By RICH TORRES
FISHERS – With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the game tied 3-3 and the pressure of the Mudsock rivalry at its apex on Tuesday night, Fishers’ freshman Kaylee Kardash didn’t get lost in her head.
Instead, she was right in rhythm, thanks to her favorite band, Imagine Dragons.
“I was honestly singing in my head,” Kardash laughed. “That’s my walkup song [Whatever It Takes], so since it wasn’t playing tonight, I just thought I’d sing it in my head.”
Up 1-0 in the count, Kardash’s swing was pitch perfect.
With adrenaline in her veins and Fishers’ flawless Hoosier Crossroads Conference record on the line, Kardash crushed a go-ahead two-run home run over the center-field fence, powering the host Tigers to a 5-4 victory over rival Hamilton Southeastern.
“I was just looking to get a base hit and keep the lineup going through,” said Kardash, who finished 2-for-3. “I wanted to make sure we kept getting runners on and just do what we do best, which is scoring runs.”
The Tigers (8-2, 4-0 HCC) kept their offensive trend going behind Kardash’s towering bomb. With 90 runs scored in 10 games this season, Fishers won its fourth straight to remain unbeaten in its pursuit of a potential league title.
Junior Brooke Benson, an Indiana University commit, blasted a solo home run – her second this year – to tie the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, and Caroline Bernhardt put the Tigers in front 3-1 with a two-run single in the same frame.
The Tigers racked up eight hits, including seven in the final three innings to avenge last year’s 10-0 Mudsock loss to HSE during the regular season.
Fishers eliminated HSE 4-3 in the sectional semifinals last season, but the Royals (6-5, 2-2 HCC) refused to go quietly on Tuesday, despite trailing twice.
Unable to capitalize on two bases-loaded situations in the top of the first, senior Nicole Lang broke through against Fishers’ starter Hannah Mays with a solo home run in the top of the fourth.
The Royals faced a 3-1 deficit in the top of the sixth and deadlocked the game 3-3 with an RBI single by Olivia Capuano, who went 2-for-3. A Tigers’ throwing error plated Lillian Leiner and cut the margin 3-2 after the junior hit a triple to move into scoring position.
“We had an opportunity in the first inning to score, and we didn’t take advantage of that, but I liked how we battled,” HSE head coach Dave Cook said. “We put a lot of pressure on them. I thought it was a pretty good ball game both ways. There were big hits both ways and some good pitching both ways. But we had opportunities.”
Hamilton Southeastern left four runners in scoring position as Mays settled in to improve to 6-2 on the year. Laboring through a 35-pitch top of the first, Mays regrouped and tossed a complete game with two walks, two strikeouts and two earned runs.
“There was a lot of adrenaline starting that game. She was a little too hyped up, I think,” Fishers head coach Daren James said. “Once she settled in and once she gets in her groove, she moves the ball around and does a good job for us.”
Mays retired eight straight to end the threat in the first inning and extended her dominance through the third. Lang’s sixth home run on the year snapped May’s run before the right-hander bounced back and limited the damage against the determined Royals.
The Tigers’ bats took care of the rest.
“We got some clutch hitting tonight for sure. Brooke gets that solo to get us tied back up, and then we get a nice one out of Caroline, and we get the two-run home run out of the freshman to get us over the top,” James said. “We had a lot of timely hitting tonight.”
Kardash’s two-out heroics in the bottom of the sixth unfolded after Bernhardt sliced a 3-1 offering from HSE starter Olivia Bucher into center field for a single.
“I just knew I had to keep smiling and have a good mindset in that situation,” Kardash said. “It was a lot of fun.”
The Royals attempted to spoil the mood with three consecutive one-out hits in the top of the seventh. Jordan Rager pressed the issue with an RBI single that drove in Abby Taylor from second base, but Mays induced a pair of pop ups to seal the win.
“We always talk about playing with the lead, and we got the lead, but they answered right back,” Cook said. “They take the lead and we answer right back to tie it up. We had a chance to do something in the seventh. We had one in, but we didn’t get two in.”
The Tigers travel to Mt. Vernon on Thursday and resume HCC play April 30 at Avon. HSE heads to Bloomington North on Saturday before facing HCC foe Noblesville on April 30.
“It’s always good to beat your rival, especially as close as they are. We’re trying to do something in conference we’ve never done before,” James said. “This gets us a step closer.”
Fishers 5, Hamilton Southeastern 4
Southeastern AB R H RBI
Abby Taylor 3 1 1 0
Ava Aguilar 4 0 1 0
Jordan Rager 3 0 1 1
Nicole Lang 3 1 1 1
Lillian Leiner 4 1 1 0
Kaelin Wincek 3 1 0 0
Olivia Capuano 3 0 2 1
Libby Ratliff 3 0 0 0
Ella Lewis 3 0 0 0
Totals 29 4 7 3
3B: Leiner. HR: Lang.
HSE pitching IP R ER H
Olivia Bucher 6.0 5 5 8
Strikeouts: Bucher 2. Walks: Bucher 3.
Fishers AB R H RBI
Olivia Stinson 4 0 0 0
Courtney James 1 0 0 0
Brooke Benson 3 1 1 1
Hannah Mays 3 0 0 0
Olivia Latimer 2 1 1 0
Jade Frye 3 1 1 0
Caroline Bernhardt 3 1 2 2
Kaylee Kardash 3 1 2 2
Mara Lorkowski 2 0 1 0
Totals 24 5 8 5
HR: Kardash, Benson. 2B: Latimer. SAC: Lorkowski.
Fishers pitching IP R ER H
Hannah Mays 7.0 4 2 7
Strikeouts: Mays 2. Walks: Mays 2.
Score by innings
Southeastern 000 102 1 – 4 7 1
Fishers 000 302 X – 5 8 1
The Fishers softball team held off Hamilton Southeastern 5-4 to win the Mudsock Trophy on Tuesday. Kaylee Kardash’s two-run home run in the sixth inning helped the Tigers clinch the win, which keeps them undefeated in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. (Richie Hall)
Hamilton Southeastern coach David Cook talks with Ava Aguilar during the Royals’ game at Fishers on Tuesday. (Richie Hall)