Tri-West wins 4th straight softball sectional, 'ready for another run' to 3A state finals

LEBANON – When Western Boone scored the first run in the bottom of the second inning against Tri-West in Wednesday's Sectional 25 final, there was reason for concern. The third-ranked Bruins looked in jeopardy of having their streak of three-consecutive sectional titles snapped against a WeBo team they split a two-game regular season series with.

As Tri-West's Danica James entered the batter’s box with a runner on first in the top of the third, she wasn’t thinking about changing the game. But she did.

“I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and trying to find a gap,” James said after the game.

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The senior who played third base Wednesday drilled a liner to left field that got over the wall to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Tri-West would add two insurance runs in the fifth inning en route to a 4-1 victory.

“Somehow it went over,” James said. “I never try to hit it over, I just try to put the bat on the ball and try to get on base any way I can.”

The go-ahead jack was James’ first home run all season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I was actually really shocked, I’m not gonna lie,” James said with a laugh. “But I was really excited, really pumped to put us up and get us some momentum.”

While James made the vital offensive play to shift the game, pitcher Audrey Lowry shined in the circle for Tri-West. Lowry pitched all seven innings, only allowing five WeBo baserunners (three hits, one error, one hit-by-pitch). The Oklahoma commit struck out 11 batters, and the one run the Bruins gave up was unearned.

Lowry’s dominance continues, as she now has a 17-3 record this season with a 0.54 ERA. The senior is also a threat at the plate, as her three walks and two runs scored showed on Wednesday.

“I just really wanted to win it for my team,” Lowry said. “We have just worked so hard to get to this point and we want to advance.”

With Tri-West (25-6) below its average of seven runs per game, Lowry had a thinner margin for error than usual. She shut the Stars down, limiting Western Boone to just one baserunner in the last four innings of the game.

“I think it just shows us how tough she is and (if) things (are) not going her way, she can pick it up and do what she needs,” James said.

The Bruins have now won four straight sectional crowns at the 3A level. Their senior class will graduate having taken home at least one trophy each year.

“It shows the strength of our program,” coach Mike Miller said. “Each year we've done it after people have said we would be weaker, and we've been able to compete and we're blessed that we have young people coming in every year making us stronger. So I think it speaks for our whole program.”

“As we lose people, we get stronger at the same time,” Lowry said. “I'm really thankful that we have a team that's all together, and we work hard together.”

Miller has built an outstanding program in a community he says “loves softball.” The Bruins have fallen in tight games in the 3A state championship in back-to-back seasons. Miller — in his fifth season as Tri-West’s skipper — thinks this team can be the one to get over the hump.

“I’m ready for another run,” Miller said. “We're gonna give it everything we got and we're not going to accept anything less except giving it our best shot.”

Tri-West has won 12 of its past 13 games, with the only loss in that span being a 1-0 defeat against 4A No. 5 Center Grove on May 15. The Bruins are hitting their stride at the right time as postseason play intensifies. This group that has experienced heartbreak twice at Purdue’s Bittinger Stadium wants a third crack at it in West Lafayette in June.

“I think that’s the expectation every year when every team starts in March, every team wants to make it (to state),” Miller said. “And we’ve been lucky to have done it, and it does put the taste in your mouth. We want to try again, but the expectation is win every game we play.”

Tri-West will head to Edgewood (22-8-1) for the regional championship Tuesday. As the road for redemption continues, the Bruins have the experience to make another deep run in the 3A tournament.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tri-West, Audrey Lowry win 4th straight IHSAA softball sectional