Base 4A REG. 4: #11 New Palestine 7, Castle 3

By Hancock County Sports

New Palestine scored four runs in the fourth inning to rally from an early three-run deficit and beat the Castle Knights 7-3 in the 4A regional semifinal game Saturday at Bosse Field in Evansville.

The Dragons fell behind 3-0 after an inning and a half, but scored three runs on four hits in the third, then broke the tie with four runs on three hits in the fourth.

Brian Page got a complete-game win, allowing seven hits, six walks and two hit batsmen, but he struck out three and induced three doubleplays. After falling behind 3-0 after two innings, he kept the Knights off the board. Page is now 8-0 on the season.

Trailing 3-0 in the third, Nick Ulrey led off with an infield hit and was followed by a double by Stephen Ochs. Alex Rejer hit a one-out two-run double to make it 3-2. Page moved Rejer to third with a single to right, and then Barnes' sacrifice fly to short right tied the game.

In the fourth, NP took the lead when Reid Clark led off with an infield hit. Connor Swain was hit by a pitch. Cameron Clark drove in the go-ahead run with a single to left. Ulrey followed with a bunt single to load the bases. A line-drive out followed, but Castle starter Kennan Barnett left the game with an apparent injury.

All three runners on base scored: Alec Shull drew a bases-loaded walk, Rejer hit a sacrifice fly to short right that was dropped, allowing the run to score and all three to reach and give him his third RBI. Page then drove in a run wth a sacrifice fly to make it 7-3.

Castle had baserunners in every inning, but NP turned doubleplays in both the fifth and sixth, and Page induced two groundouts in the seventh after a one-out single.

Castle took advantage of two walks and a hit batter to score in the first, when NP had a rundown after Bryson Jenkins' single. Joe Redburn was on third, and slid around a tag at home to score the first run. In the second, Alex Martin led off with a double and Kyle Pitlick had an RBI single. Pitlick later scored on Redburn's single to make it 3-0.

NP (24-6) plays Jeffersonville (19-7), a 3-2 winner over Bloomington North in the first semifinal. Jeff took a 3-1 lead on a two-run double by junior Isaac Crafton in the fifth and got a complete-game victory from junior Trent Astle.

The game will be broadcast at ihigh.com/hancockcountysports -- just click here for the link!