Bulldogs softball defeat Golden Eagles

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NOBLESVILLE — The Lapel Bulldogs continued their offensive onslaught Tuesday, May 16, at Guerin Catholic. Against the Golden Eagles, Lapel had the pitching to go with it.

Brooke Daniels drove in five runs with three hits, including a double, and Taylor Murdock added three hits and three runs scored to back the pitching of Sophie Cline, as Lapel rolled past Guerin Catholic 14-3 in a game shortened to five innings because of the run rule.

Lapel (12-10) quickly erased an early 2-0 deficit with six runs in the second inning and four runs in the third to take control. Kylie Rich had two hits, two RBI, and scored three times to help pace the Bulldog offense.

Cline allowed five hits and two earned runs in the five-inning outing, striking out one and walking three. The Lapel defense did its job behind her, committing just one error in the field.

The Bulldogs will wrap up its regular season at Eastern Hancock Thursday, May 18, in a game postponed earlier in the season because of  weather. Lapel then opens sectional play at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, at Frankton against the host Eagles.

Vs. Cardinal Ritter

Jenna Purichia and Chloe Olejnik each hit three-run home runs to power a 25-hit Cardinal Ritter attack as the visiting Raiders knocked off Lapel 19-13 Monday, May 15.

Ritter pitchers had trouble throwing strikes, walking eight and hitting two batters, while Lapel pitchers walked just one. But Bulldog coach Scott Rich said having better pitching worked against his team when facing a strong offensive team like Cardinal Ritter.

“Our pitching wasn’t very effective tonight,” he said. “I stopped counting at six the number of two-strike counts that they gave up laced hits. We have to get the ball off the white of the plate. That’s our pitchers being too good, in a sense. And it was very hard for us to get anything going at the plate against pitchers that were inconsistent.”

Olejnik’s home run capped a seven-run second inning, and Purichia’s blast topped off another seven-run inning in the top of the seventh. Although the Bulldogs chipped away and pulled within one entering the final inning, leaving the bases loaded in the third and two runners aboard in the fourth came back to haunt Lapel.

For the Bulldogs, Kylie Rich scored four runs and junior Jasmine Hazelbaker drove in three.  Murdock homered while Daniels had two hits and drove in three.

Vs. Shanendoah

Murdock tripled twice and drove in two runs to pace a 16-hit attack, as Lapel blasted Shenandoah 14-2 in the first game of what would become a doubleheader sweep for the Bulldogs Saturday, May 13, in Middletown.

Lapel won the second game in a slugfest 16-12.

The sweep gave coach Scott Rich his 100th career win.

Murdock, Cline and sophomore Danielle Fox had three hits apiece in the opener, while sophomores Addie Bailey and Chloe Bousman and Daniels drove in two runs each. Murdock also scored three times in support of Daniels complete game effort in the circle.

Daniels fanned seven in her six innings of work, allowing just one earned run and five hits to earn the win.

In the second game, Cline and Bousman each homered, with Cline driving in three total, as Lapel held off the Raiders and collected 23 hits. Cline also pitched five strong innings to get the win.

In 13 at-bats, Lapel was held scoreless just twice by Shenandoah.

Vs. Delta

The Delta Eagles stunned Lapel with four seventh-inning runs to walk off with a 7-6 win against the Bulldogs on Thursday, May 11, in Muncie.

Murdock hammered a three-run home run in the first inning, as Lapel built a 6-3 lead going into the seventh. But Delta came off the deck against Daniels to pull out the late win.

Hazelbaker had three hits and scored twice for Lapel, while freshman Megan Sundheimer had two hits, and Cline drove in one.