ELKHART — The next family reunion between the Walker and Masten clans is sure to be a memorable one. Penn High School sophomore Easton Masten delivered a performance for the ages Tuesday night, smashing three home runs and driving in eight runs to lead the third-ranked Kingsmen to a dominant 13-3 victory over Elkhart. The win pushed Penn into sole possession of first place in the Northern Indiana Conference.
The matchup carried extra intrigue, as Elkhart's head coach is Matt Walker — Masten's cousin. After the game, Walker couldn't help but joke, "I've disowned her! But hey, kudos to her, she did a great job tonight and hit the ball all over." Masten responded with a grin, "He gave me a high five after the game but then said he hated me."
Penn improved to 16-2 overall and a perfect 7-0 in conference play, while Elkhart dropped to 14-5 and 5-1. The Kingsmen wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Masten launched a no-doubt solo homer with two outs, scoring Logan Rumble who had singled earlier.
The offense kept rolling in the second inning. Doubles from Harper Rumble and Addyson Zachary each drove in a run, and Zachary later scored on a single by Phoebe Wood. Elkhart's ace pitcher Ava Sanders—a former Penn teammate—managed to escape further damage by striking out Masten and Addison Bogunia with the bases loaded.
Penn coach Beth Zachary praised her team's focus: "I thought we were really locked in from the start. Softball can be a game of momentum, and we wanted to attack them right from the beginning. By jumping out to that 2-0 lead in the first, we set the tone early."
Any doubt about the outcome vanished in the third inning, when the Kingsmen erupted for six runs on six hits. The highlight was Masten's grand slam, which cleared the center field fence by several feet. Leadoff hitter Carson Petty added a two-run single, and the rally came after the first two Penn batters were retired.
Elkhart showed some fight in the bottom of the third, when Eden Guerrero singled and scored on a Penn error to make it 11-1. Senior Bailey Harris-Rogers then crushed a long homer in the fourth inning—following a single by Sanders—to cut the deficit to 11-3 off Penn starter Caitlyn Denny.
But the Kingsmen's bats were relentless. After Sanders retired five straight Penn hitters, Charlie Swiger drew a one-out walk in the fifth, and Logan Rumble reached base to set the stage for more offense. Penn finished with 15 hits, showcasing the depth and pressure their lineup can apply.
"It was good to see the lower half of our batting order get the offense going that inning," Zachary said. "I believe our lineup puts a lot of pressure on a pitcher and doesn't give a team a chance to breathe when we're on."
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