Tuesday, May 15 scores: wlfi.com
Written by
JEFF WASHBURN
When Class A Central Catholic left the small-school Hoosier Heartland Conference in favor of the Hoosier Conference, the Knights’ three-time defending baseball state champions embraced the challenge of moving into a league comprised of schools with larger enrollments.
Including Tuesday night’s 12-4 victory against Benton Central at Leming Field, Central Catholic is 22-2 overall and 10-1 in the Hoosier Conference. If the Knights defeat the Bison tonight at BC, they will do no worse than share the league championship with Class 3A West Lafayette.
West Lafayette improved to 10-1 in the Hoosier Conference with a 15-3 victory Tuesday at Twin Lakes. If WL beats the Indians tonight at Bob Friend Field, it will share the crown with CC.
Knight senior right-handed pitcher Austin Munn survived a shaky first inning, then went 3-for-4 at the plate with four runs and an RBI. CC’s No. 2 hitter Nick Stone was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Evan Kennedy was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Cowan Olinger had an RBI grounder and a three-run double.
Munn said the small-school Knights are seeking to make a big Hoosier Conference impression.
“This conference is a pretty big deal to us,” Munn said. “Moving up, some people have said we can’t compete against bigger schools in a bigger conference. But it’s all about how you play with your team. We have a great team.
“After that first conference loss (to WL), we banded together, and we’ve been running ever since. It has been really nice. We’re hitting the ball and playing defense. It all has come together. We’re trying to share (the championship) after we split with West Side.”
CC, which has won 10 in a row, pounded out 12 hits, including four doubles and two triples.
“We all were struggling early in the season, but now, we’re all seeing the ball,” Munn said. “We came out in the Catholic Classic and pounded the ball all weekend. When one through nine all hit, it’s nice to have that run support.”
CC coach Tim Bordenet made a first-inning trip to the mound to calm Munn, then watched his team score at least once in each of the first five innings.
“We’re swinging the bats,” Bordenet said. “Early in the season, we were swinging at bad pitches and not getting into hitters’ counts. Lately, we’ve been in hitters’ counts. When you do that, you become a heck of a lot better hitter.”
Munn allowed four hits in five innings, striking out five while improving to 6-1.
“I’ve always kind of struggled in the first inning,” Munn said. “Coach comes out and kind of calms me down."
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