The weather for Opening Day at The Dunk couldn't have been better, especially with it being March 31st and remembering the dreadful winter that we've just endured. 67 degrees and sunny, with a little bit of wind was a great fit from Mother Nature to help the 4A #7 Noblesville Millers and the visiting New Castle Trojans get the 2014 baseball season started. Perfect weather for the home/season opener for Noblesville and it couldn't have been more fitting that the Millers wound up with a lopsided 13-3 victory in 5 innings over New Castle.
4A #7 Noblesville 13, New Castle 3 (5 innings) - (March 31, Dunker Field, Noblesville)
1 2 3 4 5 R H E
New Castle 1 0 0 0 2 - 3 4 2
Noblesville 0 3 0 10 X - 13 9 2
It was a rough go for senior Miller southpaw Trevor Salmon as he was forced to work in and out of jams on the mound that he probably didn't think he'd have to face in his season debut. Salmon threw 37 pitches (20 strikes) in the first frame and was somewhat surprised by New Castle's first trip through the batting order.
Trojan catcher Zak Kellogg got New Castle going right away with a leadoff single on the ground into left. He advanced to second on a passed ball by Salmon. Kenny Martin was hit by a Trevor Salmon pitch for runners at the corners. The bases were then loaded when pitcher Grant Malott was walked on five pitches. Two strikeouts in a row by Trevor and he became a little more at ease. Trouble struck a little next when the DH, Cory Isenbarger, walked on seven pitches to allow Kellogg to trot in from third for a 1-0 New Castle lead.
Malott went to the mound for New Castle in the bottom of the first with complete comfort and a 1-0 edge. The senior hurler showed full well that he was ready to face the Miller lineup. He tallied two K's and a groundout in the only three hitters he faced.
Let's start off with a 3-run 3rd...
Noblesville got its offense going in the last of the second. Sophomore 3B Connor Christman led the inning off with a double up the middle. Salmon walked and was subbed for pinch runner Matt Swearingen.
In his varsity debut, sophomore DH Austin Shirley hit an RBI single up the middle into center field, scoring Connor Christman, tying the game at 1-1.
Next, catcher Bret Rundle took 1-0 pitch and chopped a three-hopper to Nick Jones at short, but Rundle beat out the play to first. That wasn't the significant thing about Rundle's infield single. Swearingen and Shirley were both waived home by 3rd base coach Kevin Fitzgerald and Noblesville 3-1 lead off of two straight hits, awaking the home standing Miller faithful.
When's the last time you saw a 10-run inning?
The Millers weren't done scoring for sure.
Tyler Smith was now pitching for New Castle. After Easton Brock pinch-hit, flying out to right to lead off the 4th, Austin Shirley hit himself aboard for the second straight at-bat of his varsity debut. Shirley quickly stole second with Rundle up. Rundle did it again, legging out an infield single, advancing Shirley to third with one out.
Leadoff hitter Andrew Wilson climbed aboard with a six-pitch walk to load the bags. Then, it was Brian McLean that was walked, plating Shirley to go up 4-1. Garrett Christman walked to score pinch runner Brady Lutz (for Rundle) and the score was now 5-1.
Junior first baseman Dax McLochlin busted the seams out of the 4th inning with a three-run double the wall in right center, which scored Wilson, McLean and Garrett Christman to extend the score to 8-1.
Zach St. Pierre flied out to center for his third straight plate appearance of the game. Then, Connor Christman notched his second hit into left, this time driving in Dax for a 9-1 Miller lead.
Easton Brock's second at-bat of the inning as a pinch-hitter for Salmon was an RBI-single into center to send Connor home pushing the Millers further away from the Trojans, 10-1.
With Brock aboard, Shirley was hit by a pitch and Rundle was walked to load the bases again. Lutz again subbed in as a pinch-runner for the catcher. Andrew Wilson then took a 2-1 pitch for a double to the outfield, driving in Brock and Shirley for a 12-1 cushion. Lutz score the 10th run of the fourth to all but seal this 10-run season-opening victory.
New Castle's last-ditch effort...
Pinch-hitter Brady Renner singled on the first pitch he saw off Garrett Christman, who came in to relieve Salmon in the top of the 5th. Zak Kellogg reached on an error by Miller sub second baseman Michael Carmosino to put two Trojans on. Coby Isenbarger reached on an error. Two hitters later, Bryce Stevenson hit a two-run single into center to score Renner and Kellogg, but that would be it. Cayden Smekens grounded out to GC at the mound to end the ball game.
A solid offensive effort from Noblesville will have to be on its "A game" on Friday afternoon. The 4A #7 ranked Millers head to south to face Kentucky's #1 ranked St. Xavier squad. The game was supposed to be played today (Thursday) at 3 p.m., but the monsoon that stretched across the state of Indiana and northern Kentucky forced the two schools to postpone until Friday. It will be a 2 p.m. first pitch in Louisville.
This Saturday, Noblesville comes back home to host the Miller Classic. This year's field features Noblesville and Brebeuf Jesuit facing off in the first game at 11 a.m. Homestead and Crown Point duke it out in the second game around 1:30 p.m. The consolation game will be played around 4 p.m. and the Miller Classic championship at approximately 6:30 p.m.
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GO MILLERS!
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