As the regular season continues, the 41t annual IHSAA girls softball state tournament pairings show nears. One more week remains until Sunday night, May 3, when brackets for postseason play are revealed.
Still, a month remains until sectionals begin. Conference standings have continued to be defined as Southern Indiana Athletic Conference and Pocket Athletic Conference schools compete in inner-conference and non-conference matchups.
This week, Castle and Vincennes Lincoln have continued to stand out in the SIAC with undefeated weeks. Memorial has also had an admirable week going 2-2 with close losses, including an admirable effort against Audrey Seiler and PAC-leader Tecumsheh on April 21.
In the PAC, Gibson Southern suffered its first loss of conference play against Heritage Hills which now overtakes the Titans for second place behind Tecumseh. With another undefeated week, Tecumseh has not lost a game since the Castle Softball Invitational.
Time to take a deeper dive into what took place in the SIAC and PAC this week.
SIAC: Memorial
The Tigers (8-6) went 2-2 this week and are now 2-0 in the SIAC.
It started with a 4-3 win against North Posey where Madison Thomas’ 2-3, two-run performance led Memorial to victory on April 20. Then, Tecumseh came to town the following day.
The Tigers would lose 1-0 but their ability to compete and get on base against one of Indiana’s top pitchers in Seiler, as well as their own Bri Canaan keeping them in the game with seven strikeouts, was a notable performance to say the least.
Next up was Bosse, which remains winless this season. Still, it was a dominant 23-0 win that can inspire confidence throughout Memorial’s group. Plenty of hitters stepped up, not to mention the Knights getting quality pitching from Teagan Davis and Liana Hartman as the two combined for 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched.
As a hitter, Hartman went 2-4 with three runs and three RBIs against Bosse. The Knights ended the week with a 3-2 loss on April 24 to Boonville who have impressed of late. Again, Canaan made an impact – this time with 13 strikeouts.
Next week, Memorial will face two SIAC opponents in Jasper and Harrison before a noon matchup with Terre Haute North Vigo on May 2.
SIAC: Vincennes Lincoln
Vincennes Lincoln (13-1) went 3-0 this week and are now 3-0 in the SIAC.
Things started for the Alices with a convincing shutout win against conference opponent Harrison, 16-0. Grace Archer and Olivia Lewis were the leading hitters for Vincennes Lincoln as the pair combined to go 5-7 with five runs and five RBIs in the game. Jaclyn Miller also had six strikeouts.
Vincennes Lincoln followed that up with an 8-3 win against North Daviess team that has won 13 games this season. In the win, Sophia Cleghorn led the Alices going 3-4 with three runs and an RBI.
Then against Terre Haute South Vigo on April 24, Vincennes Lincoln won 8-6. Cleghorn led them with a 3-4 performance paired with two runs and two RBIs.
Next week, two SIAC opponents are up next for the Alices as they host Reitz on April 28 and travel to Central on April 30.
Other SIAC news
Castle (11-2-1) won its lone game of the week and extended its SIAC record to 4-0 after a 10-4 win against Mater Dei. The Wildcats came into the game winning three of their last four.
Emma Bruggenschmidt and Bailey Gravens led Castle in the win. Bruggenschmidt went 2-3 with three runs and one RBI. Gravens had six strikeouts. The Tigers now turn their attention to a Round Robin at the University of Evansville that will see them play Silver Creek and Terre Haute South Vigo.
PAC: Tecumseh
Tecumseh (11-2) went 3-0 this week. Their conference record remains 4-0 after playing zero PAC games.
The Braves’ first win came at Memorial, 1-0, on April 21. Seiler led Tecumseh to victory with a season-high 17 strikeouts, the velocity of the sophomore’s pitches made things difficult for a Memorial team that put itself in position to earn runs.
Against Henderson County in their next game, the Braves won 2-1. Again, Seiler starred with 15 strikeouts.
Then, a more convincing win followed against Jasper, 13-4. Melanie Pfeiffer impressed with a 4-5 performance at the plate, alongside two runs and two RBIs.
Next up, a big PAC matchup awaits Tecumseh as they host 12-win Gibson Southern on April 27. Two quality opponents in Mater Dei and Mt. Vernon follow that up for the Braves.
PAC: Heritage Hills
Heritage Hills (9-5) went 3-0 this week and extended its PAC record to 5-1.
After a two-game losing streak to end last week, the Patriots started the week with a 9-1 win against Pike Central. Lexi Lubbehusen led Heritage Hills going 3-3 with two RBIs and one run.
Then, a 10-7 win against Tell City followed. Sierra Wargel went 2-4 with two runs and an RBI. Haley Fisher added five strikeouts.
A 5-3 win against Gibson Southern to end was telling, one of the top teams in the PAC. Wargel and Taylor Fisher combined to go 4-8 with two runs. Again, Haley contributed five strikeouts in the win that took Heritage Hills to second in the PAC.
Next up, the Patriots will face North Posey on April 27. Then, they will play North, Southridge and Mt. Vernon.
Other PAC news
Gibson Southern (12-5) went 2-1 this week. All three games were against PAC opponents: Southridge, South Spencer and Heritage Hills.
The week started with an 8-2 win against Southridge where multiple hitters stood out in the game like Carly Potts, Melody Diephuis and Payton Cummings. Miley Sperling and Brooklyn Turpin also combined for seven strikeouts.
Then against South Spencer, the Titans came away with a convincing 15-0 win. Laney Scherer led the team with a 2-2 performance paired with four runs and one RBI. The week ended with a 5-3 loss to Heritage Hills where Sperling and Turpin contributed nine strikeouts.
Over the weekend, Gibson Southern will be a part of the games at the University of Evansville as they are set to take on Silver Creek and Terre Haute South Vigo.
Boonville (11-9) went 4-0 this week and extended its winning streak to five games.
The Pioneers improved their PAC record to 4-2 after defeating three conference opponents: a 7-0 win against Washington, a 9-3 win against Southridge and a 17-0 win against Princeton. They followed that up with a 3-2 win in Evansville against Memorial.
Mia Clamme and Nevaeh Wall have continued to be a strong pairing for Boonville this year. The duo combined to have 34 strikeouts this week.
Next, PAC play continues as the Pioneers host South Spencer and Tell City before a non-conference road game against Floyd Central to end the week.
Markos Tsegaye is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. He can be reached at mtsegaye@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @10_Markos_.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we learned in SIAC and PAC softball this week, April 20-24
Reporting by Markos Tsegaye, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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