Lizzy Sinders and Abi Shearer, who were eighth graders at the time, sat in the Center Grove High School stands, watching Clay City’s softball team play in the Class A State Championship game back in 2021.

Surrounding them in the sea of purple were their soon-to-be teammates, all dreaming of getting to the sport’s biggest stage one day.

And with a 3-0 win over Indianapolis Lutheran in Monday night’s Class A North Daviess Semi-State championship game, the Eels made those dreams come true. Clay City will be playing for a state title again on Friday night.

“Whenever that team played in state, I remember being there and sitting next to Lizzy. We were just so excited to be there and were watching so intently … I remember saying, ‘I want to do this. I want to get here someday too.’ That’s what I’ve always looked forward to doing. I knew I wanted to be there,” said Clay City senior Abi Shearer. “After we won that first semi-state game on Saturday, I knew this was going to happen. I knew it was our turn and we were going to get there.”

“I remember watching them and seeing how excited they were to be there. I didn’t know what that felt like. I’ve been to semi-state many times but always prayed to have this feeling. Now, we got it, and it’s amazing,” said Clay City senior Lizzy Sinders.

“I’m not going to take this for granted. There’s a lot of people that never ever make it once, and now we have an opportunity to go back,” said Clay City head coach Jason Sinders. “We’re so happy to go and compete. That’s special. We’re going to try to win it.”

It started with the Eels getting on the scoreboard in the first – an area they’ve thrived in throughout the postseason – when Ellie Stoelting dropped a single into center field and then scored on Karlee Smith’s double down the left field line that put those in the first base dugout at ease out of the gates.

“It was important for us to score first,” said Smith. “We knew we had to get some runs to help Lizzy. When we did that, it gave us a feeling like, ‘Ok, now we’re on the board. We can do this.’”

“That put some pressure on their pitcher, but it also put pressure on their hitters,” said Sinders of scoring first. “Scoring early is never a bad thing.”

It also gave Lizzy Sinders some run support to work with.

And on Monday, just like the last several outings before that, that’s all the senior right-hander needed.

Sinders mixed and matched her pitch types and locations, keeping a powerful Lutheran offense from ever putting together any semblance of a rally. Sinders went the distance again, surrendering two hits and three walks while striking out six batters, and in doing so, ran her postseason scoreless streak to an eye-popping 25 straight innings.

“I was just trusting my defense,” said Sinders. “Everybody made a play. Any time the ball was hit, they were there to get it. That really helped me.”

“She was fantastic in the circle and our defense was fantastic behind her,” said Sinders of the right-handed senior.

The secret to Sinders’ success over the last couple of weeks, at least in the eyes of Smith, who's caught her in each of the last four games? Sinders hasn’t missed her spots.

“She hits her spots. There are very few times when she misses,” said Smith of Sinders. “It makes it a lot easier for me as a catcher. Our pitching staff knows where to put the ball. They study the other team and know where the other batters can’t hit it, and Lizzy always puts the ball there.”

Clay City showed its offensive versatility to add onto its lead later in the game as Sinders reached on an error in the third and then swiped second base before scoring on Stoelting’s single to left and then watched Smith launch a solo homer to right field in the sixth, giving the Eels some important insurance runs.

“[Lutheran starter Gracie Boggs] had been throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, so I went up there and was like, ‘Hey, if it’s there, I’ve got to hit it,’” said Smith of her sixth-inning home run. “I was prepared going to the plate and was ready to swing if it was close. It just happened to be right down the middle.”

As they inched closer to clinching their first semi-state championship since 2021, Shearer said she sensed a nervousness coming over her and her teammates. But they remained calm and made the plays behind Sinders, which ended with Stoelting catching the final out and then being on the bottom of a dogpile in shallow centerfield.

“We always dreamed about doing this, but actually doing it is different, and now we’re here. It’s something special and just so exciting,” said Shearer.

With the win, Clay City will make the trip to Purdue University’s Bittinger Stadium on Friday for a state championship matchup with North Newton.

CLAY CITY (AB-R-H-RBI) – Sinders p 4-1-0-0, Stoelting cf 3-1-2-1, Smith c 3-1-2-2, Mitchell ss 3-0-1-0, Shearer 3b 3-0-0-0, B.Rexrode 2b 3-0-0-0, Rhodes 1b 3-0-2-0, C.Rexrode dp 2-0-0-0, Harrison rf 3-0-0-0. TOTALS 27-3-7-3.

INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (AB-R-H-RBI) – Langston cf 2-0-0-0, Olson c 3-0-0-0, Miller 3b 2-0-0-0, Boggs p 2-0-0-0, Sondag 1b 3-0-0-0, Schultz lf 2-0-1-0, Barger dp-p 3-0-0-0, Hall 2b 3-0-0-0, Hughes ss 2-0-1-0. TOTALS 22-0-2-0.

2B – Smith, Mitchell. HR – Smith. SB – Sinders.

Clay City IP H R ER BB SO

Next – Clay City (21-6) advanced onto Friday’s state championship. Indianapolis Lutheran (21-7) concluded its season.