Millers walk off Royals in high scoring battle to sweep series

By CRAIG ADKINS

For The Reporter

NOBLESVILLE – Thursday’s first game of the Noblesville-Hamilton Southeastern series yielded four runs total.

Game 2 was different. The Royals and Millers combined for seven multi-run innings, including Noblesville’s four-run bottom of the seventh to win in walk-off fashion, 11-10.

The Royals plated three in the first, thanks to leadoff hitter Maddux Bach getting hit by a Joe Glander pitch. Michael Hoog tripled to deep right center for the early 3-0 lead.

“There’s no secret. We’ve struggled offensively to score runs,” said Hamilton Southeastern head coach Kory Seitz. “We’re just trying to be more creative with more bunting and be more aggressive on the bases. I’ve got a lot of kids who are learning by fire right now.”

Cole Schott drove in the first Miller run, scoring Trevor Corbett to make it 3-1.

Noblesville tied it in the second. Zac Glander walked for 3-2 and Corbett grounded an RBI single to center to knot it 3-3.

HSE regained the lead 5-3 in the third. Cy Cole smacked a two-run double to score Jackson Bixler and Parker O’Steen.

The lead stretched to 7-3 in the top of the fourth. Noblesville southpaw reliever Ethan Kang gave up two walks in a short appearance. Kang walked O’Steen and Hoog for the four-run cushion.

Noblesville reliever Trevor Corbett held the Royals in check, for the most part. Aside from a shaky sixth, the senior reliever struck out nine HSE hitters in just 3.2 innings.

“To Trevor’s credit, he gets a strike out, a pop up and a strike out,” said Noblesville head coach Justin Keever. “He could have quit. Things weren’t going well and it didn’t look like it was going to be a good day for the Millers. He just dug deep, found another gear and came back out and keeps us in the ball game.”

The Millers got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. Corbett scored on a Miller sac fly to center, cutting it to 7-4.

Bach led off the sixth getting hit by a pitch and stealing second base.

Bixler and O’Steen then had back-to-back RBI singles that pushed it to 9-4. Hoog had his second extra base hit, a double to right, scoring Adam Wolf for a 10-4 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Corbett led off by reaching on an error. Aiden Reynolds drilled a single into center. Tanner Miller came up with one out and took the first pitch over the fence in left center for a three-run home run, trimming the HSE lead to 10-7.

“Tanner’s three-run homer was huge. It cut that lead in half and kept us in the fight,” said Keever. “All we needed to do was get the first two guys on and then we have the tying run at the plate.”

Joe Glander and Jalen Stidham got the rally started in the bottom of the seventh. Corbett laced an RBI single to center, scoring Glander. Reynolds followed with a hit to shallow right to load the bases. Two pitches later, Cole Schott lined a two-run double to right center, scoring both Zac Glander and Corbett, tying the game 10-10.

“Trevor and Aiden have been exceptional all year long,” Keever said. “Those are two of our better guys.”

Miller sent a grounder to right, sending Reynolds home for the walk-off win.

“Going up to the plate, I had confidence in myself and I knew that all I had to do was ground ball to the right side, put the ball in play and help my team win,” Miller said. “To execute felt amazing.”

Bixler, O’Steen and Hoog all had two hits.

Hamilton Southeastern is 9-14 overall and 0-10 in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.

“I know our record doesn’t reflect it, but we’re in a great spot,” stated Seitz. “They’re learning the hard way how to compete. Now we just have to close a game at this point.”

Noblesville (13-8, 7-3 HCC) won its eighth game in a row. The Millers next play Monday at Kokomo at Municipal Stadium.