Fishers comes back to clinch HCC sweep

The REPORTER

It took another come-from-behind victory, but the Fishers baseball team clinched a Hoosier Crossroads Conference sweep after beating Westfield 9-8 last Saturday at the Tigers’ field.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning. The Shamrocks’ Beck Jordan singled in Lincoln Hoffman in the top of the inning, then the Tigers’ Trevor Hall sent Huston Dunn home with a left field hit.

Westfield put up five runs in the second inning for a 6-1 lead. Caden Lindsey hit a bunt that scored Ian Wilson, then Jake Russell got home on an error. Hoffman batted in Lindsey with a right field hit. The ‘Rocks loaded the bases and Hoffman scored when Nick Fero was hit by a pitch. With the bases still loaded, Wilson drew a walk and sent Matt Drozlek home.

Fishers scored four runs in the third inning, cutting Westfield’s lead to 6-5. Dunn scored on Hall’s RBI groundout, then Jase Ruggles’ base hit scored Zander Carnahan and Luke Cherry. Ruggles got home on Mayo Fernandez’s left field hit.

The Shamrocks added two runs in the top of the fourth. Jordan scored the first run on a wild pitch, then Anthony Cimini was brought home by Ethan Colling’s RBI groundout.

The score stayed 8-5 until the bottom of the sixth inning. Brady Carman sent a two-RBI hit into right field to bring in Ruggles and Fernandez, who got on base with a double.

Fishers got down to its final out in the seventh inning, but tied the game when Fernandez sent a base hit into left field, scoring Collin Bumps. Fernandez advanced to third base after singles by Carter Strole and Carman, then Deagan Repp hit a center field single to score Fernandez for the walk-off win.

Fernandez and Carman were both 3-for-4 at the plate, with Repp getting two hits. Owen Lukac pitched the seventh inning for Fishers and got the win, striking out two after inducing a groundout for the first out.

Jordan and Hoffman both had two hits for Westfield.

The Tigers are perfect in the HCC at 6-0 and are 12-2 overall. Fishers plays in the Mudsock series this week, traveling to Hamilton Southeastern’s Ken Seitz Field on Wednesday before hosting the Royals on Thursday. The Tigers play Saturday at Harrison.

The Shamrocks are 4-2 in conference play and 10-3 overall. Westfield hosts Center Grove on Monday, then plays an HCC series with Noblesville, traveling to Dunker Field on Thursday and hosting the Millers on Friday.