Jacob Barnes' Blast Gives New Pal Sectional Crown

Whiteland, IN--- Sectional 13 hosted three PBR Top 25 teams, and after four games #17 Greenwood squared off against #14 New Palestine in the Monday night championship. The Woodmen advanced by defeating city rival #21 Center Grove in the opening round and Franklin Central earlier in the afternoon. New Pal came through on a first round bye and an impressive 1-0 victory over Franklin.

The Dragons, new to 4A this season, went back and forth with Greenwood in a tight matchup full of drama and strong pitching. Greenwood, who has not won a sectional championship since 1984, sent Junior Tylor Martin to the mound. Martin controls an 80-82 mph fastball, but favors his breaking ball to get hitters out. New Pal senior Reid Clark got the nod for the Dragons. Clark uses his tall frame and easy action to locate at 84 mph.

Even at two in the bottom of the sixth Greenwood Junior Landon Fink hit an RBI to put the Woodmen up going in to the last inning 3-2. That’s when New Pal Senior Catcher Jacob Barnes put his team ahead in dramatic fashion. A two strike fastball by Martin caught too much of the plate and Barnes turned on it sending it over the left field fence driving in three on the blast. Another run came across and New Pal had a 6-3 lead heading into Greenwood’s last at bat.

Clark took the ball and headed out to the mound to secure the victory and New Pal’s first 4A sectional championship. He finished the outing striking out 10. Barnes went 4 for 4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and the game winning homerun.

New Palestine will head south to play in the Evansville regional. There they will face a strong Castle team and possibly the winner of Jeffersonville and Bloomington North.