By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – Monday night was a nostalgic one at Forest Park’s Logan Field.
Noblesville hosted Hamilton Heights for a ‘turn back the clock’ night at their former home, Forest Park. Noblesville won the game 10-1.
The Millers played home games there starting in the 1950’s before moving to the old baseball field on the west side of the high school campus in the early to mid-1980’s. Dunker Field at Hazel Dell Elementary has been Noblesville baseball’s home since the 1996 season. This information is courtesy of former Noblesville assistant athletic director Tony Oilar.
The Huskies wasted little time as Phoenix Vondersaar singled to lead things off. But, after two consecutive teammates flew and popped out, Vondersaar was picked off at first for the third out.
Over the first few innings, the Millers had six baserunners on and stranded four.
Starter Quinton Black kept the Huskies pretty much at bay over the first five innings, striking out four.
The Millers got their bats going in the fourth. Joe Glander singled to left with two outs, followed by Sam Deno and Brady Bishop walking to load the bases. Then, with a 1-1 count, Trevor Corbett blasted a grand slam approximately 375 to 380 feet onto the first baseline of Emmerson Field (the other field at Forest Park) for a 4-0 lead. This was Corbett’s second grand slam of the season.
Nolan Decker drew a one-out walk in the fifth and was driven in for a 5-0 score from a Tanner Miller double down the right field line.
Heights got three of their five hits in the top of the sixth off of Black. Vondersaar got his third base hit in as many at-bats. Dean Mason singled to center and advanced to second on Vondersaar’s attempt to score from second. Vondersaar would make it halfway down the third baseline and was tagged out from a bullet throw from Blake Widget to Aiden Reynolds.
Nick Hulen also got on with a single to left, sending Mason to third. Black attempted to pick off Hulen at first, overthrowing McCoy Fulk, allowing Mason to score the Huskies’ lone run for 5-1.
Owen Robey came in to pitch for Heights in the fifth and struck out the final two hitters. The Miller half of the sixth was a different story.
The Millers put another handful on the board in the bottom of the sixth, mainly off of Robey walking seven to account for five in the inning.
Freshman Eli Hall retired all three Heights hitters in order in the top of the seventh to close out the game.
Hamilton Heights (5-6) snapped their five-game winning streak. Vondersaar led the Huskies with a 3-for-3. Heights hosts Northwestern at 5:30 p.m. tonight for a Hoosier Conference East game.
Black (1-1) earned the win on the mound, going six frames with four strikeouts, allowing five hits and one earned run. Corbett led the Millers at the plate with a 1-of-2 night, two runs, four RBIs, including the grand slam, along with two walks. Reynolds, Jacob Baker, Decker, Miller, Josh Peek and Fulk each had an RBI.
Noblesville (11-3, 4-0 HCC) gets back to Hoosier Crossroads Conference play tomorrow night at ninth-ranked Westfield (9-5, 4-2 HCC) for a 6 p.m. start.