Behind a complete game shutout from Eli Barnes, Rossville baseball claimed its fourth-ever Regional Championship, defeating Riverton Parke 3-0 on Saturday.
“I’m just proud of our guys,” Rossville head coach Brad Scott said. “It’s not about me, the kids put in so much work and I’m just so happy for them.”
Rossville got on the board in the second after a walk, a stolen base and a wild pitch.
“The real strength of our offense is when we can get the leadoff guy on base,” Scott said. “Then we can play our style, whether it’s running, stealing, getting a dirt ball, getting a bunt down or whatever. But I think all three innings we scored, we had leadoff guys on.”
The Hornets extended their lead in the third with an RBI double from Evan McDonald, pushing the score to 2-0.
Riverton Parke didn’t get much traffic in the first three innings, mustering just two baserunners. But the Panthers had their best opportunity to score in the fourth, when the first three batters reached base.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Barnes enticed a ground ball that the Hornets turned into a 1-2-3 double play, allowing them to escape the jam without surrendering a run.
“I knew I had to stay calm and make my pitch every time,” Senior pitcher Eli Barnes said. “I know it might not always go our way, but I need to do what I can to not give it up for free.
Rossville got out of another jam in the fifth thanks to a heads-up play by right fielder AJ Kelly, who made a running grab and threw behind the runner at first to get the double play.
Again, the Hornets used small ball to their advantage in the bottom of the fifth, as Andrew Woolen earned a leadoff walk, advanced on a wild pitch, was bunted to third by Nolan Britt, and brought in with a sac-fly from Zac Wainscott.
Barnes made quick work of the Panthers in the final two frames, firing only three pitches in the sixth inning and striking out the final two in the seventh.
“You have to trust him,” Scott said regarding his All-Star pitcher. “He’s been in these situations so many times, he’s never getting a weaker opponent when he pitches; he’s battle-tested.”
Barnes finished with more strikeouts, eight, than baserunners allowed, seven. With the shutout, Barnes brought his season ERA to 1.78.
The Hornets only recorded three hits in the game, two coming from Nolan Britt. But registered five walks and reached once on an error.
The win marks the Hornets’ first Regional championship since 2019, and fourth in program history.
Rossville advances to the Semi-State round, where they will battle against No. 1 Kouts for a spot in the Semi-State Championship. The game will be played at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette and will take place after Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian vs. North Miami. Listen to the game on WILO.
Coverage of the Regional Championship was brought to you by:
Milner Community Healthcare
The Farmers Bank
Treece’s Restaurant
Wampler’s Services, Inc.