Strong season ends with loss to Bellmont in Sectional 23 opener

After a tremendous regular season that saw a young group of mostly underclassmen really come into their own, the Mississinewa Indians’ 2019 campaign came to an end on Thursday night, as the Bellmont Braves emerged victorious in a 10-0, five-inning triumph.

The Indians played steady baseball in the first two innings, holding the Braves scoreless, but Bellmont took control in the third inning, scoring four runs and throwing Mississinewa off balance.

“We started to press a little bit too much,” Mississinewa Head Coach Mike Scott said. “They scored a couple of runs, and then our demeanor changed a little bit. They ended up getting a base hit to short right field that ended up scoring a couple of other runs, and you could see that momentum shifting. We couldn’t really overcome from that.”

With the Indians’ offense unable to muster much resistance, the Braves put the game away in the fifth, scoring six runs to secure the mercy-rule victory.

Despite the loss, however, the Indians have every reason to keep their heads held high. From the emergence of Landen Swanner on the mound,  to the steady play of freshman like Carson Campbell and Holden Brown, Mississinewa has plenty of reasons to be excited about the future.

With another offseason for growth and development, this could be a team to watch not just next season, but for seasons to come.

“Every game that they played, they continued to grow,” Scott said. “Even during moments like this, there are still lessons to learn, and it’s going to make us better. We are going to be more familiar with these situations. We are going to understand adversity a little bit better. It’s a hard loss for sure, but they’ll grow from it and be even better.”

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