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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'I know he's with me': Senior remembers late father after leading Cathedral softball to state
WEST LAFAYETTE — Anna Moore was the last one out for the start of the seventh inning Saturday night. The Cathedral senior grabbed her glove and facemask from the cubbyhole above the bench and shared a brief moment with assistant coach Janae Hogg, the two laughing and holding hands, before she high-fived a couple young Fighting Irish fans on her way up the dugout stairs and onto the field. Cathedral was three outs away from a 5-4 victory over Hanover Central in the Class 3A softball state championship game. And about 20 minutes later, Moore led her team in singing the school fight song with the mass of fans seated behind home plate, then was mobbed by her teammates when she was announced as the 3A Mental Attitude Award recipient, a demonstration of this group's genuine love for one another. A little later, Moore helped orchestrate a well-executed Gatorade dump on coach Tony Matthews in the outfield. They caught him mid-interview, then wrapped him in another hug. "I wouldn't be where I am without this guy. I mean it," Moore said. As the celebration ensued behind him, a dripping-wet Matthews recalled coaching Moore's older sister, Valerie, to a regional championship in 2016 and photos of a young Anna covered in facepaint, running around with a little sign cheering them on. "She's a great girl with a great attitude. She's always positive about things," Matthews said of Anna, who went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs in her final high school game. Moore and Matthews share a familial relationship, a bond strengthened after Anna's father, David Moore, died of a heart attack in March 2022. While he was hospitalized, Matthews brought Anna to the practice fields to help take her mind off things. His mom had died a couple years earlier, which "made it easy for us to talk about those kinds of things," Anna said. "I'm never afraid to tell him when I'm not doing OK," she continued. When David died following a week-long hospital stay, Matthews assured Anna, then a freshman, that she was OK to miss tryouts. You're our shortstop. You don't need to worry about a thing. The pair's relationship only strengthened over the following years. Matthews would drive Moore to softball activities and welcomed her to train at his facility, Champions Edge, on the east side of Indianapolis to help out her mother, Nancy. 'It all means so much': Lizzy Sinders caps Clay City career at state with dad as coach, sister as AD. "We bonded so much during those car rides back-and-forth to hitting," Matthews smiled. "The amount of time he spends with me at the field, throwing to me, after practice, during the summer — we're going to get right back at it because I have travel ball games in four days," Anna said. "He's such an amazing guy. He always puts us before himself. … It's so amazing.' In softball terms, Moore — whose Mental Attitude Award news release notes her involvement with Guardian Angels, a group to help students who have lost loved ones, and Anna's Celebration of Life Foundation, which supports children with disabilities — established herself among the state's best. A career .517 hitter, the Purdue softball recruit collected 187 hits, 175 runs (fifth all-time in state history), 106 RBIs and 15 homers (career-high seven this spring) in her four seasons, with 58 stolen bases on 64 attempts. She improved dramatically defensively over the past two seasons, recording just five errors on 163 attempts with 70 putouts, 88 assists and 13 double plays (26 career). Playing at her soon-to-be home field, Purdue's Bittinger Stadium, Moore gave Cathedral a lead it would not relinquish Saturday with a two-run double in the fourth. She also converted all four chances in the field (three putouts, one assist). "It's all hats off to her," Matthews said. "She's the one who put the work in. I just drove and threw the ball. She's always asking, 'Hey coach, come on, let's hit. I want to hit some more. Field me some grounders, I need another bucket.' Her work ethic is unbelievable." Anna's attitude, her drive, her positivity — it's all a reflection of her father. A Cathedral and Purdue alum himself, David was always smiling, always joking and upbeat, his daughter said. "Everyone loved to be around him." Anna fondly recalled car rides together with the windows down during the summer and practicing fielding at the local park. Her dad never got mad if she made a mistake … he would just hit it harder so she could do it right. "He always wanted me to be my best," said Anna, who has her dad's birthday, Nov. 11 (11/11), stitched into her glove. Softball was (and is) her safe space, a welcome distraction from the grief. "It's always fun." More: She's in a wheelchair — and now a state champ: 'We're so thankful she's part of this program' As she stood in the outfield Saturday night, blue medal draped around her neck and Matthews, her beloved coach, standing alongside her, Anna reflected on her father's memory and the significance of Cathedral's championship moment. "With Father's Day being tomorrow, I know (my dad) is with me. It's so cool," she smiled. "He'd be over the moon excited for me. I started playing softball with him, so to do this for him, it's such a special moment.'
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Early deficits 'fuel Cathedral's fire.' That proved true again in 3A championship game
WEST LAFAYETTE — To the uninitiated, it may have seemed like Cathedral was up against it in the early goings of Saturday's Class 3A softball state championship game. Hanover Central's Sienna Stilley opened the scoring in the top of the third with a two-run homer and considering how freshman ace Jillian DeYoung carved through the Irish lineup, it felt like that might be enough. But honestly, it would have been weird if Cathedral didn't surrender the game's first runs. "A girl even mentioned that in the huddle. We've been here before," junior pitcher Sidney Feczko said. "Half of our games in postseason we've gotten down, then we came up. It honestly just fuels our fire. We want it even more. And it's an even more amazing feeling when you can come back from being down. It's so rewarding." IHSAA softball state finals scores: Cathedral wins 3A title. See who else lifted trophies More: She's confined to wheelchair — and now a state champ Yeah, nothing about what transpired Saturday night was new for the Irish. Just last weekend they rallied from early deficits against both New Palestine and Evansville Memorial to secure the first semistate championship in program history. Retaliation from the first-time finalists felt inevitable and after threatening an immediate response in the bottom of the third, they broke through with four runs in the fourth and tacked on another in the fifth en route to a 5-4 win over Hanover Central. The state championship is the first in program history for Cathedral, which finishes the season 29-2. "We worked so hard for this. Every practice, every game," said junior catcher Kelsey Beres, who singled in the insurance run in the fifth. "We're a family. This is absolutely amazing." "We kept the energy, stayed together and got the win," added sophomore Curstyn Hansbrough, who drove in Cathedral's first run with a base hit to right that scored Amya Gary. Different players stepped up at different points throughout the tournament, coach Tony Matthews proudly pointed out, and Saturday, it was the bottom half of the lineup with the 6-7-8-9 hitters — Amya Gary, Sydney Matthews, Kelsey Beres and Curstyn Hansbrough — accounting for five hits, two RBIs and three runs scored. They got on base, generated some offense and turned the lineup over to senior Anna Moore, who capitalized with two hits, two RBIs and a run scored. The Mental Attitude Award recipient, she followed Hansbrough's initial salvo with a two-run double to left center, then came in to score on a Jordyn Hazelwood single that was misplayed in the outfield. "The middle and bottom of the lineup came through like it did, then the top of the lineup did its thing, too," Matthews said. "This bunch, they just bring it together with everything." "Everyone can get it done in our lineup and 6-7-8-9, they got it done," Feczko smiled. "Everyone has a role on this team and they filled their role tonight. It was amazing. It was such a team win." In the Cathedral circle, Feczko was typically dependable. Her junior campaign was defined by her mental growth and she proved unflappable in the season finale, buckling down to strand the tying run on second in the seventh with her 10th strikeout of the night. Feczko finished the game with four runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks. "She's absolutely amazing. She's such a great pitcher and she's always upbeat," Beres said. "I just love catching for her. I can trust that she will pitch it. I trust her, she trusts me." Feczko never gets down on herself, Hansbrough added, with Feczko quickly interjecting: "It's easy for me when I have teammates like this."
