Lake Central High School

Lake Central Baseball Captures Semi-State Championship, Advances to State Finals — Lake Central baseball is headed to Victory Field. The Indians punched their ticket to the IHSAA Class 4A State Championship game on Saturday by defeating two of Indiana's premier baseball programs, Zionsville and Penn, to claim the Semi-State Championship at the U.S. Steel Yard in Gary. Lake Central will now face Bloomington South for the state title at Victory Field in Indianapolis. The Indians' road to the championship game was anything but easy, requiring a dramatic comeback victory in the semifinal before a complete team effort secured the semi-state crown. ---Dramatic Walk-Off Sends Indians Past Zionsville--- In the semifinal matchup, Lake Central found itself trailing Zionsville 6-5 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. The Indians refused to let their season end. After putting together a late rally, Tyler Thuftedal delivered the biggest hit of the season, lining a walk-off single to score the winning run and give Lake Central a thrilling 7-6 victory. Parker Robinson fueled the offense throughout the game, putting on a hitting display at the Steelyard. Robinson collected two triples and a double. Andrew Brower and Thuftedal each drove in two runs for the Indians. On the mound, Owen Kopercinski gave Lake Central five strong innings before turning the ball over to Marc Passo. Passo shut the door in relief and earned the victory as the Indians celebrated a memorable win. ---Indians Complete the Job Against Penn--- With a trip to the state finals on the line, Lake Central turned in another impressive performance in the semi-state championship game, defeating Penn 6-2. The Indians once again received outstanding work on the mound. Justin Makowski got the start and delivered 3 2/3 innings of four-hit baseball, keeping one of the state's most dangerous lineups under control. Passo was called upon once again and continued his dominant day, tossing 3 1/3 innings of two-hit relief to earn his second victory of the afternoon. Offensively, Lake Central capitalized on scoring opportunities throughout the game. Jake Forystek recorded two hits and drove in a pair of runs, while Connor Friesema added two RBIs to help lead the Indians to the semi-state championship. One More Game Lake Central will travel to Indianapolis on Saturday to face Bloomington South at Victory Field with the IHSAA Class 4A State Championship on the line. The Indians are one win away from adding another state title to the proud tradition of Lake Central baseball. Lake Central won state titles in 2012 and 2024. Semi-State Results Semifinal Lake Central 7, Zionsville 6 Tyler Thuftedal: Walk-off RBI single Parker Robinson: 2 triples, double Andrew Brower: 2 RBIs Tyler Thuftedal: 2 RBIs Marc Passo: Winning pitcher in relief Semi-State Championship Lake Central 6, Penn 2 Jake Forystek: 2 hits, 2 RBIs Connor Friesema: 2 RBIs Justin Makowski: 3 2/3 innings pitched Marc Passo: Win, 3 1/3 innings of two-hit relief Next Up IHSAA Class 4A State Championship: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2025-26%20Baseball%20Preview.pdf Lake Central vs. Bloomington South Victory Field – Indianapolis Saturday