The REPORTER
The Carmel and Westfield baseball teams advanced to the semifinals of Class 4A Sectional 8 Wednesday at Noblesville’s Don Dunker Field.
In the first game, Carmel got past Noblesville 4-2. The Greyhounds scored one run in the second inning; Gabe Mathison got home when James Charland reached on error.
Mathison stepped up in the third inning, hitting a left field double to bring in JD Stein and put Carmel up 2-0. Nate Steele added a fourth inning run, getting home when Tyler Walkey hit a sacrifice fly.
Noblesville’s Joe Glander hit a triple during the Millers’ sectional game with Carmel. (Richie Hall)
The Millers got on the board in the fifth inning when Nolan Decker’s left field hit sent Aiden Reynolds home. Noblesville scored another run in the sixth inning: Joe Glander smacked a one-out triple, then went home when Tanner Miller hit a single, cutting the Greyhounds’ lead to 3-2. Carmel scored again in the seventh inning, with Joe Cunningham’s left field hit bringing in Hunter Snow.
Stein was 3-for-4 at the plate, hitting a triple and two doubles. Mathison also had two doubles. Max Winders got the pitching win, striking out 10 in four and two-thirds innings; Winders got out of a bases-loaded situation in the second inning. Snow made a big catch in the sixth inning for the Hounds, who are 19-10.
Decker had two hits for the Millers, while Trevor Corbett hit a double. Decker pitched four and a third innings, striking out five. Noblesville finished its season 22-6.
Westfield beat Zionsville 6-4 in the second game. The Shamrocks got off to a good start with three runs in the top of the first inning. Matt Drozlek sent a base hit into center field to score Caden Lindsey and Drew Law, then Alex Rudloph doubled Drozlek home.
Westfield’s Matt Drozlek got the Shamrocks on the board with a two-run single, helping his team to a 6-4 win over Zionsville in
Wednesday’s sectional action. Westfield plays Carmel Friday in the semifinals. (Richie Hall)
The Rocks kept going in the second inning with two more runs. Lindsey scored a second run when Drozlek was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Law then scored on a wild pitch.
Zionsville got three runs back in the bottom of the second, then scored in the third inning to get within 5-4. Westfield put up a run in the fifth inning; Rudolph scored on Nick Fero’s left field hit.
Rudloph finished with two hits. Ty Anderson pitched six innings for the win, striking out 10 as the Shamrocks improved to 18-10.
Carmel and Westfield play each other at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the first semifinal game, to be followed by the second semifinal between Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern.
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University beat Sectional 43 host Sheridan 12-0 in five innings Wednesday in opening-round play there.
The Trailblazers were the home team and scored in all four innings in which they batted. Jimmy Caldwell hit a home run as part of a 3-for-3 night, while Mark Hamby smacked a two-run homer. Cooper Cammack also went 3-for-3, hitting a triple and two doubles for a total of five RBIs.
Jasper Owens hit a triple and Charlie Ranek had a double; both totaled two hits. Caldwell scored three runs. Beckett Suh went four innings for the win, striking out eight and allowing one hit.
Caleb Alexander had the lone hit for the Blackhawks, who finished their season 14-12.
University is 14-11-1 and plays Cascade Monday in the sectional semifinals.