Baseball: Tigers, Shamrocks set for sectional championship rematch

By RICHARD TORRES

For The Reporter

CARMEL – Westfield senior Luke Collinsworth made sure to keep the game ball on Friday night at Carmel’s Hartman Field.

And rightfully so.

After retiring the first eight batters he faced, Collinsworth navigated an 11-strikeout, 111-pitch, complete-game no-hitter to shut out 12^th-ranked Carmel, 5-0, during the Class 4A Sectional 8 semifinals.

The no-hitter was the first of his career, completed the 11^th-ranked Shamrocks (20-9) two-game season sweep of Carmel (18-9) and set up a sectional championship rematch with fourth-ranked Fishers (25-5) on Monday night.

The Tigers, who lost to Westfield in last year’s title game on a home-run robbing catch by outfielder Nick Fero, defeated ninth-ranked Zionsville (19-9) in the evening’s first semifinal, 5-4.

The Shamrocks relied on some postseason magic by their right-handed starter to beat Carmel after winning 4-1 on the same field on April 21.

“Yeah, it was really special. I wanted it, and I know my teammates behind me wanted to finish it, wanted me to finish that last inning,” Collinsworth said. “To get those three outs, to get a strikeout and my defense making some great plays behind me, it was really awesome.”

Collinsworth walked six batters, and a runner reached first on an error in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but he stranded a pair with a strikeout and a groundout to shortstop.

“I mean, wow. Luke was in total control all night,” Westfield coach Ryan Bunnell said. “He was able to drop the breaking ball in at any count, and his ability to do that really helps his fastball.”

The Shamrocks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-out rally sparked by junior Beck Jordan’s (1-for-3) double followed by an RBI single from junior Gavin Russ (2-for-4, 3 RBI).

Westfield had a four-run top of the fourth. The Shamrocks loaded the bases six times in the game and sent 10 hitters to the plate during their decisive frame.

Sophomore Lincoln Hoffman drove in two runs in the fourth.

“You’ve certainly got to be lucky to get through this sectional, and I don’t know if a team necessarily wins Sectional 8, it’s almost like Sectional 8 chooses you,” Bunnell said. “It’s going to be another battle with Fishers, and they’re a heck of a ball club, so we’ll enjoy this and then get to work for Monday.”

The Tigers swept the Eagles during their Hoosier Crossroads Conference series and survived a tug-of-war to complete the sweep.

Fishers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out RBI triple by senior Luke Cherry (1-for-3).

A two-run top of the second broke a 1-1 tie, as senior Deagan Repp (1-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 stolen bases) laced a two-run single into right field with two outs.

The Eagles tied the game 3-3 with a two-run rally in the bottom of the second.

The Tigers reclaimed the advantage in the top of the sixth by loading the bases and scoring a crucial run when Repp was hit by a pitch with two outs.

In the top of the seventh, senior Trevor Hall added an insurance run with an RBI groundout, scoring senior Zander Carnahan from third base.

“This is what they do. I think this is our 10^th one-run win. The guys just fight, man. They fight nonstop. I’ve never coached a team like this that literally does not care who does it. They just want to win,” Fishers coach Matthew Cherry said. “They’ll take extra bases. They’ll get hit by pitches. They just find ways to win, and it’s pretty incredible.”

Senior right-hander Reid Garber (8-0) extended his flawless streak by pitching 3.0 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.

Garber has gone 32.0 innings without an earned run allowed, and he retired the first six batters he faced after entering in the bottom of the fourth. He surrendered one hit.

“It just feels amazing. The past three years I’ve been on JV, so it’s my first year, and we’re just winning games,” Garber said. “I’m trying to go to state right now. I’m just trying to go out there to get our team wins, just making sure we have the best chance possible.”