Rocks find a way, repeat at sectional

By RICHARD TORRES

For The Reporter

CARMEL – After Westfield’s no-hit win against Carmel during the semi-final round Friday night, Shamrocks coach Ryan Bunnell shared the secret to winning one of the state’s toughest sectionals.

“It’s almost like Sectional 8 chooses you,” Bunnell revealed after his team advanced into the final.

On Monday night in a championship rematch with Class 4A No. 4 Fishers at Carmel’s Hartman Field, Sectional 8 decided it was No. 11 Westfield’s time once again – for a second year in a row.

Last year, the Shamrocks (21-9) defeated the Tigers (25-6) in dramatic fashion at Dunker Field to win their sixth sectional title all-time and first since 2011.

This time, the Shamrocks capitalized on Fishers’ mistakes and rallied with a one-run top of the fifth and a two-run sixth to win 4-3.

“This sectional, man. I love it, and I hate it so much because it’s really like a semi-state level tournament game to be honest. You get through this, and you feel like you can make a run,” Bunnell said after his program captured its seventh title in 30 years. “Just getting through this one is so big. Let alone doing it twice and doing it against a team like Fishers. They’ve had such a great season, and they fought.”

The Hoosier Crossroads Conference champion Tigers seized a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first behind a bases-loaded, fielder’s choice by senior Luke Cherry and a sacrifice fly by senior Trevor Hall (1-for-2).

Fishers led 3-1 in the fourth following a two-out single by senior Mayo Fernandez (2-for-3) and an RBI double by sophomore Carter Strole (1-for-3).

During their two-game HCC series, Fishers swept Westfield with comebacks in late April. The Shamrocks also lost both HCC games in 2024.

The Shamrocks flipped the script for a second straight year despite being without two starters and a backup in seniors Ethan Colling and Matt Drozlek and junior Aiden Grabowski due to injuries.

“We ended up choking both of those games. We were up both times, and they came back. I think it was a little poetic, us coming back,” Westfield senior shortstop Ian Wilson said. “The confidence you need for games like this was pretty prevalent for sure.”

The opportunities also appeared beginning with a wild pitch in the top of the fourth that brought junior first baseman Gavin Russ (2-for-4) home from third to cut the deficit 2-1.

Prior to the fourth, Fishers halted a pair of threats in the top of the first and second with two clutch, inning-ending double plays. The latter was due to a base-running mistake on a fly ball to center field with the bases loaded.

A two-out RBI single by junior Beck Jordan (1-for-3) in the fifth pulled Westfield closer, 3-2.

“I felt like we just couldn’t break through. We got guys on, and then we made some miscues, but the kids stayed in the fight, and we got a little bit of luck with a miscue there in the sixth,” Bunnell said. “That was big.”

A Fishers two-out throwing error in the top of the sixth with runners on second and third – after a wild pitch advanced both – plated two go-ahead runs.

“When things like that happen in games like this, that’s when you really need to take advantage of it,” said Wilson (3-for-4, double). “In this game, things will change in an instant, especially in sectional. When things like that happen, you must capitalize.”

Much like sophomore catcher Robbie Brandenburg, who has filled in for Colling, while Russ has done the same at first for Drozlek and Grabowski, the Shamrocks find a way to win.

Brandenburg, who was on the third team as a freshman, picked off a pair of runners attempting to steal second base in the second and fourth innings, while Russ continues to add to his plus-.300 batting average.

“It’s been different people different times, and you know, here we are down to our third first baseman, who would probably be a starter in a lot of years, but with Matt out and then Grabowski going down, he stepped in,” Bunnell said. “We said from the beginning that depth was our strength, and it really showed through here in this tournament.”