By Pete Cava
PBR Indiana Correspondent

BISHOP CHATARD 14, HERRON 0 (5 INNINGS)

In Greek mythology, a wooden horse filled with Achaean warriors led to Troy's downfall. 

In Saturday morning’s 3A Sectional 26 semifinal at Bishop Chatard's Dave Alexander Field, it was the Trojans who came out on top.   

Bishop Chatard (22-7) scored seven runs in the top of the first and added six more in the second inning en route to a 14-0 romp past Herron's Achaeans (10-5). 

With an early comfortable lead, Trojans coach Mike Harmon substituted freely.  “We did what we needed to do,” Harmon said.  “After two innings, we got our starters a couple of at-bats and got ready for Monday.  There were some guys who needed some ABs and some post-season experience.” 

Patrick Sowinski opened the game with a triple off Herron starter Ian Johnson.  Quenton Wellington followed with another three-base hit for the Trojans' first score. 

After an error and a walk, Peter Treesh rapped an RBI single.  That brought up Nick Casey, who whacked another triple to center for a 5-0 Bishop Chatard advantage.   

The Trojans sent a dozen men to the plate, scoring twice more before the Achaeans had a chance to hit. 

Batting 11 times in the second, the Trojans went up 13-0.  Matt Annee and Henry Wannemuehler provided the big blows, each with a double. 

Annee, a junior right-hander, started for Bishop Chatard and pitched two scoreless innings without giving up a hit. 

After the Trojans scored once in the third inning to make it 14-0, Joseph Leone relieved Annee.  The senior lefty blanked Herron in the third and fourth, giving up a fourth-inning single to Isaac Panyard for the Achaeans' lone hit. 

For Herron, Cooper Nevitt relieved Johnson after three frames.  The junior southpaw shut out Bishop Chatard in the fourth and the fifth.  

In the fifth, Wannemuehler shifted from third base to the mound for the Trojans and completed the shutout. 

Wellington had a perfect day at the plate for Bishop Chatard, with a pair of hits in two trips to the plate. 

3A #5 BREBEUF JESUIT 9, 3A #7 NEW PALESTINE 5

The Braves clinched the other sectional final berth on the strength of three home runs and five strong innings from starting pitcher John Nierman.    

Brebeuf Jesuit’s homers came from the bottom of its batting order.  Taking advantage of a strong breeze out toward left field, seven-hole hitter Jett McGowan cracked a pair of round-trippers while Michael Hogan, batting eighth, had the other.   

“It was good day for the Braves,” said Brebeif Jesuit coach Jeremy Sassanella.  “For us to get some power today like we did was a great thing   The kids showed up ready to play.” 

The Dragons (19-10) went up 1-0 in the top of the first.  Jason Hall-Manley drew a two-out walk from Nierman, Brebeuf Jesuit’s junior left-hander, and stole second.  A line single to right by Braden Roberts scored Hall-Manley. 

In the bottom of the frame, the Braves (24-7) had runners at the corners with no outs after New Pal starter Zach Lovell walked leadoff hitter Jake Scott and Nick Bolander ripped a base hit to right.  

One out later, Bolander took off on a delayed steal.  Lovell alertly faked a throw to second, then whirled and fired to third to pick off Scott.   

Bolander reached second on the play, but Lovell slipped a third strike past cleanup hitter Bo Richey to end the inning. 

Brebeuf Jesuit took a 2-1 lead in the second when Jackson Williams walked and Jett McGowan blasted Lovell's 3-1 offering over the wall in left. 

The Braves rallied for five more runs in the third inning.  Bolander led off with a single and Justin Hensley was awarded first base on catcher's interference.  Richey attempted a bunt, but New Pal catcher Colby Jenkins pounced on the ball and fired to third to force Bolander. 

After Leo Watson singled to load the bases, Jackson Williams flew out to center, plating Hensley and sending Richey to third.  McGowan singled home Richey to make it 4-1, with Watson stopping at second. 

Michael Hogan followed with a drive that cleared the 350-foot sign in left-center to give the Braves a 7-1 advantage.  That ended Lovell's day, and New Pal skipper Shawn Lyons replaced him with Jarrett Jaques, who  got the final out.  

In the bottom of the fourth, Keegan Watson moved from first base to the mound for New Pal.  Brebeuf Jesuit increased its lead to 8-1 courtesy of a lead-off walk to Scott, Bolander's sac bunt and Hensley's RBI single. 

McGowan led off the fifth with his second homer of the contest, a moon shot over the left field fence that made it 9-1. 

Nierman, who threw a 1-0 shutout against 4A No. 4 Cathedral on May 17, gave the Braves five solid innings. 

“He’s been a good one,” said Sassanella.  “We’re still working on his secondary pitches.  John threw really well in his last outing against Cathedral.  We felt like we were going to give him the ball today in a game that we had to win, and he did a pretty good job.” 

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Nierman took a two-hitter into the sixth, when the Dragons scored four times.   Jason Hall-Manley stroked a one-out single and took third on Roberts’ base hit.  A fielder’s choice scored Hall-Manley, with Roberts moving to second.  After Cody Long reached first on an error, New Pal had runners at the corners.   

Jenkins, New Pal’s sturdy-looking backstop, followed with a blast over the wall in left to make it 9-5.   

Jamie Born replaced Nierman and got the third out.  The junior right-hander pitched a three-up, three-down seventh inning to end the game in two hours.  

McGowan’s 3-for-3 performance and four RBI paced Brebeuf Jesuit, while New Pal cleanup hitter Roberts had two of the Dragons’ six hits.  

AROUND THE BASES:  Bishop Chatard and Brebeuf Jesuit meet for the 3A Sectional title Monday at 2:00 p.m. at Dave Alexander Field. 

Brebeuf Jesuit opened Sectional 26 on Wednesday with a 29-1 rout of Manual.  

In Saturday's opener, Herron center fielder Abdellah Rami collided with left fielder Tim Joyner in the top of the first inning on a fly ball to left center by Bishop Chatard's Peter Treesh.  Rami held on to the ball, but had to be helped from the field. First baseman Cooper Nevitt took Rami's place in center, while coach Rusty Hughes sent in Levi Sanders to play first.

In the nightcap, Brebeuf Jesuit lost the services of Jackson Williams after the junior left fielder ran to first and tripped over the base.  Williams appeared to injure his left ankle and had to come out.  Jack Eggleton took his place in the lineup. 

Handling public address duties at Bishop Chatard was Bob “Swoop” McClain, the legendary Indianapolis Channel 6 weatherman. 

Pete Cava is the author of Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players: A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014, now available from McFarland Publishers.