Over 75K votes cast in Indy's Best Burger Bracket. See who advanced, vote in Frynal Four
HIGH SCHOOL

IHSAA softball: Keagan Rothrock no-hitter ensures her final game will be for a state title

Brian Haenchen
Indianapolis Star

GREENWOOD — For four-plus innings, Saturday's IHSAA Class 4A semistate championship between Roncalli and Pendleton Heights was every bit the heavyweight bout most expected it to be, an excellent pitchers' duel between Royals senior Keagan Rothrock and Pendleton Heights junior Shelby Messer. 

But by night's end, the semistate championship game resembled a typical Roncalli victory: A Rothrock no-hitter and an 8-0 victory that didn't even feel that close.

2023 semistate champion Roncalli Royals

The Royals, now winners of 20 consecutive postseason games, are onto the 4A state championship game for the third consecutive season. They will face Penn 7 p.m., Saturday at Purdue's Bittinger Stadium.

More:Semistate scores; state finals schedule

Though two of the favorites throughout the season, the 4A south semifinalists entered Saturday's clash from different places. 

Roncalli had been playing its role as the odds-on favorite quite well, out-scoring its first five postseason opponents 96-3 with a run-rule victory over Evansville North to start the day. Standing in its way was an Arabians team that had seemingly unlocked some summertime magic following back-to-back walk-off wins, the first over Lawrence North in regionals on Tuesday (Bo Shelton with a game-winning grand slam), then in the semistate semifinal vs. Mooresville (Sydney Clark with a game-winning base hit). 

Those dueling storylines served to only intensify the first three innings, which saw perfection from both pitchers aside from matching two-out walks in the second inning. 

Messer ran into her first bit of trouble in the fourth, loading the bases with Emma Fegan reaching on an error, Abbey Hofmann doubling and Rothrock being intentionally walked, but a strikeout of Lauren Marsicek and Ann Marie Meek flyout doused the threat. 

Roncalli broke through in the fifth with Abby Willis scoring on a one-out triple by Lyla Blackwell, then Emma Fegan driving in Blackwell with a two-out single. 

The Arabians appeared to have limited the damage with catcher Sydney Clark and shortstop Bo Shelton teaming up to nab Fegan trying to steal second base, but the umpire ruled fielder interference (blocking the base, though Shelton was running in from behind the bag) and Fegan was called safe. Instead of heading to the bottom of the fifth down only two, the Arabians surrendered two more runs in the fifth (Hofmann with an RBI double and a run scored), then four more in the sixth to put the game away.

It was a controversial call at a critical juncture of the game, but with how Rothrock was pitching, it may not have mattered anyway.

The Florida commit was sensational in her penultimate high school game, allowing just three base runners and striking out 13 of the 24 batters she faced. Rothrock attributed her success to her new arsenal of pitches. Known for her rise ball, she came out attacking the lower half of the zone, something she has been working at over the past few years.

More:Keagan Rothrock 'almost didn't have a senior season.' But nation's top pitcher is back.

Now winners of 10 straight, Roncalli (31-3-1) advances to face Penn (27-4-1). The Kingsmen run-ruled the Royals earlier this year at the Carmel Invite, but Rothrock did not pitch in that game.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.