The REPORTER
Hamilton Southeastern opened its 2026 season with a 13-1 home victory over North Central on Wednesday.
The Royals scored four runs in the second inning; Addy Richmond blasted a two-run double and later stole home, then Jaycee McCarter singled in a run.
Richmond struck again with an RBI triple in the third inning, the first of five runs in the third. Sophia Feher doubled Richmond in, McCarter singled Feher home and Madison Burlingame finished the inning with a two-run home run.
The Panthers scored their lone run in the top of the fourth, but Southeastern answered with four runs in the bottom of that inning. Breah Mitchell doubled in Lilly Palmer, then McCarter blasted a three-run homer.
McCarter was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 and totaling five RBIs. Richmond finished with three RBIs. Grace Swedarsky, a senior Virginia Tech commit, pitched two innings for the win, striking out four.
The Royals host Carmel on Friday.
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Hamilton Heights traveled to Frankton on Wednesday to start its season and came home with a 7-4 win.
Olivia Turner scored the Huskies’ first run in the opening inning on a passed ball. Hannah Dent scored in the third inning, getting on base with a one-out double, then scoring on an RBI bunt by Heather Crays.
Heights added a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Taya Trosper singled in Lily Cash, then McKenzie Jackson got home on an error. Audrey Cain scored a fifth-inning run after Ellie Engle reached on error, putting the Huskies ahead 5-0.
Dent singled in Turner in the sixth inning, then scored on Kamryn Rhoton’s RBI double. Heights led 7-0, but the Eagles got on the board with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. Frankton hit back-to-back RBI singles in the seventh inning, but Heights ended the game with a double play by Melanee Forrester.
Cash pitched five innings for the win, striking out two and allowing two hits.
The Huskies play Friday at Lapel.
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Noblesville began its season with a 3-2 win at Western on Wednesday.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning. The Millers’ Maggie Kern led off with a single, then Zadie Brown came in to run for Kern. Blythe Walker came up with two outs and sent a home run over the left field fence, giving Noblesville a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers got a run back with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. In the seventh inning, Reese Newsom came up with one out and hit a solo homer to center field. Western hit a one-out RBI singled in the bottom of the seventh, but Addison Retzinger tossed two strikeouts to end the game.
Retzinger was dominant, throwing 19 strikeouts against five hits. She also had one of four hits for the Millers; Kern, Newsom and Walker also got one hit.
Noblesville’s next game is Tuesday at McCutcheon.