What better way to help your baseball team get its first Hoosier Crossroads Conference win of the season than by hitting a home run or two?
Bryce Adams got to know that feeling Thursday when Noblesville hosted Avon at Don Dunker Field. Adams smacked two home runs – one of them a grand slam – and totaled seven RBIs in the Millers’ 13-3, five-inning victory over the Orioles.
Noblesville scored seven runs in the second inning. First, Jacob Weiler got home when Mason Bohland reached on an error. Bohland would later score after Dean White was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. On the next play, Josh Kern got home on an RBI fielder’s choice by Drew Niswonger.
Niswonger made it to first base, with Keegan Speek at third. Kolbi Kazmierski then loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. That brought up Adams, and he brought them all home with his right field slam.
Avon got its first run in the top of the third inning. Meanwhile, Adams struck again in the fourth inning. Niswonger and Kazmierski were both walked onto base, and Adams sent another home run into right field, making the score 10-1.
In the fifth inning, the Orioles added two more runs, but Noblesville scored three to end the game. Luke Wilson stole home, then Weiler sent White in to score with a bases-loaded walk. Niswonger moved to third base, and he later scored on a wild pitch, giving the Millers the run-rule victory.
Adams was 2-for-3 at the plate, while Niswonger totaled three runs. Kazmierski also scored twice. Michael Stremlaw pitched four and a third innings for the win, striking out six and allowing only two hits.
The Millers are 1-1 in the conference and 2-4 overall. Noblesville is scheduled to host its own Miller Classic on Saturday, playing St. Xavier at noon and Penn at 3 p.m.
NOBLESVILLE 13, AVON 3
(5 innings)
Noblesville AB R H RBI
Dean White 2 1 0 1
Drew Niswonger 1 3 0 1
Kolbi Kazmierski 2 2 0 0
Bryce Adams 3 2 2 7
Jacob Weiler 0 1 0 1
Mason Bohland 3 1 0 0
Aidan Shoemaker 1 0 0 0
Josh Kern 1 1 1 0
Conner Bloss 1 0 0 0
Caden David 1 0 0 0
Bryce Riggs 3 0 1 0
Keegan Speek 0 1 0 0
Luke Wilson 0 1 0 0
Ethan Leslie 0 0 0 0
Totals 18 13 4 9
Score by Innings
Avon 001 02 – 3 3 3
Noblesville 070 33 – 13 4 3
HR: Adams 2. SB: Kern, Niswonger, White, Wilson. HBP: White 2, Bloss, Kazmierski.
NHS pitching IP R ER H
Michael Stremlaw (W) 4.1 3 0 2
Lucas Stephen 0.2 0 0 1
Strikeouts: Stremlaw 6. Walks: Stremlaw 2.
Fishers earned a split of its HCC series with Class 4A No. 3 Zionsville on Thursday, beating the Eagles 2-1 in an away game.
The Tigers scored both of their runs in the first inning. Joey Brenczewski sent a base hit into left field, then moved to second after Jack Braun drew a walk. After a strikeout, Grant Moritz loaded the bases with his walk. On the next at-bat, Brenczewski and Braun both scored on an error.
Fishers was able to hold the lead for the entire game. Zionsville got one run back in the seventh inning with one out, but Mason Sweeney threw a strikeout for the second out, and the Tigers induced a groundout to finish the game.
Brenczewski went 2-for-3 at the plate, getting the Tigers’ only hits. But Fishers’ pitchers did their jobs: Tate Warner went six innings for the win, striking out eight and allowing only four hits. Sweeney threw the seventh inning and got the save, striking out two.
The Tigers are 1-1 in the conference and 2-4 overall. Fishers will travel to Kokomo tonight to play the Wildkats in their tournament.
