Regional champs!

What an incredible run by our Central Catholic Knights!!! It's on to The Semi-State Championships!!! We are 1 win away from The State Finals.

We are the 2nd highlight.

Highlights of our Regional Win!

COWAN -- Cowan junior pitching sensation Justin O'Conner was all that and more Saturday night, but in the end, Central Catholic was better.

In a Class A Cowan Regional championship game for the ages, the second-ranked Knights overcame O'Conner's 17 strikeouts in nine innings, then scored six times in the top of the 11th for an 8-2 victory against the third-ranked Blackhawks.

The victory, which sends CC to the Class A semistate on June 13, was the 300th in coach Tim Bordenet's career, including 275 with the Knights and 25 in two seasons at Muncie Central.

Senior shortstop Dru Anthrop, whose 10th-inning error helped Cowan tie the game at 2-2, slapped a two-run, bases-loaded single to center in the top of the 11th.

Anthrop stole home with two outs in the top of the 10th to give CC a brief 2-1 advantage. Winning pitcher Taylor Glaze followed Anthrop's hit with a run-scoring fielder's choice. Chas Bobillo laced a two-run single and Matt Combs added an RBI triple.

While Glaze (7-0) got into jams in the fifth, eighth and 10th innings, the left-hander allowed only one unearned run. In 10 innings, Glaze allowed only five hits and struck out 12.

In all, the Knights struck out 21 times, Cowan 13.

"(O'Conner) was throwing pretty hard and had us on our heels for most of the game," Anthrop said. "Once they brought some new guys in, it was a whole different approach at the plate. We had to stay back rather than jumping at pitches.

"Then, stealing home was great. That's the first time I've done that in high school. I could tell the pitcher (Skyler Toomey) had no idea where I was. I said, 'Hey, coach, I think I can sneak by if I get a good jump.' "

Anthrop said one of this team's many goals was to be part of Bordenet's 300th victory.

"I don't think we really told him about it, but knowing he was this close, and then to win in this fashion and on this big stage is great," Anthrop said. "This was one of the most exciting and most intense games in which I've been involved."

Bordenet has coached 434 high school games and can't remember a more dramatic one.

"I think I never will forget this one," Bordenet said. "I've never been in a game like this with so many momentum swings. We were one pitch away here or there -- both ways -- and the game was in the balance so many times."