THE REPORTER
The Westfield baseball team earned a split with county and Hoosier Crossroads Conference rival Fishers on Thursday, winning 6-2 in a game at the Shamrocks’ field.
The Tigers scored their runs in the top of the second inning. Evan Doran sent a base hit into left field to bring Quinn Seefeldt and Noah McPeek home.
Westfield answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff man Evan Russ was hit by a pitch, then moved to third base on Ty Anderson’s right field double. Nick Alm walked to load the bases, after which Eli Manbeck came in to run for Anderson.
Austin Knott came up to the plate next, and he was safe on a fielder’s choice that sent Russ and Manbeck home. The ‘Rocks loaded the bases again later in the inning, and Alm scored when Alex Rudolph was hit by a pitch.
Westfield added two runs in the third inning. Russ scored on an error, then Anderson got home when Alm hit a sacrifice bunt. The Shamrocks scored one more run in the sixth inning, with Tyler Gentry coming home on Collin Lindsey’s left field hit.
Russ finished with two hits, while Anderson got the pitching win, striking out six over five and two-thirds innings.
McPeek had two hits for Fishers. Kyle Manship pitched four and a third innings in relief, tossing nine strikeouts.
Both teams are 3-3 in conference play. Westfield is 5-5 overall and hosts New Castle on Saturday. The Tigers are 8-7 and play a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Huntington North.
Fishers’ Ben Hammond had one hit for the Tigers. (Richie Hall)
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Noblesville picked up an HCC sweep of Franklin Central on Thursday, beating the Flashes 14-6 at Don Dunker Field.
The Millers scored in every inning in which they batted. In the first inning, Trevor Corbett drew a leadoff walk, then Aiden Reynolds sent him home with a left field home run.
Reynolds struck again in the second inning, as he smacked another left field homer that also brought in Hunter Corbett and Trevor Corbett. In the third inning, Josh Peek hit a sacrifice fly to send Aiden Ramsey home.
Ramsey got a big hit in the fourth inning, a center field double to score Nolan Decker. Hunter Corbett got his own center field hit later in the inning, a two-RBI single to send Jack Shade and Ramsey home. That gave Noblesville a 9-2 lead.
Franklin Central scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the Millers’ lead to 9-6. Noblesville got three runs back in the bottom of the inning: Shade singled in Bryce Riggs, then Decker and Logan Shoffner scored when Ramsey reached on error.
The Millers finished with two runs in the sixth inning. Reynolds batted in Jacob Schlueter with a left field single; it was Reynolds’ sixth RBI of the game. Riggs then got a base hit into center field to score Reynolds.
Shade and Reynolds both had three hits for the game. Riggs went four and a third innings for the win, striking out 10.
Noblesville is 5-1 in the conference and 10-3 overall. The Millers travel to Columbus North on Saturday.
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Hamilton Southeastern dropped a tough game Thursday at Mount Vernon, as the Marauders won 5-4 in nine innings.
The Royals got on the board quickly, with three runs in the top of the first inning. Ty Bradle drew a one-out walk, then moved to second base on Griffen Haas’ single. Cole Earlewine then stepped up to the plate, and smacked a center field home run to send everyone home.
Mount Vernon cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the first. The score would stay there until the top of the sixth: Haas connected on a center field hit to score Bradle and give Southeastern a 4-2 lead.
The Maruaders tied it at 4-4 on a two-RBI single. Mount Vernon won the game in the ninth inning on a walkoff RBI single.
Eli Lantz pitched three innings as the Royals’ starter, striking out six. Ethan Lund also threw six strikeouts in four innings of relief.
Southeastern is 10-6 and hosts Homestead on Monday.
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Sheridan lost a Hoosier Heartland Conference game to Eastern 16-0 in five innings Thursday at home.
The Blackhawks had four hits, one each from Caleb Alexander, Zach Bales, Clinton Slopsema and pitcher Gavin Schwerdtfeger, who threw four strikeouts in three innings.
Sheridan is 0-2 in the conference and 2-6 overall, and plays Tuesday at Frankton.
Sheridan’s Zach Bales had a base hit for the Blackhawks’ during their game with Eastern on Thursday. (Richie Hall)