Jarvis throws one-hitter in regional shutout over Pekin

WEST POINT — Sydney Jarvis can relax when she’s pitching, knowing the defense she has behind her.
The Holy Trinity pitcher also made sure her teammates had an easy night.
Jarvis threw a one-hitter, striking out eight, as the 15th-ranked Crusaders defeated Pekin 5-0 in Wednesday’s Class 1A Region 8 quarterfinal at South Park.
Holy Trinity (23-5) advanced to play ninth-ranked Wayne (19-7) in Friday’s 7 p.m. semifinal in Corydon.
The lone hit Jarvis gave up was a single to Abby Guise in the third inning. Jarvis then retired the next 15 hitters.
“My curveball, my fastball, they were working tonight,” Jarvis said.
“She might have missed her spot a few times, but her defense made plays behind her,” Holy Trinity coach Loren Menke said. “She was great tonight, and she has been all year.”
Only two Pekin baserunners made it as far as second base. Guise was there with two outs in the third when Payten Coleman’s line drive was snagged by Holy Trinity shortstop Alivia Holmes to end the inning.

The Panthers (12-14) only hit two balls out of the infield over the final four innings. Jarvis got four consecutive groundouts late in the game.
“It’s good knowing if somebody hits the ball, which obviously happens, I’ve got my defense to back me up,” Jarvis said. “If you don’t have the defense, everybody is going to hit the ball and run around the bases. But we have a great defense.”
“Everything was working well tonight,” Menke said. “Sydney pitched a great game. (Catcher) Ellie (Hellman) called a great game. (Assistant coach) DJ (DiPrima) called a great game. And we had really good defense. You have to have all of those components to be successful.”
Holy Trinity’s offense had just five hits, but the Crusaders made them count. Cadyn Holmes had an RBI single and Makayla Simpson drove in a run with a double in the first inning. Kara Lake’s single drove in Madisyn Griffin in the second inning for a 3-0 lead.
The score stayed that way until the sixth inning, when Cadyn Holmes scored on an error and Morgan Krogmeier’s sacrifice fly scored Claire Crabtree with the final run.
“We were putting pressure on them,” said Menke, whose team had eight stolen bases. “But we weren’t exactly killing the ball. We got enough hits though.”
Jarvis struck out the first two hitters to open the seventh, then got Addison Smith on a fly ball to Simpson in center field, and the Crusaders were moving on.
“We’re excited to play Wayne, they're one of the top programs in the state,” Menke said. “They’ve spent probably the last five or six years in a row rated as one of the top teams. I've watched them play a couple times, and I think we're right there with them. So, we’re excited to get the chance to play them.”