Baseball roundup: Blazers win conference game, Carmel blasts LN in 8 innings

The REPORTER

The University baseball team took care of Muncie Burris 10-0 in a five-inning Pioneer Conference game Thursday at Roundtripper Academy.

The Trailblazers scored four runs in the first inning, which included RBI singles from Beckett Suh and Charlie Ranek. After scoring a third-inning run, University took care of business in the fourth inning with five runs. Cooper Burnett and Ryan Castetter both smacked RBI doubles, then Ranek got the Blazers to 10 runs with a triple that brought in Cooper Cammack and Suh.

Ranek totaled three RBIs, while Burnett finished with two doubles. Cam Rady pitched all five innings, striking out eight against two hits and two walks.

University is 4-5 for the season, but the Trailblazers play a tough schedule as they try to prepare for the state tournament.

“I’m not concerned with wins and losses,” said University coach Chris Estep. “I’m concerned with how we compete and how we play, and that we are able to play the game as fast as our abilities will allow us to play.”

The Trailblazers’ next scheduled game is Saturday afternoon against Noblesville at the Miller’s Don Dunker Field.

***

Carmel erupted for seven runs in the eighth inning at Lawrence North on Thursday, giving the Greyhounds a 13-6 victory.

The Greyhounds scored twice in the first inning. Evan Vogt tripled in Gabe Mathison, then scored on Parker Heaney’s RBI groundout. The Wildcats scored two in the second inning, but Carmel came back with two runs in the third, one each from Jay Stein and Mathison.

Lawrence North got a fourth-inning run, and Carmel answered again with a fifth-inning run to lead 5-3. Vogt was brought in by Heaney’s center field hit. The Wildcats cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, but the ‘Hounds went up 6-4 in the sixth after Joseph Cunningham singled in Anthony Back.

Lawrence North scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning, tying the game at 6-6 and sending it to extra innings. Carmel only needed one extra inning, though. Back singled in Heaney for the go-ahead run, Jackson Harris batted in Nate Steele with a center field hit. Stein drove a double into left field to score Back and Cunningham, then Mathison’s double scored Harris. Stein got home on Vogt’s RBI groundout, and Heaney’s left field hit sent Mathison home.

Heaney batted in three runs, while Mathison totaled two doubles. Nolan Sunsdahl got the pitching win.

The Greyhounds are 4-4 and play a doubleheader at Louisville Trinity on Saturday.

***

Westfield picked up a nice Hoosier Crossroads Conference win at Brownsburg Thursday, 10-7.

The Shamrocks put up three runs in the first inning. Beck Jordan doubled in Drew Law, then Ian Wilson hit a two-run single to score Lincoln Hoffman and Law.

Westfield followed that with three more runs in the second inning. Anthony Cimini doubled Johnny Ewing home, then scored when Hoffman reached on an error. Jordan batted in Law with a left field hit to give the ‘Rocks a 6-0 lead.

The Bulldogs came back to tie the game at 6-6 by the fourth inning. Cimini put Westfield back in front in the fifth inning with left field hit to score Nick Fero. Hoffman led off the sixth inning with a double, then got home on Wilson’s sacrifice fly.

Jordan finished the scoring in the seventh inning by smacking a left field double to bring home Cimini and Caden Lindsey. Cimini went 4-for-4 in the game, while Jordan was 3-for-5 at the plate, totaling four RBIs. Both Cimini and Jordan hit two doubles.

James Kovacs pitched 3.1 innings for the win, striking out five.

The Shamrocks are 3-0 in the conference and 8-1 overall. Westfield hosts Brownsburg at 6 p.m. tonight to complete the HCC series.

***

Sheridan held off Western Boone 8-7 to win a Thursday home game.

The Blackhawks began with three runs in the first inning. Dayne Voege singled Braelan Bochner home, then Jack Oland cracked a double to score Voege. Jacob Hall hit a left field to bring in Oland.

Both teams scored a run in the second inning; Voege blasted a double to score Bochner and give Sheridan a 4-1 lead. The ‘Hawks added two runs in the fourth inning, as Gavin Schwerdtfeger scored on a wild pitch, then Austin Hinshaw got home on Chance Spencer’s sacrifice fly.

WeBo erupted for six runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-6 lead. But Sheridan came back in the sixth inning: Caleb Alexander singled in Landon Cook to tie the game, then Bochner scored the go-ahead run when Oland hit a sacrifice fly.

Hall and Bochner also hit doubles. Starting pitcher Voege threw nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings, while Bochner got the win in relief, allowing one hit in 2.1 innings.

The Blackhawks are 2-4 and play Saturday morning at Shortridge.

***

Hamilton Southeastern dropped a 5-1 HCC game at Zionsville Thursday.

The Eagles scored their first run in the bottom of the second inning. The Royals got a run in the top of the fourth when Ty Earlewine got home on an error. But Zionsville took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single and stayed in front from there.

Trey McManama hit two doubles.

Southeastern is 0-3 in HCC play and 4-6 overall. The Royals host Zionsville tonight to finish the conference series.