No. 3 Penn Sidelines Concord
MISHAWAKA – A shaky start turned into a fabulous finish for Danielle Watson Tuesday night.
The Penn freshman pitcher twirled a no-hitter as the host Kingsmen topped Concord 11-1 in a Class 4-A softball regional contest.
Watson also capped the regional win for the No. 3 ranked Kingsmen with a walk off, two-run single to end the game in the sixth inning.
Watson, who had a throwing error and a wild pitch in the first inning to allow the Concord run, notched her second straight no-hitter. The hard-throwing right-hander fanned 12 and walked two in running her season mark to 8-2 in the circle.
Penn, now 26-4, claims its first regional title since 2011. The Kingsmen will face Hamilton Southeastern (21-10) Saturday at 11 a.m. in the first semifinal game of the Lafayette Harrison Semistate. No. 1 Crown Point (29-0) then plays Huntington North (27-5). The winners play at 7 p.m. Saturday for the semi state title and a spot in the Class 4-A state championship game in Indianapolis on June 14.
The Kingsmen, coached by Beth Zachary, took control with a seven run second inning. Makenzie Joecken, who had three RBI in the game, smacked a two-run triple to highlight the frame for the hosts.
The trio of Maddy Newman, Alyssa Griman and Katie Quinlan each had three hits to pace the offense for Penn. Newman drove in two runs.
Junior RaeAnn Miller took the pitching loss for Concord. She posted a 15-7 mark this spring. McKenzie Loge scored the lone run for Concord.
Concord, coached by Dawn Austin, finishes its season at 21-9.
Concord, which won the program’s first sectional title in 27 years by knocking off No. 4 Northridge in the Elkhart Central Sectional title game, loses four seniors in starters Jenny Miller, Sabrina Scherer, Olivia Hess and Tori Braddock.