Boys golf: Richmond starts week winning NCC, Northeastern ends week winning TEC

RICHMOND, Ind. — Both the North Central Conference and Tri-Eastern Conference boys golf tournaments took place last week, and a Wayne County team walked away with the trophy both times.

Richmond started the week, and Northeastern ended it. The Red Devils won the NCC Championship Monday, and the Knights won the TEC Championship Saturday, both by nine strokes over second place.

Going into Monday’s tournament, Richmond had some expectations to live up to courtesy of the Red Devils who competed in the fall. The girls’ team won the conference tournament earlier in the school year, so the boys had to match them if they wanted to share the bragging rights. They did just that, shooting a team score of 351 to claim the title.

“I’m just real proud of the team,” head coach Brent Struewing said in a Richmond Athletics release. “I’m proud of how they played, but I’m even more proud of their character and how they represent Richmond.”

Ryder Cate led the way with an 81, Jackson Cornett shot an 89, Alex Brown shot a 90 and Sam Reising shot a 91. All four made the All-NCC Team. Struewing said Carson Lafuse was on pace to make the all-conference team as well, but an injury cut his day short with six holes to play. His teammates picked him up by finishing strong and making him a champion.

Five days later, it was Northeastern’s turn to live up to the pressure. The Knights finished the regular season undefeated in conference play, so they had a target on their backs. If anything, that made them perform better because, after a season-best team score of 325, the Knights claimed the TEC title.

Alex Beatty shot a 75 to pace the team, Dylan Goble shot an 81, Hayden Chalfant shot an 82, Logan Daulton shot an 87 and Ashton Martin shot a 96. Beatty, Goble and Chalfant each made the All-TEC Team.

Girls rundown:Centerville girls tennis claims TEC title and sectional title to bookend week

Here’s everything else that happened in Wayne County boys’ high school sports from May 16-21:

Baseball

Hagerstown claims TEC title, Williams breaks record

It was a good week to be a Tiger. Hagerstown started the week Monday with an 11-0 win over Daleville. Reed Shaffer and Cole Tracy combined to strike out nine batters and only allow two hits. Tracy, Collin Beaty and Aiden Grover all hit home runs, driving in a total of eight runs. Quaid Mull added two hits of his own.

‘We came to win’:Hagerstown baseball stays true to itself to win Wayne County Tournament

The next day, the Tigers won 7-3 against Rushville. Ben Williams, Kayne Ervin and Kaagen Kendall’s pitching held the opposing offense in check. Tracy and Will Combs had two hits apiece, and Ethan Campbell added two RBIs.

The celebration happened Thursday after Hagerstown’s 4-1 win over Union City earned it regular season TEC champion honors. Shaffer pitched a complete game, striking out 13 and only allowing three hits. Mull and Combs each had two hits, and Mull also had two RBIs. The Tigers also celebrated Williams, who broke the program’s single-season stolen base record.

Hagerstown’s week was nearly perfect, but a 3-2 loss to Cowan Friday prevented that. Ervin and Mull had a solid day on the mound. Williams, Beaty and Grover each had two hits. The Tigers will play Union County May 25 in the first round of the Centerville sectional.

Centerville gets back on winning track

Speaking of the Bulldogs, they went 3-0 last week, starting with a 7-1 win over Richmond Thursday. Jacob Crowe pitched a complete, striking out 12 and allowing three hits and zero earned runs. He also had two hits and three RBIs at the plate. Jamari Pamplin hit a pair of doubles and drove in two runs. Bryce Robertson and Logan Drook also had two hits.

Centerville followed that with an 11-5 win over Union County Friday. Alex Wandersee pitched all seven innings, struck out nine and kept the Patriots to three earned runs. Drook paced the offense with three hits. Crowe and Zach Thompson each homered, as they combined for four hits and three RBIs on the day. Collin Clark also added two hits.

‘I’m surviving’:Centerville's Harmony Owens has pitched through 2 torn labrums all year

The Bulldogs finished the week Saturday with an 8-1 win over Union City. Keegen Schlotterbeck pitched a complete game and struck out seven batters. Drook and Pamplin each had three hits, and they combined for three RBIs. Kollyn Peed had two hits, and Clark hit a home run. Centerville hosts their sectional, and it will play Shenandoah May 26 in a semifinal matchup.

Northeastern close to four wins in four games

The Knights got their week started Monday with an 8-6 win over Eastern Hancock. Landen Sum and Trevor Burkhart had a solid day on the mound. Logan White had three hits, and Payton Lumpkin had two to lead the offense. Justice Hollingsworth, Kaiden White and Logan White each had two RBIs.

Northeastern then beat Lincoln 10-0 Tuesday. Kaiden White pitched five innings and struck out nine batters. Hollingsworth and Logan White had two hits apiece. Hollingsworth, Burkhart and Treydon York each had two RBIs.

The Knights split a doubleheader with South Adams Saturday to end the week. They won the first game 7-3 behind the pitching of Sum and Kaiden White. Hollingsworth had two hits and two RBIs, and Colton Creech also drove in two runs. They lost the second game 9-3. Lumpkin was the lone Knight with multiple hits. Northeastern plays the winner of Hagerstown and Union County May 26 at the Centerville sectional.

