The REPORTER
Hamilton Southeastern finished Hoosier Crossroads Conference play on a winning note Thursday, beating Franklin Central 1-0 in a home game and win the conference championship.
The Royals scored their run in the fourth inning when Reese Garland got home on a wild pitch. Alex Kiemeyer had two hits, while Grace Swedarsky threw 17 strikeouts in a complete game, allowing three hits.
Southeastern finished HCC play 6-1 and is 18-4 overall. The Royals finish the regular season tonight at Yorktown.
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Carmel scored a walk off victory to finish its regular season Thursday, beating Greenfield-Central 11-10 at Cherry Tree Softball Complex.
The Greyhounds led 10-9 going into the seventh inning, but the Cougars tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh. Grace Sharp was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the seventh, moved to second base on a wild pitch, then advanced to third base on Kathryn Merryman’s groundout. Alex Longstreth later hit a sacrifice fly to bring Sharp home for the game-winning run.
Greenfield-Central scored seven runs in the top of the third inning. Longstreth doubled in Katherine Warren and Kayden Dierks for two runs in the bottom of the third, then got home on Jayden Kleiner’s RBI groundout.
The Cougars scored a run in the top of the fourth to lead 8-3, but Carmel got three runs in the bottom of the inning. Winni Owens scored on Dierks’ sacrifice fly, Sharp got home on Longstreth’s RBI groundout, then Kleiner singled in Warren.
An RBI double in the fifth inning gave Greenfield a 9-6 lead. The Greyhounds blasted ahead in the sixth with four runs: Kleiner doubled Ellie Goddard home, then scored on Mia Fleming’s single. Merryman came in to run for Fleming, and she was sent home by a Paxton Law home run that pushed Carmel ahead 10-9.
Sharp and Longstreth also hit doubles, while Kleiner and Fleming both had two hits. Emily Smith got the pitching win.
The Hounds are 9-20 and play Fishers Monday in the first round of the Carmel sectional.
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Noblesville won its HCC and regular-season finale in a dramatic way Thursday, beating Zionsville 4-1 in nine innings.
The Millers’ Reese Newsom hit a walk off three-run home run to seal the victory. Chloe Vetter drew a one-out walk, then moved to second base on Macie Duvall’s bunt single. Newsome came up next and sent the ball over the left field fence for the win.
Addi Emmerson scored for Noblesville in the second inning on an error. Gabby Fowler was 3-for-4 at the plate, with Newsom, Emmerson, Mack Harvey and Haley Schatko all getting two hits. Harvey hit a double. Emme Yee pitched five innings for the win, striking out six.
The Millers completed conference play with a 5-2 record and are 15-10 overall. Noblesville got a first-round sectional bye and play on Tuesday against the winner of Monday’s Carmel-Fishers game.
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Westfield dropped a 6-5 HCC at Avon Thursday.
The Orioles led 4-0 after two innings. The Shamrocks got two runs back in the third inning: Avery Banas doubled in Reese Mahannah, then scored on Grace Feltz’s RBI groundout. Westfield tied things up in the fourth inning, as Grace Fanelli batted in Lilly Amburgey, then Mahannah’s left field double brought Fanelli home.
The Rocks went up 5-4 in the fifth inning, with Feltz scoring on Makayla Watson’s RBI groundout. But Avon jumped ahead in the sixth inning on a two-run double and kept the lead from there. Mahannah had two hits.
Westfield finished conference play 1-6 and is 11-12 overall. The Shamrocks play at McCutcheon tonight to complete the regular season.
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Fishers dropped an HCC game to Brownsburg 7-4 on Thursday.
The Bulldogs scored all of their runs in the first three innings. The Tigers made a comeback in the seventh inning: Tori Abel brought Kendall Jordan home with a single then Taylor Duplessis scored on a wild pitch. Hailey Kinder drew a bases-loaded walk to send Azstryd Alexander home, then Abel scored on Kate Murray’s RBI fielder’s choice. Fishers had the bases loaded after Brooke Clayton drew a walk, but Brownsburg got a flyout to end the game.
Jordan had two hits, a double and a single. Jenna Grubb also collected two hits.
The Tigers completed HCC play 2-5 and are 11-11 overall. Fishers wraps up the regular season tonight at Pendleton Heights.
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Sheridan fell to Lapel 22-0 in its regular-season finale Thursday at Grand Park.
Claudia Headlee had the Blackhawks’ lone hit.
Sheridan is 2-17 and plays Sectional 43 host Cascade Tuesday in a semifinal game.