PENDLETON — Senior Corbin Cox pitched six strong innings and drove in a run at the plate as Pendleton Heights won its penultimate home game off the season with a 4-1 decision against Richmond on Monday.
Cox surrendered five hits and no earned runs while striking out four and not walking a batter in his six innings of work. Senior Jake Harris worked a perfect seventh to pick up the save.
Senior Phil Lawson collected three hits for the Arabians, including two doubles, while Harris doubled and scored and seniors Nate Norris and Eston Stull each drove in a run.
On Friday, May 19, Pendleton Heights travels to Delta for the final two conference games against the Eagles, during which a sweep will guarantee at least a share of the HHC title.
Vs. New Palestine
It had been more than a month and 15 games since Jake Harris had been in the lineup for Pendleton Heights. His return Friday, May 12 — in the second game of a huge conference doubleheader — was nothing short of sensational.
The senior doubled in his first two at-bats of the game, scoring one and driving in two, and scored another later in the game as Pendleton Heights blanked New Palestine 6-0 to salvage a split of the two games between the Hoosier Heritage Conference frontrunners.
With the split, Pendleton Heights stands at 15-5 on the season, while New Palestine is 16-4. Both teams are 9-3 in conference play, with two games left for each.
Harris, who broke his thumb in the team’s third game of the year April 4 at Brownsburg, pinch-hit in the opening 4-2 loss with a single. But his return to the lineup for the nightcap seemed to energize the team.
“I think everyone tonight saw what the energy level is when he’s at the top of the lineup,” coach Travis Keesling said. “The first pitch of the game, and boom. Then all the energy that he brings to the table.”
Harris doubled on the first pitch of the game and scored on a single by senior Eston Stull for a 1-0 lead.
As it turned out, that was all the support Stull would need. He pitched five innings of one-hit baseball with six strikeouts before senior Corbin Cox came on to finish up with two shutout innings of his own.
“Eston has been on point lately,” Keesling said. “He’s doing a really nice job attacking hitters, and all his pitches are working.”
After the first two Arabians were retired in the second inning, a walk and a single set the stage for Harris. He lined a two-run double to right field for a 3-0 lead and showed no signs of rust after the time off.
“I feel like I’m fine,” he said. “Every time I had an opportunity to do something, even with the pins in my thumb, I do it. I just feel like I was fine. I let the ball get deep, relax, not do anything special, and just try to hit the ball.”
Senior Brandon Helpling added a two-run double in the fifth to cap the scoring for the Arabians.
In the opener, New Palestine senior Keegan Watson out-dueled Arabian Chayce McDermott to pick up the Dragon victory. Watson fanned 14 and allowed five hits in going the distance, while McDermott went more than 5 innings, surrendering just four hits and striking out 12.