Greenfield-Central has new HR record holder, Cougars slug way to first regional title since 2017

Indianapolis Star

3 days ago

GREENFIELD – Savvanna Riall didn't think she'd get a pitch to hit during the IHSAA softball Class 4A Regional 5 championship Tuesday night.
Greenfield-Central coach Gary Roberts assumed the same after his junior third baseman crushed two home runs during sectionals, including a grand slam for a total of eight RBIs the past three games.
'We talked about not getting a pitch at all. I thought I was going to get walked every single time, but thankfully, they did throw to me,' Riall said.
Surprisingly, Lawrence North (13-16) decided to offer Riall six pitches in total. She hit two for singles, and the final one never stood a chance.
Riall took two balls in the bottom of the fourth, and then as she's done 14 times this season, blasted a solo home run over the right-centerfield fence at Greenfield-Central to become the program's single-season record holder.
Her leadoff home run jump started a five-run frame as Greenfield-Central (19-7) bested their 21-run sectional championship showing with a 23-3, five-inning run-rule victory to capture the program's fourth regional title all-time and first since 2017.
'I've been a little bit too antsy at the plate. I've kind of been swinging to try to get a home run, and then finally it happened,' Riall said.
'Oh, yeah. I bat flipped, which I kind of got scared with after, but, I mean, you gotta do it. It was one of the greatest feelings. Honestly, I couldn't be happier, and my teammates were right there with me the whole time. They knew I could do it.'
The previous home run record belonged to former Cougars' all-state slugger Morganne Denny at 14, but the record-breaker Tuesday held special meaning for Riall, who was mobbed at home plate by her jovial teammates.
Riall's longball was the exclamation point for a Cougars program that has won 11 games in a row with its last loss dating back to May 12 at Triton Central, 6-1.
'They refuse to lose,' Roberts said. 'When we were down seven to Pendleton (in the sectional semifinals), I looked in the dugout, and they were all positive. They were like, we'll get one or two here, and we'll do this and this, and they did it. They made a believer out of me.'
Greenfield-Central rallied to beat rival Pendleton Heights, 8-7, after trailing the first two innings. Riall's grand slam highlighted the comeback before she hit another home run against Anderson in the sectional final, while the Cougars posted 20 hits to score 21 runs.
On the season, the Cougars are hitting .354 with 30 home runs and 215 runs scored in 26 games.
Greenfield-Central had 18 hits against Lawrence North and two home runs. Senior Leilani Forshey (3-for-4, 5 RBIs) belted a two-run homer to cap Greenfield-Central's five-run bottom of the first and a two-run double in the second.
An 11-run second inning put Greenfield-Central ahead 16-1, while junior Charlotte Riehle (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) gave the Cougars four extra-base hits with a two-run double in the second.
Riall was intentionally walked twice, including with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth for the game's final run, but she still finished a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs scored and two RBIs.
On the season, she carries a .658 batting average with 58 RBIs.
'Technically, she should have had 17 (home runs). We were a half inning short at Rushville. She hit two before we got rained out in four innings,' Roberts said. 'If we'd have got another half inning in, she'd have two more and four more RBIs. She's been wanting that record real bad, and how about starting that triple play?'
Riall ended her milestone day by catching a line drive before doubling up two base runners at third and first base for a triple play in the top of the fifth, clinching another banner for the team's outfield wall.
Along the inside of the fence, Greenfield-Central has eight sectional banners hanging in left field where No. 9 awaits, and three regional banners in right-centerfield next to a 1987 state finalist and 2015 Hoosier Heritage Conference sign.
After a 12-12 campaign in 2024, the Cougars are surging following a 7-7 start to the 2025 season.
'It's huge for the community, really. We were kind of underdogs. A lot of people think in semistate, we're not going to make it far, but I have different thoughts. I think we can really make it far,' Riall said.
'We're just glad that we can put a banner on the board for everyone and keep building as a team. It's going to take a lot of grit, and right now, that's exactly what we have.'