Richmond hosts Bob Haustetter Invitational

It wasn’t the greatest week for the Red Devils, starting with a 10-3 loss to Pendleton Heights Monday. D’Shaun Harper only allowed one earned run in 3.2 innings pitched. Nick Whalen led the offense with three hits. John Carter, Jason Isom and Casey Blevins each had two hits.

Richmond then fell 7-1 to Centerville Thursday. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Hayden Scalf locked in and only allowed one run over the next five frames, striking out seven in the process. Evan Williams had a pair of hits at the plate.

The Red Devils won their first game of the Haustetter Invite Friday 13-4 over Mt. Vernon. Harper and Trey Pipenger combined for eight strikeouts on the mound. Carter led the offense with four hits and three RBIs. Austin Rohe had three hits and two RBIs. Scalf, Whalen, Williams and Jeremy Rodgers each had two hits. Scalf and Rodgers each added a pair of RBIs.

They lost a tough one the next day 2-0 to Seymour. Blevins struck out seven batters in seven innings and had two hits of his own at the plate. Richmond will play Greenfield-Central May 25 in the first round of the Mt. Vernon sectional.

Seton, Lincoln struggle to get anything going

It was another tough week for the Cardinals, as they didn’t score a run and only recorded six hits in three games. They fell 11-0 to Union City Monday, and Nolan Burkhardt got the lone hit of the day.

Seton lost 15-0 to Connersville Saturday. Elijah Falcone only allowed two earned runs in five innings pitched, striking out eight. The only hits came from the Burkhardts: Nolan with two and Mason with one. Later that day, the Cardinals fell 6-0 to Union County. Nolan Burkhardt and Falcone had the only two hits. Seton will play May 27 in the sectional semifinals against host Blue River Valley.

Lincoln is in that same sectional, and it will take on Tri May 25 in the first round. The Golden Eagles’ week didn’t go too much better. They lost 10-0 to Northeastern Tuesday. Gavin Trent, Jeran Troutwine and Oliver Webb had the team’s only hits on the day. Lincoln followed that with a 15-7 loss to Knightstown Thursday and a 23-3 loss to Franklin County Friday.

Track and field

All six county teams compete in sectionals

If you wanted to watch any of the Wayne County schools in sectional competition last week, Connersville was the place to be. Hagerstown placed second with 105 points, and Richmond was close behind in third with 89. Northeastern finished fifth with 70.5, Seton was sixth with 46.5, Centerville was seventh with 42 and Lincoln was ninth with 25.

More:Wayne County track and field teams send athletes to regionals

For more results, check out the complete list of athletes advancing to regionals May 26.

Golf

Centerville has back-and-forth week

The Bulldogs started their week Monday with a 179-191 win over Franklin County. Braden Tedder and Brady Moore led the team with scores of 40 and 41, respectively. Jayden Cornett (51), Eli Bellew (54) and Nate Minton (55) followed.

Centerville then lost 169-194 to Richmond Wednesday. Moore shot a 42, Cornett shot a 46, Tedder had a 50, Minton had a 56 and Rylan Schuerman had a 61.

The Bulldogs bounced back Thursday with a team score of 172 to win a three-way match with Hagerstown and Knightstown. Tedder shot a 37, Moore shot a 40, Cornett shot a 46, Bellew shot a 49 and Minton shot a 55.

Centerville ended the week Saturday with a fifth-place finish at the TEC Tournament. Moore (74) and Tedder (82) both made the all-conference team, leading the Bulldogs to a 345 overall score. Cornett (89), Bellew (100) and Minton (105) rounded out their scores. Centerville plays at Lincoln May 24 before traveling to Union May 25.

Lincoln, Hagerstown each have one match before TEC

The Golden Eagles fell 181-203 to Union City Monday. Christian Davis shot a 44, Andon Ross shot a 49, Gunnar Newton shot a 51, Will Cameron shot a 59 and Cole Dick shot a 62.

The Tigers finished second in their three-way meet with Centerville and Knightstown Thursday with a total team score of 192.

Both teams then competed in the TEC tournament Saturday. Hagerstown finished third with a score of 343. Lincoln finished seventh at 392.

Lincoln will host Centerville and Rushville May 24 before a June 1 match at Shenandoah. Hagerstown will compete May 31 at Union County.

Northeastern wins twice early in week

Before winning TEC, the Knights picked up two more victories. First, they beat Knightstown 169-216 Monday. Dylan Goble shot a 37 to lead the way, Alex Beatty shot a 42 and Hayden Chalfant and Logan Daulton each shot a 45.

Northeastern then bested Winchester 167-178 Tuesday. The team’s top two finishers switched scores from the day before, as Beatty shot a 37 and Goble shot a 42. Daulton was close behind with a 43, Chalfant shot another 45 and Ashton Martin shot a 45. Northeastern will take on Eastern Hancock May 26 at home.

Richmond finishes middle of pack at Muncie Central

Following the Red Devils’ NCC victory, they took down Centerville 169-194 Wednesday. Ryder Cate shot a 36, Sam Reising shot a 42, Alex Brown shot a 44, Jackson Cornett shot a 47 and Christian Rogan shot a 50.

Richmond then traveled to Muncie Central Saturday for a 22-team invitational. The Red Devils finished 13th with a team score of 340. Brown led the way with a 77, and Cate (82), Cornett (90), Reising (91) and Rogan (96) followed. After a May 24 match at Muncie Central, Richmond will take on Union County May 31 on the road.

Zach Piatt reports on sports and education for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.