Tigers rally late, win HCC opener

By RICHARD TORRES

For The Reporter

FISHERS – The Fishers Tigers relied on execution and grit Thursday night, and both paid off during their Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener against rival Zionsville.

Trailing Class 4A No. 7 Zionsville early, 4-2, the 4A sixth-ranked Tigers chased Eagles’ starter Peter Ward after four innings and then rallied with a four-run bottom of the fifth to win the two-game series opener, 6-5.

Last year, the Tigers (3-3, 1-0 HCC) were 13-1 at Tiger Field.

So far, the new-look Tigers are following a similar path after winning their home opener despite eight new starters in the lineup.

“We’re going to be a good team. We got all the guys. We have talent. If we put the pieces together, we’re going to be a great team,” Fishers senior catcher David Pina said.

Against the Eagles (5-1, 0-1 HCC), everything fell into place during the bottom of the fifth.

Ward, a junior right-hander and Bellarmine recruit, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five with two unearned runs charged. With his pitch count reaching 73, the Eagles turned to the bullpen in the fifth.

The Tigers immediately went on the attack.

A leadoff single by senior Vincent Pecoraro (2-for-4, 2 runs) kicked off the frame, followed by walks to junior Ethan Buelt (1-for-3, RBI) and returning infielder Carter Strole (2 walks), a junior and Central Michigan commit.

Pina came up to bat with the bases loaded and tied the game on the first pitch, lacing a two-run single up the middle to make it 4-4.

“I had a strikeout last AB, and I was like, man, I got to flip the page,” Pina said. “I got to be ready. I got to attack fastball. I was ready for that fastball.”

Senior Sean Frey (1-for-3) made the Eagles pay with one out, connecting for a two-run single up the middle to put Fishers ahead 6-4.

“Stuck to the game plan and [Pina] hit the first pitch for the two-run single, and Sean Frey had a really great at-bat. He was aggressive and got a two-run single,” Fishers coach Matthew Cherry said.

“Peter Ward is a really good pitcher, but they did exactly what we needed to do to win that game. We wanted to elevate his pitch count and get to the bullpen and stay within striking distance, and they executed perfectly.”

The Tigers led 1-0 after the first inning when Pecoraro singled to centerfield, advanced to third on a pickoff throwing error at first base and later scored on a passed ball.

Zionsville answered in the top of the second and took a 3-1 lead after loading the bases four times while two batters were hit by breaking pitches.

Fishers’ starter Owen Lukac, an Evansville commit, ran into trouble as the Eagles strung together two hits and used a fielding error to load the bases with no outs.

An RBI sacrifice by Mitchel Finelli (2 RBI) plated one run and a single by Sam Haak (2-for-3) scored the second. A one-out, bases-loaded hit by pitch scored the third run.

Lukac escaped the bases-loaded jam with two straight swinging strikeouts.

“Errors are part of the game, so you just got to take a deep breath, settle in, go get the next guy,” Lukac said. “Just keep trusting. You don’t lose after one error.”

Lukac earned the win. The lefty threw 5.0 innings, gave up eight hits, two earned runs and struck out seven, including four of the next five to end the threat in the second and to start the third.

“Owen settled in. Got us through five and turned it over to the bullpen,” Cherry said. “Jerry [Jaramillo] and Grant [Wolf] did great. They did exactly what we asked them to do.”

Wolf picked up the save. He entered the seventh after the Eagles drew a pair of leadoff walks. He induced two ground outs (one for a run), struck out one and left two on base.

Overall, the Tigers’ pitching staff stranded 10 runners, including seven in scoring position.

“Nobody quit tonight. Started off a little rough, but everyone kept battling,” Strole said. “Our motto this year is next. Next play. We just keep grinding.”