Softball: Millers take down Western to stay unbeaten

The REPORTER

The Noblesville softball team kept its perfect record intact on Thursday, rolling past Class 3A No. 2 Western 12-3 in a home game.

The Panthers scored three runs in the top of the second inning and held that lead through the middle of the fourth. The Millers got going after that, scoring three runs in the bottom of that inning, all driven in by Maggie Kern’s bases-loaded center field double. Brookelyn Grayson, Izzy Zapp and Haley Schatko all scored.

Noblesville jumped ahead 7-3 after putting up four runs in the fifth inning. Duvall got home after Grayson reached on an error, then Reese Newsom blasted a home run into center field, also scoring Delaney Rundle and Grayson.

The Millers sprinted to the finish line, scoring five runs in the sixth inning. Nevaeh Nash cracked a double into center field, scoring Faye Hostetler and Duvall. Rundle sent Nash home with a left field hit, Grayson brought in Rundle with a center field single and Schatko scored Grayson with a left field double.

Nash, Rundle, Grayson, Newsom and Duvall each had two hits. Emme Yee pitched a complete game, tossing nine strikeouts.

Noblesville is 8-0 and plays at the Carmel Invitational starting today. The Millers’ first game will be at 7:30 p.m tonight against 4A No. 5 Penn.

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Hamilton Southeastern picked up a 7-0 home win over Lawrence North on Thursday.

Sophia Feher scored the Class 4A No. 4 Royals’ first run in the first inning after Makena Burlingame reached on an error. Natavia Wright got a second-inning run on a wild pitch, then Emmy Seifferlein got home when Chloe Smith hit a sacrifice fly.

Southeastern got two more runs in the fifth inning. Brooke Bauer sent Madison Burlingame home with a right field hit, then Kaitlyn Burdick doubled in Bauer. In the seventh inning, Haleigh Seitz scored on an error, then Carly McCall got home on Bella Mink’s RBI groundout.

Wright finished the game with two hits and also got the pitching win. She threw five innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit, including a strikeout of the third-inning side. McCall pitched two innings of relief, with five strikeouts and one hit.

The Royals are 8-4 and play at the Whiteland Invitational on Saturday. Southeastern takes on Seymour in its first game at 10 a.m.

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Fishers cruised to a 6-0 win Thursday at Yorktown.

The Tigers began their scoring with two runs in the second inning; Adrianne Cook and Brooke Clayton both got home on an error after Cate Summerfield hit a single.

In the sixth inning, Cook blasted a two-run home run, also scoring Kendall Jordan. Kennedy Shockley was sent home for a seventh-inning run by Hailey Kinder’s sacrifice fly, then Azstryd Alexander scored on a passed ball for Fishers’ sixth run.

Jordan and Cook both had two hits. Kate Murray pitched a complete game, striking out 11.

The Tigers are 10-4 and host Hamilton Southeastern Tuesday in the Mudsock game.

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Sheridan battled to the end against Eastern Thursday at Grand Park before falling 18-11 in a Hoosier Heartland Conference game.

Both teams scored four runs in the first inning. The home-team Blackhawks started the bottom of the first with four straight hits, including an RBI double from Mac Smith to score Abby Dallas. Norah Adams batted in Adria Jump with a single. Smith got home on Abbi Merritt’s RBI groundout, then Adams scored on Amiyah Doss’ RBI groundout.

The Comets put up six runs in the top of the second inning for a 10-4 lead. Smith hit a triple in the bottom of the second to score Jump. Lainey Mendenhall’s third-inning double brought in Doss, and Sheridan had cut the lead to 10-6.

Eastern scored a run in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to lead 15-6. Dallas batted in Ali Pickard with a sixth-inning single, but Eastern added three more runs in the seventh inning.

Sheridan kept fighting in the bottom of the seventh. Smith led off with a single, then was sent home by an Adams double. Merritt got on base after being hit by a pitch, then Doss sent everyone home with an inside-the-park home run. But that would be as close as the ‘Hawks would get.

Dallas, Smith and Adams all totaled three hits. Adams pitched five innings, striking out four. Jump threw three strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Sheridan is 0-6 and hosts Herron Monday.