A big game deserves big hits, and that’s what happened when Hamilton Southeastern came to Noblesville on Tuesday.
The Royals held off a late comeback by the Millers to win 9-8. The victory also puts HSE in the driver’s seat in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference at 4-0, while Noblesville is 3-1.
Both teams got on the board in the second inning. HSE’s Abbey Willmann hit a home run to score herself and Kaelin Wincek. Ella White then homered for the Millers, cutting the Royals’ lead to 2-1.
In the third inning, Libby Ratliff singled home Abby Taylor to get Southeastern ahead 3-1. White answered again for Noblesville, as her single scored Grace Smith.
In the fourth inning, Jordan Rager batted in Nicole Dillow to put HSE up 4-2. Southeastern then poured in four runs in the fifth: Nicole Lang scored when Ahliza Moore was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Ava Aguilar batted in Wincek, Moore scored on Taylor’s RBI groundout, then Leiner singled home Dillow.
With that, HSE led 8-2. Noblesville got two of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth. Smith homered to center field, then Madison Taylor singled in Emily Minett, who had gotten on base with a double.
Dillow singled in Wincek in the sixth inning to put the Royals ahead 9-4. The Millers made a two-out rally, scoring four runs. Chloe Tragesser scored on a passed ball, a fielder’s choice RBI by Minett scored Smith, then Kyleigh Lowry and White scored after Madison Taylor reached on error. Noblesville threatened in the seventh inning, but HSE got the last two outs with runners at first and second.
Leiner was 3-for-5 at the plate for the Royals, while Wincek scored three runs. Jaylah Guilliam pitched five and two-thirds innings for the win. Smith and Madison Taylor both had three hits for the Millers, with Smith scoring three runs.
The Royals are 12-5 overall and play an HCC game at Avon at 6 p.m. today. Noblesville is 9-7 and hosts Kokomo on Thursday.
MONDAY GAMES
Southeastern traveled to Mooresville on Monday and won 9-5.
The Royals scored in each of the first six innings. Lillian Leiner batted in the first run, as her first-inning double got Abby Taylor home. The Pioneers tied the game in the bottom of the first, but Abbey Willmann cracked a home run into left field in the second inning.
Southeastern never trailed again, and kept the homer parade going in the third inning when Jordan Rager hit one over the center field fence. The Royals got back-to-back RBI doubles in the fourth inning: Willmann batted in Lang, then Holly Hosfield came in to run for Willmann. Ahliza Moore came up to bat, and her double sent Hosfield home.
In the fifth inning, Nicole Lang hit a sacrifice fly to score Leiner, then Kaelin Wincek singled in Libby Ratliff. Finally, Rager smacked a two-run homer (her second of the game) in the sixth inning, also scoring Taylor.
Willmann went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Rager totaled three RBIs. Courtney Kocal pitched four and two-thirds innings for the win.
Noblesville fell to Mount Vernon 15-8.
The Marauders scored two runs in the top of the first inning and never trailed. The Millers got on the board with two runs in the second inning: Ella White got home on a dropped third strike and Cheyney Gertz’s single scored Emily Minett.
Julia Skinner scored a third-inning run, with Kyleigh Lowry getting home on a fourth-inning passed ball. Later, Chloe Tragesser singled in Rylie Moore. Minett hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, with White also scoring after getting on base with a double. Smith singled in Maggie Hampton in the sixth-inning for Noblesville’s final run.
White finished the game with two doubles, with Lowry also hitting a double. Tragesser, Smith, White and Minett all finished with two hits.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Jaylah Guilliam pitched five and two-thirds innings to get a big victory at Noblesville on Tuesday. The Royals held off a Millers comeback to win 9-8 and improve to 4-0 in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. (Andy Duvall)