The REPORTER
Fishers had to play almost two full games to get past Westfield in the Friday, May 29 Sectional 8 baseball semifinals at Noblesville’s Don Dunker Field.
The Tigers-Shamrocks contest lasted four hours and stretched into Saturday, May 30. Fishers finally got the winning run in the 12th inning, at 1:20 a.m., edging out Westfield 8-7 to reach the championship game.
Playing as the home team, the Tigers scored a run in the first inning. Carter Strole got home after David Pina reached on an error.
Westfield’s Kasen Jessup scored two runs for the Shamrocks during their sectional game with Fishers on Friday, May 29. (Joshua Herd)
The Rocks tied the game in the third inning when Beck Jordan doubled Nick Fero home. Fishers responded by scoring five runs in the bottom of the third for a 6-1 lead.
Strole doubled Ethan Buelt home to push the Tigers ahead, then scored on a wild pitch. Vincent Pecoraro hit a bunt to send Carter Davis home, then Isaac Fernandez and Pecoraro scored on an error.
Westfield worked its way back, scoring two runs in the fourth on Fero’s two-RBI single; Kasen Jessup and Gabe Garcia both scored. Russ smacked a two-run hit in the fifth inning, sending Lincoln Hoffman and Aiden Grabowski home. The Rocks tied the game in the sixth when Maddox Novotney drew a bases-loaded walk to score Grabowski.
Westfield took care of Fishers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, so it was on to extra innings. Both teams stepped up their defense: the Shamrocks turned a double play to end the eighth inning, while the Tigers didn’t allow a hit for the next four innings.
Westfield scored a run in the top of the 12th; Jessup went home on Novotney’s sacrifice fly and the Rocks led 7-6. Pina and Fernandez started the bottom of the 12th by hitting singles, then Davis (running for Pina) got home after Pecoraro reached on an error. Fishers loaded the bases and Henry Cherry drew a walk to send Fernandez home for the winning run.
Strole, Pina and Pecoraro all had two hits for Fishers. Austin Conley pitched the final four innings and got the win. Starter Hayden Werner threw six strikeouts in four innings.
Grabowski had two hits for the Shamrocks, who finished their season 16-11-1. Corey Wilhelm pitched 2.1 innings, striking out seven.
Eagles walk off Royals
The Hamilton Southeastern baseball team’s season came to an end on Friday, May 29 at Sectional 8 in Noblesville, as Zionsville hit a walk-off home run to win the first semifinal game 7-6.
The Eagles burst out to a 6-0 lead after the first inning. The Royals began a comeback in the third inning when Chase Bradle hit a two-run single, scoring Jackson Bixler and Clark Bucher.
Southeastern put up three more runs in the fourth inning. Nick Bach led off with a double and scored after Bucher drew a bases-loaded walk, Kian Kelly got home on a Parker O’Steen sacrifice fly and Bixler was brought in by a Cy Cole single.
The Royals were now within 6-5, and they tied the game in the top of the seventh inning when Bixler batted in Carter Reed. But Zionsville’s Reid Zittel hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh to send the Eagles to victory.
Bixler was 3-for-4 at the plate, while Bradle had two hits. Bradle also pitched five innings, striking out two. Southeastern finished its season 20-10.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Chase Bradle hit a two-run single for the Royals in their sectional game with Zionsville and also pitched five innings. (Joshua Herd)
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