THE REPORTER
The Fishers softball team clinched a share of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship on Thursday by beating Zionsville 13-1 in five innings.
The Tigers scored two runs in the first inning, then added four in the second, five in the third and two in the fourth. Hailey Trueblood had a perfect hitting night, going 4-for-4, including a triple. Trueblood batted in three runs and scored three more.
Jenna Grubb was also perfect for Fishers, going up to the plate three times and hitting three doubles. She also scored three runs and batted in another three. Kate Murray included a triple among her two hits, totaling three RBIs. Kendall Jordan scored two runs. Murray pitched all five innings, striking out seven.
The Tigers finished their regular season by hosting Pendleton Heights on Friday. The game ended in a 5-5 tie during the top of the fifth inning.
Both teams scored three runs in the third inning. Brooke Johnson got Fishers on the board with a two-run triple, bringing in Victoria Abel and Trueblood. Murray drove in Johnson with a single.
In the fourth inning, Jordan led off with a single, then Taylor Duplessis hit a double, moving Jordan to third base. Sophie Schoch sent them both home with a center field hit; she finished 3-for-3 at the plate.
Trueblood had two hits. Murray got the pitching win, striking out eight.
The Tigers finished conference play tied for first with Avon; both teams had 5-2 records. It’s the first time in school history that Fishers has won an HCC championship. Overall, the Tigers are 15-7-1 and play Hamilton Southeastern Monday in the first round of the Noblesville sectional.
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Hamilton Southeastern finished the regular season with two wins late this week.
On Thursday, the Royals sailed past Ben Davis 17-2 in five innings. Southeastern rung up nine runs in the first inning, including two-run home runs from Morgan Hicks and Sayla Stock. The Royals then scored four runs in both the second and fifth innings.
Addy Justice, Payton Fox and Jenna Chase all had two hits, with Justice, Reese Garland, Ashley Ransom and Fox each hitting one double. Ransom pitched four innings for the win, striking out five.
The Royals beat Yorktown 2-0 on Friday in another five-inning game, this one due to weather. Southeastern scored a run in the second inning when Alex Kiemeyer doubled in Madi Yankauskas, then added a third-inning run when Fox hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Lani Wyrick.
Yankauskas finished the game with two hits. Grace Swedarsky pitched all five innings, striking out 12.
The Royals are 19-7 and play Fishers Monday in the first round of Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville.
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Noblesville got a big win at Lafayette Jefferson on Thursday, beating the Bronchos 14-4 in an away game.
The Millers also made some history, too. Gabby Fowler hit her 15th home run of the season to lead off the seventh inning. With that, Fowler became Noblesville’s new single-season home run leader, breaking the old record of 14 set by Ella White in 2019.
The Millers scored four runs in the first inning, then put up six more in the second inning. Reis Sjoholm and Fowler both had three hits, while Delaney Rundle, Mack Harvey and Addi Emerson all had two hits. Rundle cracked a triple, while Taylor Thompson and Harvey both hit a double.
Harvey drove in four runs, with Fowler batting in three and Emmerson two. Sjoholm, Rundle and Fowler all scored three runs, with Harvey scoring two.
Claire Cullen went five innings for the pitching win, striking out five.
Noblesville finished the regular season 14-10-1 and will host Class 4A Sectional 8 next week. The Millers play Wednesday in the semifinals, taking on the winner of Monday’s Carmel-Westfield game.
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Hamilton Heights cruised past Alexandria 10-1 in a Thursday away game that completed the Huskies’ regular season. The game was called after four innings.
Heights scored one run in each of the first three innings. Kaylee Rhoton batted in the first run, as her center field hit scored Lily Roush. Morgan Ottinger got home on Emma Blanton’s RBI groundout, then Kaylee Rhoton doubled in Roush in the third inning.
The Huskies erupted for seven runs in the fourth inning. Three walks loaded the bases, then Lily Cash’s RBI groundout brought in Ottinger. Taya Trosper and Blanton both scored on wild pitches, then Rhoton batted in Hailey Hall with a center field hit. Kassidy Schakel’s sacrifice fly sent Roush home for her third run of the game, then Ottinger tripled in Rhoton and Isabella Morrow.
