Future bright for Western Boone following runner-up finish: 'Want this experience again.'
· Yahoo Sports
WEST LAFAYETTE — If there's one thing people should (and probably will) remember about the 2026 Western Boone softball team, it's that they fought.
Down to nine healthy players and at risk of forfeiting games in late-April, they fought, grinding through the two-week stretch until their injured teammates were able to rejoin the lineup.
Visit tr-sport.click for more information.
Down 3-0 entering the sixth inning of last Saturday's semistate semifinal vs. Central Noble, they fought, rattling off six unanswered runs to extend their season another game.
And when the defending Class 2A state champion Tecumseh Braves capitalized on a two-out first-inning miscue with three runs, then ran their lead to as many as seven, Western Boone fought. It put two runners on in the fourth and another in the fifth before finally breaking through in the sixth, capitalizing on back-to-back errors with a two-run triple by Raina Lutz.
Down to their final two outs in the seventh, Kensley Blankenship worked a walk to give her team one last glimmer of hope.
Tecumseh's Audrey Seiler struck out the next two batters to close out the 7-2 victory and cinch up another state title for the 3A-bound Braves, but even in defeat, the Stars earned the right to leave Purdue's Bittinger Stadium with their heads held high.
They fought until the bitter end, same as they have all season.
"That was our motto this season: We're not going to quit. We're going down with a fight," said junior pitcher Mickey Burns, who allowed two runs on five hits with a couple strikeouts in five innings of relief. "You're not going to see us give up or see us go down. We're always going to fight back."
"That's what I'm so happy about. We don't quit," WeBo coach Mike Vanderpool added. "We could have went up and struck out. But no. We came back, had a couple great hits, scored two runs, then in that last inning, put another runner on. … I'm so proud of them."
What the Stars did Saturday against Tecumseh was a feat unto itself: Just seven runs allowed and two runs scored against Seiler with only six strikeouts, a season-low for her in a seven-inning game (second-fewest Ks for any complete game).
They did that against a Braves team that boasted a 66-1 postseason run differential and run-ruled five of the past six teams it faced; and versus a pitcher who averaged over two strikeouts per inning.
"We knew how good she was, and (Tecumseh coach Gordon Wood) said we put the ball in play against her better than anyone they've played," Vanderpool said. "Just one play in the first inning, we make that and it's a little closer of a game. But yeah, I'm really proud of the girls."
Perspective on what the Stars accomplished with their improbable run to the first semistate championship in program history is quickly followed by excitement over what could be ahead for this program.
WeBo graduates just two seniors, Morganne Grant and Mental Attitude Award recipient Dottie Wilson, both of whom were sidelined this season due to injury.
Everyone else is expected to return, including Burns and Ally Lewis, who established themselves as a lethal 1-2 pitching punch down the stretch and really helped elevate this team entering the postseason. They're two of the team's leading hitters, as well, and will once again be joined by Lutz, catcher Kenzlei Matthews, Addi Lee and freshman Mady Monks, who batted .375 with 24 RBIs and 38 runs scored in her debut campaign.
"I definitely think we'll be back here next year," Lutz said. "One-hundred percent. 100% better. 100% stronger."
"We all want this experience again," Burns added. "We all want it for each other. And yeah, (Grant and Wilson) are a big part of the team and dugout experience, but we have our core group coming back and we're excited to push and go far again."
Fair to say there's a little more of an edge, a hunger going into the offseason?
"Yeah, for sure," Burns smiled. "My senior year, I want to get back here so bad."
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA softball: Western Boone falls to Audrey Seiler, Tecumseh