By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – On a picture-perfect Wednesday evening at Carmel’s Cherry Tree Softball Complex, both Noblesville and the Greyhounds got to show off their offense.
The Millers won the all-county game 14-8. Noblesville led 11-0 after the top of the fourth inning, but Carmel made a tremendous run in the bottom of the fourth, scoring eight runs. The Millers added runs in the next two innings, allowing them to hold on for the victory.
Noblesville jumped on top early with four runs in the first inning. Delaney Rundle scored on a passed ball, then the Millers hit back-to-back home runs. Mack Harvey went first with a center field blast, also sending Reis Sjoholm in to score. Erin Clark was up next, and she sent a 0-2 ball over the left field fence.
The Millers went on to score runs in each of the first six innings. That included two more in the second; Addi Emmerson went home on Sjoholm’s RBI groundout, then Rundle scored on a passed ball. Bella Schatko singled in Clark for a third-inning run.
Noblesville cranked up its bats in the fourth inning with two more homers. Fowler sent a right field hit over the fence for a solo home run, then Thompson cracked one into center field, also bringing in Clark. Emmerson added another RBI when she doubled in Schatko.
With that, the Millers led 11-0. Then Carmel got going. Hope McDonald went first, with a triple to score Jayden Kleiner.
McDonald was soon home, as Lily Sullivan scored her with a right field base hit. Bella Davis singled in Sullivan for a third run, then later scored on Ella Weir’s RBI fielder’s choice. Grace Erickson was next, with a single to score Alex Longstreth.
That brought up Sophie Esposito, and she blasted a three-run homer into left field, scoring Weir and Erickson. Just like that, the Greyhounds were within 11-8.
Noblesville got a run back in the fifth inning when Harvey doubled in Sjoholm. In the sixth inning, Thompson led off with her second home run of the game, then Schatko scored to give the Millers their 14th run.
“I liked it,” said Noblesville coach Deke Bullard. “I definitely liked that we responded. They’re a good team. And sometimes the ball bounces your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Tonight it bounced our way the majority of the time and then the one inning it bounced their way a lot. Take nothing away from them. They played a good game. I think we were just fortunate to get a few more runners and a few more bats on the ball in order to take care of business.”
Seven Noblesville batters had two hits. Lulu Van Beek got the pitching win, with four strikeouts over three and a third innings.
Broughton, McDonald and Sullivan all finished with two hits. Broughton pitched six and two-thirds innings, also striking out four.
“It can be done,” said Carmel coach Ginger Britton. She said the Greyhounds’ big fourth inning shows that the team has the potential to score multiple runs in an inning. “We talked a lot about just passing the bat, so that’s going to be the focus going forward is making sure that we continue to work on that,” she said.
Noblesville is 3-2 and plays Saturday morning at Lawrence North. The Greyhounds are 1-4 and play at New Palestine on Friday.
NOBLESVILLE 14, CARMEL 8
Noblesville AB R H RBI
Delaney Rundle 3 2 0 0
Reis Sjoholm 5 2 2 1
Gabby Fowler 3 1 2 1
Nevaeh Nash 0 0 0 0
Mack Harvey 5 1 2 3
Macie Duvall 0 0 0 0
Erin Clark 3 3 2 1
Makayla Jacquay 1 0 0 0
Taylor Thompson 4 2 2 3
Bella Schatko 3 2 2 1
Addi Emerson 2 1 2 1
Tatum Ball 3 0 0 0
Haley Schatko 1 0 0 0
Totals 33 14 14 11
HR: Thompson 2, Clark, Fowler, Harvey. 2B: Emmerson, Harvey. SB: Rundle 3, Sjoholm 2, Clark, Emmerson. HBP: Emmerson, B. Schatko.
NHS pitching IP R ER H
Claire Cullen 1.0 0 0 0
Emme Yee 0.0 4 4 2
Lulu Van Beek (W) 3.1 4 4 4
Roslyn Ervin 2.2 0 0 3
Strikeouts: Van Beek 4, Cullen 1, Ervin 1. Walks: Ervin 2, Yee 1, Van Beek 1.
Carmel AB R H RBI
Sophie Esposito 4 1 2 3
Jayden Kleiner 4 1 1 0
Hope McDonald 3 1 2 1
Lily Sullivan 4 1 2 1
Mia Fleming 4 0 0 0
Bella Davis 4 1 1 1
Alex Longstreth 3 1 0 0
Ella Weir 3 1 0 1
Lucy Broughton 1 0 0 0
Grace Erickson 1 1 1 1
Totals 31 8 9 8
HR: Esposito. 3B: McDonald. SB: Weir.
Carmel pitching IP R ER H
Broughton 6.2 10 8 11
Erickson 0.1 4 4 3
Strikeouts: Broughton 4. Walks: Broughton 3, Erickson 2.
Score by innings
Noblesville 421 412 0 – 14 14 1
Carmel 000 800 0 – 8 9 1