Rocks, Millers reach Sectional 8 title game

The REPORTER

The Westfield and Noblesville teams won semifinal matches at Zionsville on Tuesday to advance to the championship game of Sectional 8.

The Shamrocks went first and prevailed in a tense nine-inning game over Carmel, 10-9. Both teams got on the board with one run in the second inning: Chloe Junkersfeld led off the inning with a home run for the Greyhounds. In the bottom of the second, Westfield’s Annika Lawrence scored after Dylan Todd hit a sacrifice fly.

Junkersfeld struck again in the third inning, blasting a right field double to score Jayden Kleiner and Emily Proctor. Kleiner then blasted a two-run homer in the fifth inning, also bringing in Riley Petrites and giving Carmel a 5-1 lead.

But the Rocks struck back in the bottom of the fifth. Reese Mahannah cracked a home run, also scoring Makayla Watson and Sofia Easterhaus. Westfield tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth inning when Easterhaus singled Watson home.

The contest stayed tied at the end of the regulation seventh inning after both teams scored twice. Carmel went first: Winni Owens singled in Petrites, then Ellie Goddard scored. The Shamrocks answered: Carlynne Schrock singled in Mahannah and Lawrence, and it was on to extra innings.

The Greyhounds scored twice in the top of the ninth. Petrites went home on Junkersfeld’s sacrifice fly, then Kleiner scored on a wild pitch.

Todd hit a one-out double for Westfield in the bottom of the ninth, then scored on Sydney Jordan’s double. Watson singled Jordan over to third base and advanced to second base.

Easterhaus hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Jordan and tie the game and move Watson to third. Mahannah came up next and laid down a bunt that scored Watson and gave the Shamrocks the win.

Watson totaled four hits. Mariana Lopez smacked a triple and Alyssa Ayers counted a double among her two hits. Both of Todd’s two hits were doubles, with Easterhaus and Mahannah each had two hits.

Starting pitcher Mac Delph threw 4.2 innings, tossing nine strikeouts. Olivia Sampia pitched the other 4.1 innings and struck out four. Westfield is now 15-10-1.

Junkersfeld was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Petrites hit a double. Chelsea Bennett pitched a complete game for Carmel, which finished its season 12-13.

Millers score early

Noblesville got on top of its semifinal game right away, scoring in the top of the first inning. Maggie Kern singled in Reese Newsom.

Haley Schatko smacked a solo home run in the third inning to put the Millers up 2-0.

Noblesville added another run in the fifth inning: Newsom hit a one-out double, advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then scored when Schatko hit a sacrifice bunt. Kern got on base with a single and eventually scored on Lilly Brown’s double.

Southeastern rallied in the seventh inning. Kaitlyn Burdick led off with a double, then Ella Sicilia came in to run for her. Tori Bricker doubled Sicilia home, then later scored on Addy Richmond’s single. But the Millers got the third out to clinch the win.

Kern was flawless on offense, going 3-for-3. Newsom and Brown both had two hits. Addison Retzinger pitched a complete game, striking out nine. Noblesville is 19-6 for the season.

Southeastern’s Lilly Palmer had two hits, including a double. Grace Swedarsky, a Virginia Tech commit, pitched five innings, striking out six. The Royals finished their season 18-5.