Hamilton Heights scored two runs in the fifth inning to get past Alexandria 2-1 in a Tuesday home game.
The Tigers got their run in the first inning. The Huskies tied the game when Cole Meyer hit a left field double to send Alex Roth home. Gabe Reel then singled up left field to score Meyer and give Heights the lead.
Reel finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate. Ike Peterson got the complete game win, tossing seven strikeouts.
“What a gutty character win,” said Heights coach JR Moffatt. “After last night (a fifth inning defensive implosion) I wasn’t sure how we would respond. I give the kids all the credit, they could’ve pouted and felt sorry for themselves but they came back and went to work. The two pitchers we faced tonight were a combined 8-1, we only had three hits. For our seniors to get on and drive in the two runs was fitting for Senior Night. I have been blessed to have seven great young men with high character representing the senior class in my first go round as a varsity coach. I don’t know what we will do without them.”
“We have three games this week to get ready for tournament play and this was a great step in the right direction.”
On Monday, Guerin Catholic ran away from Heights in the fifth inning, eventually winning 9-5.
The Huskies scored the game’s first run, with Cole Meyer scoring on a fielder’s choice by Gabe Reel. Sam Fulton then hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.
The Golden Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Bennett Ely scored on an error. In the top of the fifth, Michael Cross singled in Luke Thesier, making the score 3-1. Thesier got on base with a triple.
Guerin opened up the game in the bottom of the fifth with seven runs. Sam Lewandowski got home after Brendan Downey reached on error, then Keenan Taylor’s line drive scored Max Engelking. Downey scored on Ely’s RBI groundout, which gave GC a 4-3 lead.
Owen Hargrave made the score 5-3 after his left field hit got Taylor in. Jake Andriole got home on a wild pitch, then Sam Lewandowski reached on error, sending Hargrave and Nick Bingman in to score and run the Golden Eagles’ lead to 8-3.
Guerin Catholic moved its lead to 9-3 in the sixth inning after Bingman doubled in Ely. The Huskies scored twice in the top of the seventh: Thesier scored on an error and Reel singled in Meyer. Engelking threw two strikeouts to end the game and give him the complete game win; he finished with eight strikeouts.
Ely had two hits for the Golden Eagles and was one of four GC players to hit a double, along with Andriole, Bingman and Lewandowski. Meyer, Cross and Fulton all got two hits for Heights, with Sam Rupe, Fulton and Meyer all hitting a double.
Guerin Catholic is 10-11 for the season and hosts Covenant Christian at 5:30 p.m. today. The Huskies are 12-9 and host Sheridan on Friday.
Westfield beats Kokomo
Westfield beat Kokomo 3-2 in a Monday home game.
The Shamrocks scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Matthew Meyer’s double got Luke Hutson home, then Sam Eaton hit a sacrifice fly to score Meyer.
The Wildkats tied the game in the top of the fifth with a two-run single, but Westfield got the lead back in the bottom of the inning when Logan McClurg scored on a fielder’s choice RBI by Sam Eaton.
Meyer and Trey Anderson both had two hits. Anderson got the pitching win, with McClurg throwing the seventh inning and getting the save.
“Payton Tamm gave us another quality start,” said ‘Rocks coach Ryan Bunnell. “Trey Anderson had another good day at the plate and pitched us out of a jam in the fifth. Matthew Meyer had a good day for us both defensively and offensively. We played a pretty clean game, a few base running mistakes but overall a pretty clean game which is key for us. We have to understand our margin for error isn’t as big as some other teams we’ll see. So it is good to be coming around as we head into sectional play soon.”
Westfield is 11-12 and travels to McCutcheon today for a 6 p.m. game.
University clinches PAAC championship
University clinched the Pioneer Conference championship on Tuesday by beating Liberty Christian 10-0.
The Trailblazers got on the board by scoring six runs in the second inning. Asher Thompson started the scoring with a three-run double, then Brock Moore later hit a two-RBI single. Ryan Williams added his own two-run hit in the third inning.
Moore, Williams and Tyler Galyean all had two hits for University, with Thompson and Williams totaling three RBIs. Nate Shatkowski got the pitching win, striking out five in four innings and allowing just one hit.
On Monday, University beat Cardinal Ritter 7-5.
Both teams scored twice in the first inning. The Trailblazers went first: Ben Ewer singled in Garrett Hill, then was scored by Tyler Galyean’s line drive. University added two more runs in the top of the second, with Kolton Stevens scoring on an error, then Ryan Williams getting home after Dawson Estep reached on error.
The Raiders took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the second, but the ‘Blazers took it right back in the top of the third. Galyean scored Ewer on a center field hit, then Cade Carlson’s double got Galyean home. University scored one more run in the seventh, with Williams’ single sending in Asher Thompson.
Carlson was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, with Ewer, Galyean and Williams all getting two hits. Brock Moore pitched six innings for the win, with nine strikeouts. Hill threw the seventh inning for the save.
The Trailblazers are 20-5 and host Park Tudor at 5:30 p.m. today.
Big fourth inning sends Fishers to victory
Fishers won at Columbus North Monday night by a score of 7-3.
The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers scored first with two runs in the first inning. JJ Woolwine walked to leadoff the game and later stole second in front of Kiel Brenczewski’s RBI single to left. Alex Jamieson blooped an RBI single in over the third basemen’s head into left field to score Brenczewski. Both runs scored with two outs. The Columbus North Bulldogs answered back with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and another run in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead.
The Tigers exploded with five runs in the fourth inning. After the first two batters were retired, Jack Roudebush and Ben Burton worked back-to-back walks to start the two-out rally. Woolwine then reached on an error by the first basemen, which allowed Roudebush to score and tie the game at three. Craig Yoho delivered the big blow in the inning, a three-run home run over the scoreboard in left field. Yoho’s homerun was his fifth of the season. Two batters later, Brenczewski connected on an RBI double off the centerfield fence to score Richardson who had reached on an error.
Yoho finished with two hits (home run and double) and 3 RBI. Brenczewski also delivered a two-hit night (single and double) and two RBIs. Alex Jamieson contributed the other Tiger RBI and hit.
Mason Thomas (4-0) settled down after a shaky first two innings for the victory on the mound. Thomas pitched five innings, striking out two while allowing one earned run on four hits. Griffin Rhoads pitched a perfect 1-2-3 sixth inning, and Alex Klotz worked a scoreless seventh inning.
The Tiger defense played well all night, including an outfield assistant from Richardson who threw out a Bulldog runner at the plate in the seventh inning.
The victory was the Tigers 20th of the season, giving them four 20-win seasons in the past seven years. The Tigers have also had a winning record in six of the last eight seasons for a 153-95-1 overall record during that time.
The sixth-ranked Tigers will wrap up their regular season with a three-game Hoosier Crossroads Conference series against No. 7-ranked Zionsville this weekend. The Tigers will host the Eagles at 6 p.m. on Thursday and noon on Saturday, and will travel to Zionsville on Friday for a 6 p.m. game.
The three-game series will determine the HCC championship. If Zionsville wins the series, they will clinch the conference outright. If Fishers wins two of three, then the two teams will be co-champs. If Fishers sweeps the series, they will clinch the conference outright.