UNION MILLS — Triton Baseball’s memorable 2026 season came to an end Monday night as South Central defeated the Trojans 4-2 in the IHSAA Class 1A Sectional 51 Championship game at South Central High School. The Trojans finished the year with a 24-5 record after capturing the Hoosier North Athletic Conference championship and advancing to the sectional title game. For two innings, the championship contest was a scoreless pitcher’s duel between Triton senior Braxton Kaufman and South Central ace Cole Elkins. Neither team managed a run through the first two frames before the Satellites broke through in the bottom of the third. South Central scored all four of its runs in the inning despite collecting just two hits. Trevor Falls singled to begin the rally and Isaac Bohm added a hit as the Satellites capitalized on a walk, three hit batters and two Triton errors to build a 4-0 advantage. Triton responded in the fourth inning. Liam McFarland singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Mason Dennie to cut the deficit to 4-1. The Trojans chipped away again in the sixth. McFarland reached base and eventually scored his second run of the night as Dennie delivered another RBI, bringing Triton within 4-2. Triton threatened throughout the final innings and finished with seven hits, but Elkins was able to work out of trouble and complete the seven-inning victory for South Central. The Trojans actually out-hit the Satellites 7-4 in the contest. Mason Johnson, Tyler Tarlton and Jacob Prater each recorded two hits for Triton. McFarland finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, while Dennie drove in both Trojan runs. Kaufman suffered the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on two hits while striking out four over three innings. Drew Bingamon kept Triton within striking distance with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing only two hits while striking out three. South Central improved to 13-9 and advanced to regional play, while Triton closed its season at 24-5. The defeat does little to diminish what was one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Trojans won the Hoosier North Athletic Conference championship, finished with 24 victories, advanced to the sectional championship game, and saw several school records fall during the season. Drew Bingamon became Triton’s all-time leader in both career hits and strikeouts, while Braxton Kaufman became the winningest pitcher in school history. TRITON 2, SOUTH CENTRAL 4 Triton 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 — 2 7 2 South Central 0 0 4 0 0 0 X — 4 4 1 WP — Cole Elkins (South Central) LP — Braxton Kaufman (Triton) Triton Leaders Mason Johnson 2-for-3 Tyler Tarlton 2-for-3 Jacob Prater 2-for-3 Liam McFarland 1-for-3, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases Mason Dennie 2 RBI Pitching Braxton Kaufman (L) — 3.0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Drew Bingamon — 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K