By Evan Reller
IUPUI Student Journalist
INDIANAPOLIS – Fifth-ranked Class 2A defending champion Heritage Christian took an early lead against No. 8 Delphi (26-8) June 19 at Victory Field and never let go en route to a 5-2 victory.
Senior lefty David Ledbetter was the standout player for Heritage Christian (27-10). He pitched a great game, totaling six strikeouts and just one hit over six innings with only one run allowed that occurred on a wild pitch. Junior Jeff Miley came in from third base to close out the game in the seventh inning and picked up the save.
Ledbetter also had a solid hitting performance with an RBI single in the first for the first run of the game, and another Ledbetter single in the sixth drove in senior center fielder Cameron McWilliams for the final run of the game.
Freshman catcher Adam Meadows tripled in the second inning as Heritage Christian built a 3-0 lead after two.
The Oracles (26-8) were never able to generate any offense. Despite his solid pitching, Ledbetter walked eight batters but continually pitched his way out of trouble. Delphi’s lone run was set up by consecutive walked batters and occurred when junior second baseman Tyler Smith scored on the wild pitch.
Senior first baseman Tanner Cripe produced Delphi’s only hit off Ledbetter in the sixth inning when shortstop Ryan Ledbetter – David’s twin – lost a popup in the sun. But coach Dan Ambrose’s Eagles got out of the jam with an inning-ending double play.
Delphi starting pitcher junior Austin Hawn surrendered eight hits five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings in taking the loss for coach Pat Lowrey’s Oracles, who were making their first appearance in the state finals.
Eight players on this year’s championship team also played in last year’s 2A title game for Heritage Christian, including five who started in both games.
Delphi’s Snoeberger wins Mental Attitude Award
Following the game, Delphi High School’s Neil Snoeberger was named the winner of the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award for Class 2A baseball by the IHSAA executive committee. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, the proud corporate partner of all IHSAA state tournaments, presented a $1,000 scholarship to the school in his name.
The award is annually presented to an outstanding senior participant in each state championship game who has best demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability in baseball. The award is named in honor of the late L.V. Phillips, who served as the second commissioner of the IHSAA from 1945-62.
During his baseball career at Delphi, Snoeberger has been a part of the school’s first conference, sectional, regional, and semistate championship teams. He’s served as team captain the last two seasons and was an all-conference selection this year. He also played tennis and basketball during his prep career.
Academically, Snoeberger maintained a 10.9 GPA on a 12.0 scale and graduated 16th in his senior class. He was a member of the Chess Club and Varsity D Club and was a DARE Role Model and a 10-year 4-H Club member. The son of Beth Snoeberger of Camden will attend Central Michigan University in the fall and intends to study math education and minor in history education.
The box score:
Delphi 1 (26-8)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
Neil Snoeberger ss……. 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 3 0
Austin Hawn p………… 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 4 0
Matt Brown pr……….. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dustin Salyer dh……… 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
Tyler Willis ph……… 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
Karson Bender cf……… 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 4
Shane Hyman c………… 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0
Tanner Cripe 1b………. 3 0 1 0 0 1 9 0 0
Codey Sattler 3b……… 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1
Tyler Smith 2b……….. 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 1
Dayton Rumell lf……… 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0
Erik Carpenter rf…….. 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Totals………………. 22 1 3 0 8 7 18 12 8
Heritage Christian 5 (27-10)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
Cameron McWilliams cf…. 3 1 2 2 1 0 2 0 0
Sterling Harpst 2b……. 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 3
David Ledbetter p…….. 2 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 0
Randall Cork pr……… 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Ledbetter ss…….. 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 1
Jeff Miley 3b………… 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 1
Scott Kreeger rf……… 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Hunter Jones lf………. 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 2
Brad Robbins 1b………. 1 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 0
Nick Sato ph………… 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brendon Burke pr…….. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Matt Hunt ss………… 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Adam Meadows c……….. 2 1 1 0 0 1 7 0 0
Totals………………. 22 5 9 4 4 2 21 9 8
Score by innings R H E
Delphi 001 000 0 – 1 3 0
Heritage Christian 120 002 X – 5 9 2
E – D. Ledbetter, R. Ledbetter. DP – Delphi 1, HC 2.
LOB – Delphi 8, HC 8. 2B – Kreeger. 3B – Meadows.
HBP – D. Ledbetter, Kreeger. SH – Jones, Sato, Meadows.
SB – Bender; D. Ledbetter, Burke. CS – Harpst.
Delphi IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
Austin Hawn 5.1 8 5 5 4 2 19 28 91
Erik Carpenter 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 9
Heritage Christian IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
David Ledbetter 6.0 1 1 1 8 6 17 25 114
Jeff Miley. 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 5 5 18
Win – D. Ledbetter (9-2). Loss – Hawn (9-3).
WP – Hawn; D. Ledbetter. HBP – by Hawn (D. Ledbetter); by Hawn (Kreeger).
BK – Carpenter. PB – Meadows.
Pitches/strikes: Hawn 91/47, Carpenter 9/7; D. Ledbetter 114/61, Miley 18/11.
