Triton’s Hannah Jennings follows through on a double in the bottom of the fifth, which started a seven-run inning for the host Trojans en route to a 15-5 win over Elkhart Christian Academy in the second semi-final of the Triton Softball Sectional. (Photos by Mike Deak)

BOURBON – The air of shock in the Triton dugout was about as insecure as the on again, off again weather Monday afternoon. Facing a 5-1 deficit to Elkhart Christian Academy, Triton responded with 14 straight runs to rebound for a 15-5 win and a berth in the finals of the Class 1-A No. 52 Triton Softball Sectional.

The winds of change were not only prevalent in the 30-plus mile-per-hour gusts blowing straight out of Keyser Field, but sweeping across the diamond as the three-win Academy raced to a 5-1 lead on the heavy home favorites in stunning fashion.

After jumping to a 2-0 lead, Triton got a run back only for ECA to plate three runs in the third after two-out doubles from Bethany McKibbin and Caroline Kitchen, followed by a Sarah Bennett RBI single. Triton, which had beaten ECA 12-5 at the NorthWood Invite earlier in the month, was shellshocked as the underdogs were on fire.

“Some of it was bad luck, some of it was lack of execution,” stated Triton head coach Steve McBride. “It’s happened to us before, starting slow like that. I know some of it was nerves, you could see it in the kids. The key thing was once we got going, we got going.”

Boy, did Triton get going from there. Immediately in the bottom of the third, a Kayla Kreft RBI double followed by a Lexee Lemler RBI single cut the lead to 5-3. One inning later, an ECA error behind second base allowed two more runs to score. All of a sudden it was 5-5.

Triton hasn’t won 19 games this season and are two-time defending sectional champions for lack of punch. The bottom of the fifth showed the heart of a champion from Triton.

Hannah Jennings started the inning with a ringing double off the fence, only to come home on another Lemler single. Courtney Jennings and Heather Stichter added RBI singles, and it was now 9-5 home team. Taytum Hargrave showed her speed, coming home from second on an infield error, and Lemler added a huge two-run double on a 3-2 pitch to push the lead to 12-5.

Triton finished off the job in the top of the sixth when Kreft ripped a bases-loaded single to left that was misplayed, allowing Hargrave to score the walk-off run and send the Trojans to its sixth-straight sectional championship game.

“I really like having pressure on me with people on base,” Lemler said. “I always feel like I can hit them in. It feels good to get that hit in crucial parts of the game. It always feels good. It helps to have a good team to back everyone up. If someone doesn’t get the hit, we have a team full of others who can step up and do it.”

Stated ECA head coach Mic Minder of his club’s collapse, “We talk a lot about mental toughness as a team. Don’t compound errors and let one thing turn into the next thing. With the young team that we have, a team that doesn’t have every much softball experience, that one mistake compounded. That’s happened to us this season and, unfortunately, that got us again today.”

ECA had five errors in the field while Triton had three, two of which allowed ECA’s first three runs to score. Triton starter Brycelyn Garbison lasted the three innings, giving up five runs, two earned. Reliever Courtney Jennings took the win, holding the fort while the offense kicked into second gear. Hannah Stayton took the loss for ECA, going the distance.

Triton (19-10) will face Bethany Christian (7-7), which withstood a furious Argos rally to pull out a 7-6 win. Bethany led 6-2 heading into the sixth inning only for Argos to score four runs – aided by three Bruin errors – to tie the score.

Bethany had Erin Bontrager rip a double to open the seventh, move to third on a sacrifice bunt, and score on a fielding error at first with two outs. Bontrager led Bethany with three hits and scored twice.

The championship of the Triton Softball Sectional will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Keyser Field. Triton just beat Bethany, 11-1, last Thursday in the regular season finale for both clubs. The winner will host the one-game regional Tuesday, June 2, at 5 p.m. against the winner from the LaCrosse Sectional.