Royals rally, complete Mudsock three-peat

By RICHARD TORRES

For The Reporter

FISHERS – No Grace Swedarsky. No problem for the fourth-ranked Class 4A Hamilton Southeastern Royals.

Without their senior ace for Tuesday’s Mudsock rivalry showdown against 4A No. 8 Fishers, the Royals relied on their bats and sophomore pitcher Kaleah McCarter.

Neither disappointed.

McCarter scattered four hits over 6.0 innings with six strikeouts, while the lineup produced 13 hits – five extra-base knocks – led by freshman Jaycee McCarter’s ninth home run of the season to beat Fishers, 7-1.

Fishers (11-5, 0-2 HCC) led 1-0 midway through the second inning, but Hoosier Crossroads Conference foe HSE (12-3, 2-1 HCC) rallied for five hits in the bottom of the frame that produced six runs en route to the Royals’ third straight Mudsock victory.

“When the girls came in after Fishers got that one run and before we grabbed our bats, we talked about how do we respond?,” HSE coach Emily Pusti said. “The girls said, ‘We hit.’ That’s how we respond, and they did it.”

HSE junior Tori Bricker (1-for-3, RBI) tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the second with a one-out double before senior Addison Richmond (4-for-4, 2 RBI) drove in a pair with a triple.

Two at-bats later, Jaycee McCarter (2-for-4, 3 RBI, double) broke the game open with a three-run home run that cleared the centerfield wall with ease, marking her 31^st RBIs of the season.

“I was looking to stay on top of the ball and hit a line drive,” Jaycee McCarter said. “I just hit it. We knew our bats would come alive. We knew that having Kaleah on the mound, producing ground balls, there was no doubt.”

Senior Kaitlyn Burdick (1-for-4, RBI) connected for a two-out, run-scoring double in the bottom of the fourth for HSE, which provided Kaleah McCarter (2-for-4) ample run support.

“I was just thinking that I’m going to have to work as hard as I can to try to get the ball by them and try to get more ground balls,” Kaleah McCarter said. “It’s about my team, and how I don’t want them to have to work harder because I’m not doing my job.”

Kaleah McCarter’s performance was needed with Swedarsky sidelined by a lower extremity injury. The senior and Virginia Tech commit has been out since facing Avon on April 21.

“Right now, we’re thinking rest is going to help, and we’re kind of looking big picture for her,” Pusti said. “She’s going to give everything she can until she listens to her body and is like, alright, that’s it, so we’re going to make sure she’s healthy for bigger goals along the way.”

HSE is navigating minus Swedarsky, junior pitcher Carly McCall, senior catcher Kenzie Lee and junior pitcher Rylie Krzyminski.

The Royals’ overall depth has kept them on track, winning four straight and claiming their fourth consecutive victory against Fishers dating back to 2023.

“Their pitching depth is probably one of the best in the state,” Fishers coach Darren James said. “We knew it was still going to be a tough game, even with Grace not being out there.”

Kaleah McCarter’s lone earned run came off a fielder’s choice by freshman Elizabeth Hammond (1-for-2) in the second. Senior Natavia Wright slammed the door with a clean, three-up, three-down top of the seventh.

“I’ve had to step up a good amount (with Grace out), but so is everybody else on the roster, too. I feel like, collectively, we’re handling it very well,” said Kaleah McCarter, who improved to 3-0.

Kaleah’s sister, Jaycee, made her first-career Mudsock game memorable.

“The thought went through my head to put her on and not pitch to her, and I didn’t, and then she hit a three-run bomb,” James said. “That kind of did us in pretty early tonight, but they didn’t miss much.”

Jaycee McCarter has eight multi-hit and two multi-homer games this season. She’s driven in nine runs in the past four contests, including two homers.

“She’s collected nine of those (HRs) to lead the conference right now, and as a freshman, it’s pretty impressive,” Pusti said. “What’s good is her next at-bat, she hits a line drive double. She knows when to put the ball in play.”