Tipp dominated Carroll in tourney opener
Red Devils then eliminated by Lakers
It was a dominant performance by the Tippecanoe softball team in their tournament opener last week, as they traveled to Carroll for the first game of the sectionals on Wednesday.
Tipp bolted out to a three-run lead in their opening at-bat and never looked back, cruising to an 11-0 run-rule victory in the sectional tournament. Tipp capitalized on seven Carroll errors enroute to a big win.
Tipp started quickly against Carroll as Gracie Raiff opened the game with a single, then Charlize McCormick dropped down a bunt single to put the Red Devils in scoring position very quickly in the game. When Emily Aselage was batting, Raiff scored on a steal of home to give Tipp a 1-0 lead, then Aselage reached on an error, allowing McCormick to cross the plate for the second run of the inning.
Two outs later, Abby Chaney singled to center to drive home Aselage for the third run of the game before Carroll stepped to the plate.
While Jaina Drum was in control on the mound, the offense went back to work in the second. Jocelyn Shelton singled to lead off the inning and Gracie Brooks walked. McCormick reached on an error to load the bases when Aselage grounded into a fielder’s choice, driving home Brooks for a 4-0 lead.
After Raiff stole home again. Kyla Fry then went to work with a big two-run double to increase the Tipp lead to 7-0 heading to the third.
With two outs in the third, Anderson scored on an error, making it 8-0 before Carroll had a comeback attempt fail when they loaded the bases in the fourth. Drum struck out the batter for the third out, bringing Tipp up in the fifth.
With one out, Shelton walked, Brooks reached on an error and Raiff singled to bring home Shelton for the ninth run of the game.
Tipp then put the game into a mercy rule opportunity when Aselage reached on an error, allowing two runs to score and making it 11-0.
With two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the fifth, Carroll singled to left, but McCormick hit third baseman Chaney, who threw a strike to Fry, tagging out the runner at home and ending the game with the run-rule intact.
Raiff and Shelton each had two hits for Tipp, and Drum pitched a five-hit shutout for Tipp.
*Indian Lake exploded for nine runs in the opening inning on Friday night and cruised to a 12-2 victory over Tipp, ending the Red Devils season.
Tipp collected six hits on the day but could not recover from the quick Lakers start.
