Logansport's top-ranked Berries may have stumbled defensively against Northwestern on Thursday, but their offensive firepower ensured they left Fincher Field with a commanding 12-4 victory. Despite committing seven errors—a season-high for the Class 3A No. 1 team—Logansport's talent proved too much for the Purple Tigers to handle.
"It's one of those games where you're really just playing against yourselves," said Berries coach Molly Sterrett. "Did we play our best defensively tonight? Absolutely not. And that changes everything. We'll grow from it, learn from it. Luckily, it didn't cost us this time, and our offense stepped up. It's humbling, and that's a good thing."
Sandwiched between critical conference matchups, the Berries (19-1) showed their championship mettle by shaking off the defensive lapses. Gracie Risley, returning from a knee injury, delivered her finest performance of the season, going 3-for-3 with three doubles and two runs scored. Her only out came on a deep fly to center field that the fielder hauled in at the wall—but not before Aracyn Good tagged up from second to score.
Good herself added a double, single, and two runs scored, while Bianca Cortez contributed a double, single, and an RBI. But the game's defining moment came in the fourth inning when Brooklynn Hagerty crushed a two-run home run—her 11th of the season—stretching the lead to 9-3 and giving the Berries much-needed breathing room. Evie Kitchel followed with an RBI double to keep the momentum rolling.
Bella Nicoles, Kate Spradling, and Teagan Wolf each added hits in the win, but the defensive miscues forced Risley to work harder than necessary. She allowed three unearned runs on just two hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings, striking out six. Hagerty took over in relief and dominated, striking out nine batters in 4 2/3 innings while allowing only a solo home run to sophomore Stevie-Rae Hedges in the seventh.
On a night when the defense struggled, the pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts, and the offense erupted for 12 runs—a formula that works even on an off night. But with bigger games ahead, starting with Friday's Hoosier Conference championship at Twin Lakes (13-11), the Berries know they'll need to clean things up.
"Sometimes it's all about mindset and how we warm up," Sterrett said. "You hate to go into anything with a big head, especially when you've won 18 straight. Games like this humble us, and thank goodness we answered the call."