By John Hunt
IUPUI Student Journalist
INDIANAPOLIS – Fourth-ranked Lafayette Central Catholic continued its small-school baseball dominance June 18, defeating No. 10 Tecumseh, 4-2, in a bad weather-delayed Class A state championship at Victory Field.
The Knights (27-7), who successfully defended their 1A title by grabbing the lead before the lightning came, have now won four 1A crowns in the past seven seasons under 15th-year coach Tim Bordenet.
A two-hour delay in the fifth inning allowed both teams a chance to escape the heat and fierce competition. Central Catholic was leading 4-2, but the Braves had two runners in scoring position and only one out.
“I think the rain came at a good time for us,” said Central Catholic coach Tim Bordenet, whose team flirted with disaster in stranding at least one runner in every inning and 14 total. “They were in the heart of their lineup, and we had to decide how to pitch to their 3 and 4 hitters.”
Down 4-1, Tecumseh (22-11) began to build some momentum in the fifth. Knights’ left-handed senior Taylor Glaze walked Braves’ right-handed reliever senior Alex Oliver and committed an error, sending Oliver to third and senior shortstop Ryan Robison to second.
A single and an RBI by senior fielder Kolton Chapman made the score 4-2. Chapman moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore infielder Logan Greenwell, and that’s when the weather acted up.
But Glaze, the winning pitcher in last year’s 14-1 Class A title romp over Vincennes Rivet, caught a second wind after wearing himself out in the first five innings. After the delay, Glaze (10-2) walked Oliver to load the bases but then struck out the next two batters to end what turned out to be Tecumseh’s final threat.
“I’m proud of everyone,” Glaze said. “I just went out there, and the defense made the plays they did.”
Central Catholic had received a boost in the fourth inning when sophomore designated hitter Austin Munn connected for a single and two RBIs with the bases loaded.
With the Knights up 2-1 in the top of the fourth, Oliver – who replaced losing starter Adam Westerman (6-2) with two outs in the third – walked Glaze and senior catcher Reed Drysdale before hitting senior shortstop Chas Bobillo to load the bases for Munn.
“Austin’s been clutch for the whole tournament,” Bordenet said. “Sometimes he gets overlooked because he’s in the 6 hole, but he’s a solid hitter.”
Senior leftfielder Cody Hruskovich had scored a run in the first inning off a single by Glaze, while Bobillo – who was hit by Tecumseh pitchers a total of three times on the evening – stole home in the third off a wild pitch by Westerman.
“I’m going to enjoy this, and our seniors are going to enjoy this,” Bordenet said. “I couldn’t be happier for them.”
It was the fourth state finals appearance for Tecumseh, which won the 2003 crown the season before current coach Dave Duncan took over as skipper.
Tecumseh’s Westerman named Mental Attitude Award recipient
Following the game, Tecumseh High School’s Adam Westerman was named the winner of the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award for Class A Baseball by the IHSAA executive committee. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of all IHSAA state tournaments, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the school in his name.
The award is annually presented to an outstanding senior participant in each state championship game who has best demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability in baseball. The award is named in honor of the late L.V. Phillips, who served as the second commissioner of the IHSAA from 1945-62.
Westerman graduated fifth in his senior class of 82 students, served as class president, and was a member of the Chemistry Club, Future Farmers of America, the Academic Team, and the National Honor Society.
In four years of varsity baseball, he maintained a career batting average of .410. This season, he held a 6-1 record and 2.83 ERA as a pitcher. The son of Scott and Amy Westerman of Tennyson also played basketball and tennis all four years for the Braves.
The box score:
Lafayette Central Catholic 4 (27-7)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
Scott Windler cf……… 5 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 0
Cole Hruskovich lf……. 4 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1
Reed Drysdale c………. 3 1 0 0 2 0 6 1 5
Taylor Glaze p……….. 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 0
Cody Schrader pr…….. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chas Bobillo ss………. 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
Austin Munn dh……….. 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2
Jason Aldridge 1b…….. 3 0 1 0 1 2 7 1 4
Billy Fusiek 3b………. 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0
Danny Anthrop 2b……… 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 2
Brett Haan rf………… 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals………………. 29 4 8 3 5 5 21 9 14
Tecumseh 2 (22-11)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
Kolton Chapman cf…….. 4 0 1 1 0 1 2 0 0
Logan Greenwell 2b……. 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0
Adam Westerman p/1b…… 3 0 2 0 1 0 6 1 0
Trevor Noffsinger c…… 3 0 0 0 0 2 6 0 2
Nick Williams dh……… 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
Dalton Froman 3b……… 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0
Brandyn Greenwell rf….. 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
Alex Oliver 1b/p……… 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1
Ryan Robison ss………. 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1
Jordan Oxley lf………. 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals………………. 26 2 6 1 3 6 21 8 7
Score by innings R H E
Central Catholic 101 200 0 – 4 8 2
Tecumseh 001 010 0 – 2 6 2
E – Drysdale, Glaze; Froman, Robison. LOB – LCC 14, Tecumseh 7. HBP –
Hruskovich, C. Bobillo 3. SH – Anthrop; L. Greenwell
Central Catholic IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
Taylor Glaze 7.0 6 2 1 3 6 26 30 122
Tecumseh IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
Adam Westerman 2.2 4 2 2 2 2 12 16 59
Alex Oliver 4.1 4 2 2 3 3 17 23 71
Win – Glaze (10-2). Loss – Westerman (6-2)
WP – Glaze; Westerman 2; Oliver 2. HBP – by Westerman (Hruskovich), by Westerman
(C. Bobillo), by Oliver (C. Bobillo), by Oliver (C. Bobillo). PB – Noffsinger
Pitches/strikes: Glaze 122/79; Westerman 59/30, Oliver 71/39
Umpires – HP Mark Stultz, 1B Kevin Conder, 2B Michael Zehr, 3B Jim Jacquette
Start: 7:32 p.m. Time: 2:08. Attendance: 1,674
Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy
Play-by-play
Laf. Central Cath. starters: 26/cf Windler; 17/lf Hruskovich; 6/c Drysdale;
24/p Glaze; 28/ss C. Bobillo; 12/dh Munn; 22/1b Aldridge; 7/3b Fusiek; 14/2b
Anthrop; 31/rf Haan;
Tecumseh starters: 2/cf Chapman; 10/2b L. Greenwell; 25/p Westerman; 24/c
Noffsinger; 27/dh Williams; 5/3b Froman; 12/rf B. Greenwell; 30/1b Oliver; 1/ss
Robison; 23/lf Oxley;
Laf. Central Cath. 1st – Windler struck out looking (1-2). Hruskovich
singled up the middle (1-0). Hruskovich advanced to second on a passed ball.
