For The Tribune
SALEM
The Brownstown Central softball team is rolling, and coach Monte Ault said his Brownstown Central softball team has picked a good time to play its best ball of the season.
“We want to get out and try to score off the bat, and try to be a little more comfortable so they can play relaxed,” he said. “So far we’ve got a lead in the first half of the game,” he said after the Braves scored two runs in the top of the first to lead all the way in a 6-0 win against Corydon Central on Tuesday in the Salem Class 3A Sectional.
Beth Wayman led off the game with walk, Brooke Ebbing followed with a double, putting runners on third and second.
Katelyn Gray followed with a sharp single to center that brought in Wayman and Ebbing.
After the Braves went out in order in the second and third innings, Maeleigh Tidd led off the fourth by reaching first base when the first baseman errored her ground ball.
After Emma Zabor replaced Tidd as a courtesy runner, Kourtney Branaman walked, and Lisa Scott hit her fourth home run of the season: a line drive over the fence in left field to make it a 5-0 game.
Ebbing singled in the fifth inning and scored on a single by Tidd to close out the scoring.
“We come in (April 30) and beat Corydon 4-1 in a conference game,” Ault said. “Sometimes when you’ve got to play a team twice, sometimes they can come back and bite you. (Jenna) Stiles is a pretty good pitcher, but Kourtnie has been keeping the ball down low, and we’ve been playing defense real well.”
The Braves played error-less ball Tuesday.
Branaman held the Panthers to four singles while striking out three and she didn’t walk any.
In the two sectional games she has pitched 14 innings, given up one run, nine hits, struck out eight and hasn’t walked any.
The Panthers had single sin the first, second, fourth and fifth innings, and Branaman retired the side in order in the other three innings, and she did not allow a runner to advance to second base.
“We’re getting runners on, we’re getting them in scoring position, and we’ve getting timely hits, Scott came through with that three-run home run,” Ault said.
Ebbing and Tidd both had two hits, and Ebbing scored two runs.
“We’re just playing like I hoped we could be in the sectional,” Ault said. “I hope we can keep it up. We seemed relaxed, we’re having fun and we’re just playing real well.”
The Braves have won eight-straight and are 22-8. They will play Salem, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Salem defeated Charlestown 3-0 in the second game Tuesday.