Chesterton gets first softball sectional title since '06

CHESTERTON | With two outs and the winning run standing on second base Friday night, Chesterton’s Mallory McKee was looking for a first pitch strike, and she got it.

McKee blooped a single into shallow center field that plated two runs as the Trojans scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Crown Point 7-6 in Chesterton Class 4A sectional championship game.

“I knew the first one was going to be a strike, and I just swung as hard as I could,” McKee said.

The Trojans (20-10) will face Lake Central in the regional Tuesday. This is Chesterton’s eighth sectional title and its first since 2006.

“We got some hits tonight and overcame some sloppy defense at times,” Chesterton coach LouAnn Hopson said. “I give those kids all the credit in the world.”

After Sydney Cooley grounded out for the second out of the inning, McKee hit the first pitch she saw from Brittany Ard into center to plate Allena McElfresh and Megan Matheny. It was McKee’s only hit of the game.

“I thought it was going to be caught, but then I saw how far back she was playing and I knew it wasn’t going to be caught,” McKee said.

Trailing 6-4, Shelby Carter and Megan Tymorek began the bottom of the seventh with singles. After a pop-up for the first out, Matheny doubled to score Howard and bring the Trojans to within one at 6-5.

The Bulldogs (25-8) scored a combined three runs in the fifth and sixth innings without a hit. A walk, a hit by pitch and four errors accounted for the three runs.

Chesterton scored three runs in the fifth inning. The first came on a Sarah Richards solo home run, and the other two were scored on back-to-back wild pitches while Cooley was batting.

Richards finished 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in two. Megan Tymorek added a pair of singles.

Tymorek allowed five hits, struck out six and walked one in the circle.

Raeanna Jenks had two hits, including a two-run double in the third, for Crown Point. Courtney Holm scored two runs.

“We capitalized on some opportunities and just fell a little short,” Crown Point coach Ginger Britton said.