New Palestine High School

The Class 3A No. 5 New Palestine baseball team used the longball at the plate and a stellar pitching performance from senior Rigg Mahurin Wednesday to beat Greenfield-Central 7-1. Jackson Kamp hit a three-run homer and Jacob Morris a two-run blast to give the Dragons a cushion. Mahurin (3-1) tossed a gem on the mound, allowing three hits and no earned runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. He allowed only three baserunners the entire game. After allowing a one-out single in the first, Mahurin retired the next 16 Cougars batters. Mahurin was aided by stellar defense - starting with the first batter of the game, as shortstop Jacob Morris raced over to snare a hard liner up the middle. Eli Whiteside made a diving catch in left-centerfield to end the first inning, and later made a running catch in deep right-center. Meanwhile, the infielders had their day, too. Morris made a diving play to snare a grounder up the middle, then hopped up and threw out a baserunner by a half-step to end the fourth. An inning later, Gavin Neal backhanded a hot smash down the third base line and threw the runner out from his knees to retire the side. Neal made a similar throw from foul territory behind third to end the game. At the plate, the Dragons broke through in the third against G-C starter Parker Rhodes, a Mississippi State commit. With a number of scouts watching from behind home plate, Rhodes struck out five batters and held the Dragons hitless through 2 1/3 innings. But with one out in the third, Mahurin reached on an infield hit to deep shortstop. On a hit-and-run, Neal followed by lining a double down the rightfield line, putting runners and second and third. Morris drew a walk to load the bases. A flyout recorded the second out, but Kingston Hedges was hit in the leg by a pitch, forcing in a run. The next batter, Whiteside, was plunked in the back, bringing home Neal and giving the Dragons a 2-0 lead. That inning chased Rhodes, and the Dragons greeted each of the two G-C relievers with longballs. In the fifth, Neal worked a walk after falling behind 1-2. Morris followed with an infield hit. Kamp turned on the first pitch he saw and blasted it over the leftfield fence for a three-run homer - his third blast of the season. In the sixth, Mahurin laced a one-out single to left, forcing another pitching change. With two outs, Morris turned on a pitch and delivered it into the trees beyond the leftfield fence to give the Dragons a 7-0 lead. It was his second homer of the season. G-C got a run back in the top of the seventh on a leadoff double, a throwing error and a groundout, but Mahurin nailed down the victory. The Dragons outhit G-C 6-3. Mahurin was 2-for-4 with a run. Morris was 2-for-2 with two runs and the two-run homer. He reached all four plate appearances, as he also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. Neal was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Kamp was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer. The Dragons improved to 11-2 on the season after their seventh straight victory. They are now 5-2 in HHC play.