was exceptional, pitching a one-hitter with no walks and 12 strikeouts. Junior Olivia Jaromin logged the only hit for the Tigers, a single in the top of the sixth inning.
“Bottom line is, that’s a very good team,” Penrod said of Logansport. “They’re probably going to be state champions. Brooklynn Hagerty is a phenomenal pitcher, but we were ready, we were prepared. I don’t feel like she overpowered us, but I’ve been saying all week, it’s going to be a 1-0 game. It was 1-0 the wrong way.”
The Berries’ only run of the game came on a defensive miscue by the Tigers. After a triple by Logansport junior Adrienne Scott put her in scoring position with no outs, junior Isabella Nicoles put down a sacrifice bunt to bring Scott home.
Penrod took a timeout prior to the bunt and reminded his infield to throw home and prevent the out, but the throw went to first, and the difference-making run crossed the plate.
“I called timeout, walked to the mound and said, ‘Hey, we can’t let her score, and they’re going to bunt,'” Penrod said. “And we didn’t even look at her. There’s definitely some frustration there.”
Despite the disappointing finish, Yorktown completed another historically great season. The Tigers went 7-0 in Hoosier Heritage Conference play to repeat as conference champions, and their 25-3 final record set a new program record for winning percentage. Jones also set a program record for single-season pitching wins, finishing the year with a 20-3 record from the circle.
The Tigers will graduate a second-consecutive senior class — consisting of Brooklyn Bartle, Anna Rinker, Emma Reynolds and Kim Levitz — that finished their Yorktown careers undefeated in sectional play. After playing her final game as a Tiger, Bartle expressed confidence in the future of the program and reflected on her favorite memories with the team.
“I think if we clean up (the small things), then our team’s going to be, if not the same, better next year,” Bartle said. “I definitely have a lot of confidence in them, and even the upcoming people at Yorktown, I know that there’s a lot of girls that have a lot of potential, so I think it’s all going to come together nicely. I’m definitely going to take away the feeling of walking out on the field and the sound of the fans in the stands. Just being around my favorite people and getting to experience that together is definitely my favorite part.
“I love this team, and I wouldn’t ask for any other team to play with in all four years.”
Cowan softball falls to Class 1A No. 2 Indianapolis Lutheran
While Yorktown battled the No. 2 team in Class 3A at home, their fellow Delaware County sectional champion traveled to Indianapolis to take on the No. 2 team in Class 1A — Indianapolis Lutheran. Cowan sought its first regional title since a three-peat from 2021-23, but lost to Lutheran in a 10-1 result.
The Blackhawks came out swinging with a pair of singles in the top of the first, and a hit-by-pitch gave the Blackhawks an early look at loaded bases, but they ultimately failed to get a run across.
Things got worse for the Blackhawks in the bottom of the first inning, as they committed five errors while the Saints racked up six runs. Cowan senior third baseman Bryleigh Hiatt hit an RBI-single to drive in senior pitcher Savannah Bowling for the Blackhawks’ lone run in the top of the third inning, but Lutheran tacked on a response run in the bottom half of the inning.
Another Saints run in the fifth and a two-spot in the sixth created the final score.
Junior shortstop Savannah Hall led Cowan with three hits, while Hiatt had two hits and the lone RBI. Bowling and senior first baseman Taylor Young logged the other two of the Blackhawks’ seven total hits. Due to seven errors by the Cowan defense, only five of Lutheran’s 10 runs went against Bowling as earned runs.
Cowan ended the season with a record of 13-12, marking their first finish above .500 since 2023’s final four team that finished 23-6. The Blackhawks have steadily improved in the three years since that team, going from five wins in 2024 to eight last year and to 13 this year. They also won their fifth sectional championship in the last six years with a dominant run through Sectional 57.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Top-two battle doesn’t go Yorktown softball’s way in regional final
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
