By RICHIE HALL
The Carmel softball team hosted its annual Invitational last weekend.
Noblesville also participated in the invitational, which features some of the toughest competition across the state. While the Greyhounds and the Millers dropped all of their games at the event, both teams battled throughout the tournament and were able to find positives.
Carmel played four games at its tournament, starting with a 13-4 loss to Lake Central last Friday. The Indians were in control from the beginning, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. The Greyhounds answered with two runs in the bottom of the first; Paxton Law singled in Ellie Goddard and Jayden Kleiner with a right field hit.
Law blasted a solo home run in the fourth inning, while Kayden Dierks scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning.
Carmel played three more games last Saturday. The Hounds dropped their first game 9-6 to Penn, last season’s Class 4A state champions.
The Kingsmen never trailed, scoring seven runs during the first two innings. Carmel scored a run in the bottom of the first, with Mia Fleming driving in Goddard with a right field hit.
The Greyhounds produced a big inning in the fourth, scoring four runs. Goddard started the run with a two-out double, then Kleiner batted her in with a left field hit. Kathryn Merryman came in to run for Kleiner, and Fleming doubled her to third base. Law followed that with another double, scoring both Merryman and Fleming, then Dierks scored Law with a right field hit.
Kleiner got Carmel’s final run of the game, getting home on a wild pitch. She went 3-for-3 at the plate, with Goddard, Fleming and Law all getting two hits. Gracyn Erickson threw a complete game with four strikeouts.
Break it up
The Greyhounds then played Roncalli, last year’s 4A runner-up. Carmel held the Royals to a 2-0 victory, with Roncalli scoring both of its runs in the fifth inning.
The Royals’ Addison Poe had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning, but Goddard broke it up with a one-out double.
“We had a great defensive effort,” said Greyhounds coach Stephanie Kleiner. “We turned a couple of double plays. We were heads up in the field and our outfield played great as well.”
Carmel took on Avon to finish the tournament. The Orioles won 14-10, holding off a Hounds comeback.
Carmel scored two runs in the first inning. Goddard smacked a one-out double, then Fleming blasted a home run into center field.
The Orioles led 12-2 after three innings. Jayden Kleiner stepped up in the fourth inning and cracked a three-run home run, also scoring Alex Longstreth and Goddard. The Greyhounds scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth: Katherine Warren bunted Merryman home, Winni Owens sent a two-run homer into center field, also scoring Warren, and Kleiner singled Longstreth home. Merryman hit a seventh-inning sacrifice fly to score Law.
Law hit a triple, while Merryman hit a double. Goddard, Kleiner, Fleming and Owens all had two hits.
The Greyhounds are 4-11 and play at Zionsville Wednesday, host Tri-West Thursday and play at Guerin Catholic Friday. Stephanie Kleiner said the season is “one step at a time,” noting that two of Carmel’s pitchers are sophomores who were unable to play due to injuries as freshmen.
“Our infield is two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior,” said Kleiner. “These are what we’re looking to build. While our senior class does lead us in the outfield and in the dugout, we’re building for the future.”
Late rallies
Noblesville began play at the Carmel Invitational last Friday with a 9-3 loss to Penn.
The Kingsmen scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, then put up seven runs in the second inning and one more in the fourth. The Millers made a late rally by scoring all three of their runs in the seventh. Makayla Jacquay’s right field hit sent Bella Hughes home, Addi Emmerson singled Gabby Fowler in, then Izzy Zapp’s center field hit drove in Jacquay.
Emerson and Delaney Rundle both finished with two hits. Lulu Van Beek pitched four and two-thirds innings, striking out four.
Noblesville played two games last Saturday. First, the Millers fell to Cathedral 7-2. Emmerson singled in Hughes for a fourth inning run, then Rundle scored on Chloe Vetter’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The Millers finished by playing Castle, falling 11-8. The Knights scored five runs in the first two innings; Noblesville got on the board with two in the bottom of the second after Zapp drove in Emmerson and Macie Duvall. Rundle scored Reese Newsom in the fourth inning with a double, then Emmerson sent Nevaeh Nash home with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly.
Castle led 11-4 midway through the sixth before the Millers rallied. Fowler blasted a three-run home run in the sixth inning, scoring Zapp and Jacquay. Newsome hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to bring Mack Harvey home.
Fowler went 3-for-4 at the plate. Jacquay, Emmerson and Zapp all had two hits.
Despite the losses, Noblesville coach Deke Bullard said his team “got a lot of things out of this weekend.”
“We’re young,” said Bullard. “We got a young team. We got a lot of freshmen in our dugout. Just learning the pace of this game is always a challenge and I think we saw a lot of that this weekend.”
Noblesville is 6-6 and plays six games this week, starting with home stands against New Palestine Monday and Westfield on Tuesday.