By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – The Guerin Catholic softball team couldn’t have had a better Senior Night on Friday.
The Golden Eagles won the game, beating Western Boone 4-0. The team got to honor its three seniors as well, one of whom made some history.
Izzy Kemp, the University of Dayton-bound senior, had already broken the school’s strikeout record earlier in the season. On Friday, she hit a milestone in her career, throwing her 500th strikeout in the sixth inning. Kemp added two more strikeouts in the seventh inning, giving her a total of 502, and counting. She totaled 15 for the game, and had two hits as well.
“It was kind of unreal, because it just lined up perfectly, because it’s Senior Night tonight too,” said Kemp. “My dad was able to be here and that was really special for me and everybody that’s meant something to me in my softball career was able to make it. It was just really special to have them all here and to do it while they’re here.”
Guerin Catholic got runs on the board quickly, scoring two in the first inning. Lillian Everts drove in both of them, as her right field single scored Kemp and Anna Mauch.
In the fourth inning, senior Zoey Bussick smacked a double into center field to send Olivia Spomer home. Natalie Eiler hit an RBI single in the sixth inning, scoring senior Kirsten Mascari.
First-year Golden Eagles coach Erika Weber said the three seniors are “all different types of leaders,” showing their leadership skills in different ways.
Mascari is quiet but positive – “she will go and be positive and pull you to the side and talk with you,” said Weber. “Zoey, she is loud but very positive. And Izzy, she’s positive, but she’s kind of like me, a little stern. But the girls respect her in so many ways.”
There are five freshmen playing varsity for the Golden Eagles, but they have stepped up for the team this season. One of them, catcher Anna Mauch, made two incredible catches during the later innings.
“They have definitely grown throughout the whole season,” said Weber.
Guerin Catholic improved to 7-8 for the season with the win.
GUERIN CATHOLIC 4, WESTERN BOONE 0
Guerin Catholic AB R H RBI
Lucy Kemp 3 0 1 0
Madi Cain 3 0 0 0
Anna Mauch 3 1 1 0
Izzy Kemp 3 1 2 0
Kirsten Mascari 3 1 1 0
Lillian Everts 3 0 1 2
Natalie Eiler 3 0 1 1
Olivia Spomer 2 1 0 0
Zoey Bussick 3 0 1 1
Totals 26 4 8 4
Score by Innings
Western Boone 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Guerin Catholic 200 101 x – 4 8 0
2B: Bussick.
GC pitching IP R ER H
I. Kemp 7 0 0 2
Strikeouts: I. Kemp 15. Walks: I. Kemp 2.
Remember at the beginning of the season when Carmel scored 26 runs during a game?
Believe it or not, the Greyhounds topped that number on Friday. Carmel got down 7-1 in the first inning at Terre Haute North, but its offense went ballistic in the later innings. The Greyhounds eventually won 27-13, setting a new season-high for runs scored.
Sophie Esposito led off the game with a home run, getting Carmel on the board after just one pitch. But Terre Haute North got going in the bottom of the first, pouring in seven runs, including two homers.
The Greyhounds’ Kylie Cunningham smacked her own home run in the third inning, a two-run line drive that also got Esposito home. After three innings, Carmel trailed 7-3.
The ‘Hounds then powered back into the lead with six runs in the fourth. A sacrifice fly by Cunningham resulted in two runs scoring, from Esposito and Jessica Remm. Lily Sullivan then doubled in Ella Ohrvall, and the Greyhounds led 9-7.
The Patriots got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but Carmel opened the fifth with back-to-back doubles. Audrey Hussain was the lead-off woman, and Maddie Stacy quickly doubled her home. Sullivan later hit a two-run single, then Elsa Morrison blasted a three-run homer to give Carmel a 16-8 lead.
In the sixth inning, Sullivan smacked a two-run single, Morrison tripled in Sullivan and Hope McDonald batted Morrison home. Carmel then added six more runs in the seventh inning.
Morrison was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, driving in four runs and scoring four. Esposito scored six runs and had four hits. Sullivan totaled five RBIs, while Cunningham had four. Ohrvall also had four runs.
The Greyhounds are 13-8 and play Crown Point and Munster today.
CARMEL 27, TERRE HAUTE NORTH 13
Carmel AB R H RBI
Sophie Esposito 6 6 4 1
Ella Ohrvall 6 4 3 0
Kylie Cunningham 4 2 1 4
Lily Sullivan 5 3 3 5
Elsa Morrison 5 4 5 4
Hope McDonald 6 3 3 2
Audrey Hussain 6 3 3 1
Maddie Stacy 5 1 3 2
Mia Flemming 1 0 0 0
Jessica Remm 6 1 2 1
Totals 50 27 27 20
Score by Innings
Carmel 102 675 6 – 27 27 2
TH North 700 140 1 – 13 13 5
HR: Esposito, Morrison, Cunningham. 3B: Morrison. 2B: Hussain, Stacy, Sullivan. SB: Esposito 2, Hussain, McDonald. SAC: Cunningham. HBP: Cunningham.
Carmel pitching IP R ER H
Lucy Broughton 4.1 7 6 8
Paxton Law 0.1 5 5 4
Stacy (W) 2.1 1 1 1
Strikeouts: Broughton 1, Stacy 1. Walks: Stacy 2, Law 1.
Hamilton Heights beat Rensselaer Central 4-1 in the seventh-place game of the Hoosier Conference playoffs Friday at the Bombers’ field.
The Huskies scored one run in the second inning; Kassidy Schakel doubled in Kaylee Rhoton. Heights then added its other three runs in the third inning. Faith Hittle got home on Lily Roush’s RBI groundout, Jessa Steffen singled in Bella Neiling, and Rhoton scored a second run when Schakel reached on error.
Roush pitched a complete game, striking out 11 and allowing just two hits.
The Huskies are 7-12 and play at Sheridan on Monday.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 4, RENSSELAER CENTRAL 1
Heights AB R H RBI
Faith Hittle 3 1 1 0
Alayna Baber 4 0 1 0
Lily Roush 4 0 0 1
Bella Neiling 3 1 1 0
Kaylee Rhoton 1 2 0 0
Jessa Steffen 3 0 1 1
Kassidy Schakel 3 0 1 1
Emma Blanton 2 0 0 0
Savannah Warwick 2 0 0 0
Natalie Newman 1 0 0 0
Morgan Ottinger 1 0 0 0
Totals 27 4 5 3
Score by Innings
Heights 013 000 0 – 4 5 4
Rensselaer 000 100 0 – 1 2 1
2B: Schakel. SB: Hittle.
Heights pitching IP R ER H
Roush 7 1 0 2
Strikeouts: Hittle 11. Walks: Hittle 2.