Royals shut out Tigers, win second straight Mudsock

By RICHARD TORRES

For The Reporter

FISHERS – Grace Swedarsky was the first person to hold the Mudsock softball trophy during postgame Tuesday night, and the Hamilton Southeastern ace pitcher was the last.

Cradling the prize in her left arm before heading to the team bus, Swedarsky savored her team’s championship moment after Class 4A ninth-ranked HSE shut out host 4A No. 12 Fishers, 6-0.

As Swedarsky knows, Mudsock wins are never easy.

Tuesday’s victory marked the Royals’ (9-5, 2-1 HCC) second straight Mudsock triumph over the rival Fishers Tigers (10-5, 0-3 HCC) and first crosstown repeat for HSE in the yearly showdown since 2017-18.

Prior to the Royals’ back-to-back Mudsock run, the Tigers owned the annual rivalry for four consecutive years (2019, 2021-23), including Swedarsky’s freshman year in 2023.

“It feels great because obviously the Mudsock game is always competitive between two great teams. We all know each other because we grew up playing together, and it’s just really fun to compete and obviously win, too,” said Swedarsky, a Virginia Tech commit.

In her first Mudsock game three years ago, the junior pitcher absorbed the loss, 1-0, despite striking out 14 batters through six innings.

Last year, the eventual 4A state champion Royals won 1-0 behind an eight-strikeout performance by Swedarsky.

This time, Swedarsky matched a season high with 17 strikeouts, retiring two waves of five straight while scattering two hits to post her second shutout in as many regular-season meetings.

“These past couple of games, we’ve figured out how to get more energy constantly. You can tell the vibes are good. We’re playing more relaxed, and things are looking good,” Swedarsky said. “When you pitch with the lead there’s a little bit of pressure that gets alleviated, but I also know my offense has my back.”

The HSE offense has been reshaped since last year’s squad finished 25-4 to clinch the program’s third state title overall and first since 2010.

Only a handful of players returned for the Royals’ title defense after many of their run producers graduated, opening the door for several new contributors.

However, there were two holdovers batting eighth and ninth, who provided the necessary punch with the Mudsock crown at stake.

Senior Makena Burlingame (2-for-3, 2 RBI) sparked HSE’s one-run top of the third with a leadoff single followed by senior Chloe Smith’s (3-for-3, RBI) single.

A sacrifice bunt by junior Addison Richmond (2-for-3, RBI) moved the runners, and an infield ground out by freshman Sophia Feher (1-for-3) gave HSE a 1-0 lead.

Prior to the breakthrough, Fishers senior ace and Butler commit Katherine Murray kept the Royals quiet, retiring six of the first seven batters she faced.

Murray finished with 10 strikeouts and one walk issued, but the HSE hitters rallied for four runs in the top of the fourth with two outs, once again orchestrated by Burlingame.

“It’s been a little bit different. We’re still learning how to jell together as a team, but we’ve played together for so long, and I think that’s helping us,” Burlingame said. “We’re keeping the energy up, and we’re still fighting through every game. (Chloe and I) have that fight in us since it’s our last year. We’re giving it our all.”

In the top of the fourth, Burlingame’s second single down the third-base line scored two runs and Smith’s bases-clearing triple down the same chalk line put HSE ahead 4-0.

“Both are very disciplined, but they’re completely different players. Mak is very Zen-like. She knows what her job is, and she looks at you with confidence in her eyes, and she’s like, ‘Yep, I got this,’” HSE coach Emily Pusti said. “Chloe just exemplifies grit in her mannerisms. She’s very aggressive. She’s going to go after it, and you’re going to see it. Having them back-to-back tonight, I think that’s a really strong power at the bottom of the order.”

Richmond dropped a single into right field to make it 5-0.

“The game plan was to attack early. Get up early in the game and trust ourselves. I think we did just that,” Burlingame said.

Murray stranded five runners in the final three frames, but HSE’s 14 hits, including an RBI single by freshman Madison Burlingame (1-for-1), made it 6-0 in the top of the sixth.

“Kate is an athlete, and she’s very good. You can tell the way she holds herself that she’s a really good role model for these Mudsock kids,” Pusti said. “They love her, and I get it. Everyone always says pitcher’s duel, but it’s a team duel just with two very strong leaders on the mound.”

Swedarsky walked two of the 27 batters she faced and surrendered hits to junior Adrianne Cook and sophomore Cate Summerfield while three HSE errors put runners on base.

The ace ended six of her seven innings with consecutive strikeouts, upping her season total to 115. She struck out 17 batters in a 4-0 win over Shelbyville on April 11 this year.

“This is a very talented group. They’re all very good athletes, and they’re all just very good human beings, so I know we all have a common goal. It’s just trying to figure out how that works from the first pitch until the last out,” Pusti said. “They’ve been chipping away at it, and tonight, we got to put a lot of that together.”

More significantly, both teams showcased how important Mudsock youth athletics is to each program.

“There aren’t a lot of other cities that have a program that builds these girls up. We had a hundred little kids running around supporting Mudsock, and these are girls that are going to dream of wearing either red or blue,” Pusti said.

“A lot of our girls are friends with their girls. It’s just a great atmosphere, but I don’t think a lot of our girls or theirs end up the way they are, not just as athletes but really good kids, without learning how to be passionate and play the game together when they’re young (in Mudsock).”