Rocks cruise past Shelbyville

The REPORTER

The Westfield softball team scored early, late and often during its 15-7 win over Shelbyville on Thursday.

The Golden Bears put up three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Shamrocks quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first. Chloe Tanner hit a two-run double, scoring Makayla Watson and Sofia Easterhaus, then Ava Kainrath got Tanner home on an RBI groundout.

A two-run home run put Shelbyville up 5-3 in the top of the second. Avery Banas smacked a solo homer in the bottom of the second. Westfield got going in the third inning with four runs: Reese Gettinger’s center field hit scored Tanner and Kainrath, then Adelyn Kurth doubled in Gettinger. Kurth scored when Banas reached on an error, putting the ‘Rocks up 8-5.

The Golden Bears scored two runs in the top of the fourth, but Westfield held them scoreless for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the Shamrocks scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth: Tanner got home when Cam Pulice reached on an error, Kainrath scored on a separate error, then Reese Mahannah battled in Pulice. Mahannah scored when Banas reached on an error.

The Shamrocks put up three more runs in the sixth inning. Kurth singled in Pulice, then Banas’ left field hit brought home Kurth and Gettinger.

Tanner was 3-for-4 at the plate, with Kainrath, Mahannah, Gettinger, Kurth and Banas all getting two hit. Mackenzie Delph pitched six innings for the win, striking out 11.

Westfield is 11-9 and hosts Mooresville on Saturday morning.

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Noblesville dropped a high-scoring Hoosier Crossroads Conference game to Brownsburg 12-10 on Thursday.

Both teams scored their first run in the second inning; the Millers’ Maggie Kern doubled in Addi Emmerson in the bottom of the inning. The Bulldogs went up 4-1 in the top of the third, but a Brookelyn Grayson home run brought Noblesville back within 4-3 in the bottom of the third. Nevaeh Nash also scored.

The pattern repeated itself in the fourth inning: Brownsburg went up 6-3, then Addison Retzinger cracked a two-run homer, also bringing in Emmerson. A solo homer in the top of the fifth put the Bulldogs up 7-5.

The Millers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Delaney Rundle scored on a wild pitch, then Haley Schatko drove in Izzy Zapp and Grayson to give Noblesville an 8-7 lead.

Brownsburg put up five runs in the top of the seventh to go up 12-8. Emmerson hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh, also scoring Schatko, but the Bulldogs got the next three outs to clinch the win.

Schatko was 3-for-4 at the plate. Retzinger pitched 6.1 innings, striking out six.

Noblesville is 4-2 in conference play and 14-7 overall. The Millers host Bloomington North at 6 p.m. this evening.