Drysdale walked (3-2). Glaze singled through the right side, RBI (1-1);
Drysdale advanced to second; Hruskovich scored. C. Bobillo flied out to lf
(1-2). Munn popped up to 3b (0-1). 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Tecumseh 1st – Chapman struck out looking (2-2). L. Greenwell singled to
left field (2-1). L. Greenwell out at first p to 1b, picked off. Westerman
singled to shortstop (2-2). Noffsinger struck out looking (1-2). 0 runs, 2
hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 2nd – Aldridge singled to center field (3-1). Fusiek
fouled out to 1b (1-1). Anthrop struck out swinging (0-2). Windler singled
through the left side (3-2); Aldridge advanced to second. Hruskovich hit by
pitch (3-1); Windler advanced to second; Aldridge advanced to third. Drysdale
reached on a fielder’s choice (1-0); Hruskovich out at second ss to 2b. 0
runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Tecumseh 2nd – Williams grounded out to ss (1-2). Froman singled up the
middle (2-2). B. Greenwell grounded out to 2b (1-2); Froman advanced to second.
Oliver struck out looking (1-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 3rd – Glaze popped up to ss (3-1). C. Bobillo hit by
pitch (1-0). C. Bobillo advanced to second on a wild pitch. Munn grounded out
to 2b (1-1); C. Bobillo advanced to third. C. Bobillo scored on a wild pitch.
Aldridge walked (3-0). Westerman to 1b. Oliver to p. Aldridge advanced to
second on a wild pitch. Fusiek walked (3-1). Anthrop lined out to cf (2-0).
1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Tecumseh 3rd – Robison grounded out to ss (3-2). Chapman flied out to cf
(1-1). L. Greenwell singled to right field (1-0). L. Greenwell advanced to
second on a wild pitch. Westerman singled to catcher, advanced to second on a
throwing error by c (3-2); L. Greenwell scored, unearned. Noffsinger grounded
out to p (0-2). 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 4th – Windler grounded out to ss (0-1). Hruskovich
grounded out to ss (0-0). Drysdale walked (3-1). Glaze walked (3-0); Drysdale
advanced to second. Schrader pinch ran for Glaze. C. Bobillo hit by pitch
(1-0); Schrader advanced to second; Drysdale advanced to third. Munn singled up
the middle, 2 RBI (0-1); C. Bobillo advanced to second; Schrader scored;
Drysdale scored. Aldridge struck out swinging (1-2). 2 runs, 1 hit, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
Tecumseh 4th – Glaze to p for Schrader. Williams flied out to rf (0-0).
Froman out at first 1b to p (1-2). B. Greenwell struck out looking (2-2). 0
runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 5th – Fusiek singled to right center (3-2). Anthrop
grounded out to 3b, SAC, bunt (0-0); Fusiek advanced to second. Windler struck
out swinging (0-2). Hruskovich reached on a throwing error by ss (0-0); Fusiek
advanced to third, out at home 1b to c. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Tecumseh 5th – Oliver walked (3-2). Robison reached on a throwing error
by p (0-1); Oliver advanced to third. Chapman singled to left field, RBI (2-1);
Robison advanced to second; Oliver scored. L. Greenwell grounded out to c, SAC,
bunt (0-0); Chapman advanced to second; Robison advanced to third. Game delayed
due to lightning at 9:32 p.m.. Game resumes at 11:16 p.m. after 2 hour, 9
minute rain delay. Westerman walked (3-2). Noffsinger struck out swinging
(1-2). Williams struck out looking (1-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 6th – Drysdale grounded out to ss (1-1). Glaze flied
out to cf (1-0). C. Bobillo hit by pitch (3-1). Munn singled through the right
side (1-1); C. Bobillo advanced to third. Munn advanced to second. Aldridge
struck out looking (3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Tecumseh 6th – Froman flied out to cf (0-0). B. Greenwell walked (3-2).
Oliver reached on a fielder’s choice (1-2); B. Greenwell out at second 2b to
ss. Robison flied out to cf (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Laf. Central Cath. 7th – Fusiek flied out to rf (1-1). Anthrop grounded
out to 3b (1-2). Windler singled to left field (0-0). Windler advanced to
second on a wild pitch. Hruskovich reached on a fielding error by 3b (2-2);
Windler advanced to third. Drysdale fouled out to 1b (0-1). 0 runs, 1 hit, 1
error, 2 LOB.
Tecumseh 7th – Chapman flied out to lf (1-1). L. Greenwell flied out to
lf (1-1). Westerman grounded out to 3b (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0
LOB.
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