Rhoton was 3-for-3 at the plate. Roush pitched all four innings, striking out 10 and allowing just one hit.
Heights finished the regular season 16-8, and plays Shortridge Monday in the first round of Class 3A Sectional 27 at Bishop Chatard.
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Westfield beat McCutcheon 8-6 on Thursday to finish the regular season.
The Shamrocks scored two runs in the first inning. Maggie Roh and Makayla Watson started things off with base hits, then Roh got home on Ava Kainrath’s RBI groundout. Watson later scored on Cara Snedeker’s RBI groundout.
The Mavericks doubled in a run in the third inning, then scored two in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. But the Shamrocks put up five in the bottom of the fifth and never trailed again. Snedeker doubled in Watson to tie the game, then Annika Lawrence got home on Grace Fanelli’s RBI groundout to put Westfield in front. Snedeker went home when Sofia Easterhaus reached on error, Chloe Tanner got a right field base hit, then Avery Banas doubled in Easterhaus and Tanner.
The ’Rocks added one more run in the sixth inning. Kainrath got on base with a double, then Marisa Stormer came in to run for her. Snedeker singled in Stormer with a right field hit.
Banas was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3. Watson and Snedeker both had two hits.
Westfield is 14-13 and plays Carmel Monday in the first round of Class 4A Sectional 8 at Noblesville.
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Carmel dropped a 7-6 game at Greenfield-Central on Thursday to finish the regular season.
The Greyhounds scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Lily Sullivan hit a double, and was home seconds later after Hope McDonald hit a home run into left field. The Cougars got a run back in the bottom of the first, but Carmel put up two more runs in the top of the second inning. Mia Fleming drove in Ella Weir with a left field hit, and Katherine Warren scored after McDonald reached on error.
Greenfield came back in the third inning, scoring four runs to take a 5-4 lead. McDonald struck again in the fifth inning with her second homer of the day, this one into center field. Alex Longstreth also scored. With that, the ‘Hounds led 6-5. But the Cougars tied the game in the sixth inning with a home run, then a walk off double won the game in the seventh.
Bella Davis was 3-for-4 at the plate, including two doubles. McDonald and Weir both had two hits.
Carmel is 6-15 and plays Westfield Monday in the first round of the Noblesville sectional.
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Sheridan fell to Tri-Central 10-4 Thursday in the Blackhawks’ final game at the Hoosier Heartland Conference tournament.
Sheridan scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Mariana Lopez drove in Jacquellynne Bates with a right field hit, and Claudia Headlee brought in Abbi Merritt with a single.
The Trojans scored nine runs in the bottom of the first inning. The ‘Hawks added a run in the second when Chaney Smith batted in Emma Settles with a center field hit. Settles led off the fourth inning with a triple, then Smith doubled her in.
Ashlynn Tryon was 3-for-3 at the plate, with Smith, Headlee and Settles all getting two hits. Maelei Casler pitched a complete game, striking out four.
Sheridan is 3-24 and plays Indiana School for the Deaf tonight.
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Guerin Catholic had a tough finish to the regular season, dropping back-to-back games.
On Thursday, the Golden Eagles lost to Lawrence North 18-0 in five innings. Lauren Brady had two hits for Guerin Catholic, while Natalie Eiler had one.
The Golden Eagles hosted Scecina on Friday, and fell 7-4. The game was called after three innings.
The Crusaders scored a run in the top of the first inning, but Guerin Catholic put up three runs in the bottom of the inning. Lucy Kemp singled in Brady, then Kemp and Kate Brady both got home on Eiler’s RBI groundout.
Scecina tied the game at 3-3 with two runs in the second inning, then added four runs in the top of the third. The Golden Eagles got one run back in the bottom of the third when Anna Mauch scored after Lilli Everts drew a bases-loaded walk.
Lauren Brady finished with two hits. Eiler pitched all three innings, striking out five.
Guerin Catholic finished the regular season 2-14. The Golden Eagles will play at Bishop Chatard Tuesday in the semifinals of Sectional 27, hosted by the Trojans.