FISHERS 2, ZIONSVILLE 1
Fishers AB R H RBI
Joey Brenczewski 3 1 2 0
Jack Braun 2 1 0 0
Dom Oliverio 3 0 0 0
Grant Moritz 2 0 0 0
Tate Warner 3 0 0 0
Jack Brown 3 0 0 0
Zach Cox 3 0 0 0
Kaden Gorak 2 0 0 0
Matt Bryant 2 0 0 0
Totals 23 2 2 0
Score by Innings
Fishers 200 000 0 – 2 2 0
Zionsville 000 000 1 – 1 4 2
SB: Brenczewski.
Fishers pitching IP R ER H
Warner (W) 6 0 0 4
Mason Sweeney (S) 1 1 1 0
Strikeouts: Warner 8, Sweeney 2. Walks: Warner 3, Sweeney 2.
After Brownsburg delivered a tough loss to Hamilton Southeastern on Wednesday, the Royals were hoping to turn the tables on the Bulldogs Thursday when the two teams met at Ken Seitz Field for the second game of the HCC series.
Brownsburg built an early lead before Southeastern worked its way back into the game and then threatened to pull ahead. But the Bulldogs held on for a 9-7 win, scoring a sweep of the series.
“The kids kept battling, but we’re in a situation where we’ve got a lot of kids that are growing up very quickly in the HCC,” said HSE coach Jeremy Sassanella. There are several new players on the Royals team this season, players that Sassanella said are “getting their feet wet” in the conference, one of the more difficult baseball conferences in the state.
Brownsburg jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, hitting three doubles along the way. In the bottom of the inning, Peyton Lusby reached on error, then moved to third base when Hunter Dilts hit a double. Both were sent home after Cole Earlewine hit a center field single.
Neither team scored again until the fourth inning. The Bulldogs added two runs; the Royals got one back when Dilts was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Payton Hilfiker.
Brownsburg scored a run in the top of the fifth inning to lead 8-3. Southeastern then made a big comeback in the bottom of the inning. Jason Dettman drew a bases-loaded walk to send Earlewine home, then Landon Riekhof scored on a wild pitch.
Noah Wolf was batting when Riekhof scored, and Wolf sent another run home, as his left field single got Hilfiker home. Lusby then hit a double to score Dettman. The Royals loaded the bases when Dilts was walked, but the Bulldogs got the next two outs to end the inning.
Brownsburg scored one more run in the seventh inning on an RBI double. Southeastern got runners on first and second in the seventh inning, but again, the Bulldogs got the last two outs.
Dilts was 2-for-2 at the plate, with both of his hits doubles. Earlewine also finished with two hits and drove in two runs, while Lusby had two hits as well.
“The thing with our schedule and the thing with the HCC is, it doesn’t give us a whole lot of margin for error,” said Sassanella. “I think our kids’ minds are in the right place, even as tough as the last two nights have been. We’re going to continue to encourage them, we’re going to work with them. I think they’ll take the challenge.”
The Royals are 2-3-1 and are scheduled to host Pendleton Heights on Saturday afternoon.
BROWNSBURG 9, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 7
Southeastern AB R H RBI
Noah Wolf 4 0 1 1
Peyton Lusby 5 1 2 1
Hunter Dilts 2 1 2 1
J.T. Mutchner 5 0 0 0
Cole Earlewine 5 1 2 2
Landon Riekhof 3 1 1 0
Payton Hilfiker 1 2 0 0
J. Bush 3 0 0 0
Christian Beal 1 0 0 0
Jason Dettman 1 1 0 1
Ty Bradle 0 0 0 0
Totals 30 7 8 6
Score by Innings
Brownsburg 500 210 1 – 9 10 1
Southeastern 200 140 0 – 7 8 1
2B: Dilts 2, Lusby. SB: Wolf, Bradle. HBP: Dilts, Riekhof.
HSE pitching IP R ER H
Colin St. Clair 1 5 5 3
Logan Callaghan 3 2 2 3
Cam Howard 1 1 0 1
Dettman 2 1 1 3
Strikeouts: Dettman 3, Howard 2. Walks: Callaghan 3, St. Clair 2, Howard 1.