Umpires – HP Kevin Brown, 1B Zach Sliwa, 2B Scott Siler, 3B Jim Newburn
Start: 1:07 p.m. Time: 2:02.
Weather: 84 degrees, clear
Play-by-play
Delphi starters: 3/ss Snoeberger; 11/p Hawn; 23/dh Salyer; 15/cf Bender; 22/c
Hyman; 10/1b Cripe; 31/3b Sattler; 1/2b Smith; 8/lf Rumell; 5/rf Carpenter;
Heritage Christian starters: 20/cf McWilliams; 5/2b Harpst; 12/p D. Ledbetter;
17/ss R. Ledbetter; 8/3b Miley; 9/rf Kreeger; 25/lf Jones; 30/1b Robbins; 28/c
Meadows.
Delphi 1st – Snoeberger walked (3-2). Hawn struck out looking (3-2).
Salyer popped up to 3b, bunt (0-0). Snoeberger out at first p to 1b, picked
off. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Heritage Christian 1st – McWilliams flied out to cf (1-1). Harpst
singled up the middle (2-1). D. Ledbetter singled to left field (0-0); Harpst
advanced to second. D. Ledbetter advanced to second; Harpst out at third c to
3b, caught stealing. R. Ledbetter singled to center field, RBI (2-2); D.
Ledbetter scored. Miley flied out to lf (0-0). 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Delphi 2nd – Bender walked (3-1). Hyman struck out swinging (2-2). Cripe
struck out swinging (0-2); Bender stole second. Bender advanced to third on a
passed ball. Sattler popped up to ss (2-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.
Heritage Christian 2nd – Kreeger doubled to right center (2-0). Jones
out at first p to 2b, SAC, bunt (0-0); Kreeger advanced to third. Robbins
grounded out to 3b (0-0). Kreeger scored on a wild pitch. Meadows tripled to
left field (3-1). McWilliams singled to first base, RBI (1-0); Meadows scored.
Harpst grounded out to 3b (0-2). 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Delphi 3rd – Smith walked (3-2). Rumell walked (3-0); Smith advanced to
second. Snoeberger hit into double play ss to 2b to 1b (2-2); Rumell out on the
play; Smith advanced to third. Smith scored on a wild pitch. Hawn walked (3-2).
Salyer walked (3-2); Hawn advanced to second. Bender reached on a fielder’s
choice (2-2); Salyer out at second 2b unassisted. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2
LOB.
Heritage Christian 3rd – D. Ledbetter hit by pitch (1-0). R. Ledbetter
grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b (3-2); D. Ledbetter out on the play.
Miley singled through the left side (2-2). Kreeger grounded out to p, bunt
(0-1). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Delphi 4th – Hyman flied out to cf (3-1). Cripe reached on a throwing
error by ss, advanced to second (2-2). Sattler lined out to cf (0-0). Smith
struck out looking (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
Heritage Christian 4th – Jones walked (3-0). Sato pinch hit for Robbins.
Sato grounded out to p, SAC, bunt (0-0); Jones advanced to second. Meadows
struck out swinging (3-2). McWilliams walked (3-2). Harpst lined out to lf
(1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Delphi 5th – Robbins to 1b for Sato. Rumell grounded out to 3b (0-0).
Snoeberger walked (3-1). Snoeberger advanced to second on a throwing error by
p, advanced to third, failed pickoff attempt. Hawn walked (3-2). Brown pinch
ran for Hawn. Salyer struck out swinging (1-2). Bender struck out looking
(1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.
Heritage Christian 5th – Hawn to p for Brown. D. Ledbetter walked (3-0).
D. Ledbetter stole second. R. Ledbetter struck out swinging, out at first c to
1b (2-2). Miley grounded out to ss (1-2); D. Ledbetter advanced to third.
Kreeger hit by pitch (1-0). Jones flied out to rf (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0
errors, 2 LOB.
Delphi 6th – Hyman grounded out to 2b (0-0). Cripe singled to shortstop
(0-2). Sattler hit into double play 3b to 2b to 1b (1-2); Cripe out on the
play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Heritage Christian 6th – Robbins walked (3-1). Burke pinch ran for
Robbins. Meadows grounded out to p, SAC, bunt (1-0); Burke advanced to second.
Burke stole third. McWilliams singled to left field, RBI (1-1); Burke scored.
Hawn to rf. Carpenter to p. McWilliams advanced to second on a balk. Harpst
popped up to p (1-2). D. Ledbetter singled up the middle, RBI (1-1); McWilliams
scored. Cork pinch ran for D. Ledbetter. R. Ledbetter grounded out to ss (0-1).
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Delphi 7th – Cork to lf. R. Ledbetter to 3b. Miley to p. Jones to 1b.
Hunt to ss for Burke. Smith grounded out to 3b (1-1). Rumell grounded out to p
(1-1). Snoeberger singled up the middle (2-1). Hawn singled to right field
(0-1); Snoeberger advanced to second. Willis pinch hit for Salyer. Willis
struck out looking (3-2). 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
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