All it took was one swing for Westfield.
The Shamrocks were down to their last strike in the top of the seventh inning at Fishers in a Friday Hoosier Crossroads Conference game, but a three-RBI double from Brandon Yoder took Westfield from trailing 4-3 to winning the game 6-4.
“It was good for us to finally push through,” said Shamrocks coach Ryan Bunnell. “We’ve had so many opportunities. In the Avon series, even yesterday, even early in this game, and we just weren’t stepping up and getting the big hit. And Brandon Yoder came up huge there in that situation.”
Westfield had to come back to get the win. The Class 4A No. 6 Tigers got on the board in the first inning with their own three-RBI double. Alex Jamieson sent a line drive into center field, scoring Craig Yoho, Tristan Baker and Matt Wolff.
The ‘Rocks got on the board in the third inning, with a two-RBI double from Sam Eaton. His centerfield hit got Yoder and Matthew Meyer in to score. Fishers got one run back in the bottom of the third, with Jamieson batting in Baker for the second time.
The score remained 4-2 until the sixth inning. Westfield cut it to 4-3 after Yoder hit a sacrifice fly to get Trey Anderson home. In the seventh inning, the Shamrocks loaded the bases: Zach Collins was hit by a pitch, then Mason Cox came in to courtesy run for him.
Dorton hit a double to move Cox to third, then Anderson was walked to fill the bases. Westfield had to absorb two outs, then with the count 3-2, Yoder cracked the ball into left field to give the ‘Rocks the lead.
Fishers got a strikeout for the third out. Logan McClurg was chosen as the closer for the Shamrocks, and he did his job, inducing a ground out for the first out, then finishing the game on two fly outs.
Anderson and Yoder both finished with two hits. Payton Tamm, who pitched the sixth inning, is credited with the win, while McClurg got the save. Yoho and Jamieson both had two hits for Fishers.
The HCC series moves to Westfield for the third and concluding game today. The game will start at 11 a.m., an hour earlier than originally planned because of the chance of rain.
Westfield 6, Fishers 4
Westfield AB R H RBI
Logan McClurg 4 0 0 0
Matthew Meyer 1 1 0 0
Sam Eaton 2 0 1 2
Zach Collins 3 0 0 0
Bryce Dorton 4 1 1 0
Trey Anderson 2 2 2 0
Kyle Pepiot 2 0 0 0
Payton Tamm 3 0 0 0
Quintin Markel 1 0 1 0
Brandon Yoder 3 1 2 4
Mason Cox 0 1 0 0
Totals 25 6 7 6
2B: Dorton, Eaton, Yoder. SB: Yoder 2. SAC: Yoder. HBP: Collins, Meyer, Pepiot.
Westfield pitching IP R ER H
Zach Zaborowski 4.1 4 3 7
Tyler Smitherman 0.2 0 0 0
Tamm (W) 1.0 0 0 1
McClurg (S) 1.0 0 0 0
Strikeouts: Zaborowski 2. Walks: Zaborowski 1, Tamm 1.
Fishers AB R H RBI
JJ Woolwine 3 0 1 0
Craig Yoho 4 1 2 0
Grant Richardson 4 0 0 0
Kiel Brenczewski 4 0 1 0
Matt Wolff 2 1 1 0
Alex Jamieson 3 0 2 4
Jack Roudebush 3 0 0 0
Ben Burton 3 0 0 0
Nick Lukac 3 0 1 0
Tristan Baker 0 2 0 0
Grant Whetsel 0 0 0 0
Totals 29 4 8 4
2B: Jamieson, Yoho. HBP: Wolff 2.
Fishers pitching IP R ER H
Jon Vore 5.0 2 2 4
Daniel Owens 0.2 1 1 1
Wolff 1.1 3 3 2
Strikeouts: Vore 3, Wolff 3. Walks: Vore 4, Owens 3, Wolff 1.
Score by innings
Westfield 002 001 3 – 6 7 3
Fishers 301 000 0 – 4 8 0
Westfield’s Trey Anderson (right) celebrates with his teammates after the Shamrocks take the lead in the seventh inning of their Hoosier Crossroads Conference game Friday at Fishers. Brandon Yoder hit a three-RBI double in the seventh, and that would lead to a 6-4 win for Westfield. (Richie Hall)
Fishers’ JJ Woolwine steps up to the plate, with Westfield’s Zach Collins ready in the catcher’s position. (Richie Hall)