Noblesville and Fishers were to open their first game of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference season on Thursday at Fishers, but that game was washed out by midday Thursday and became part of a doubleheader on Friday night at The Dunk in Noblesville. Saturday morning at Fishers turned out to be sunny skies and perfect baseball weather.Judging by how this first look at the 3-game series setup in the HCC this season, my guess is that we could be seeing a two or three way tie for 1st in the conference and the teams at the top of the league could probably have 6 or possibly 7 losses during the 18-game conference slate. With just seven teams in the conference now, it will be an absolute dogfight to win the title.
It ought to be pretty interesting to see how this league pans out at the end of May. By then, rankings won't matter, because all seven will have beaten each other up like the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and SEC do in both football and basketball year in and year out.
Game 1: Fishers 6, Noblesville 2 - (Fri. 4/10 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Tigers 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 - 6 9 1
Millers 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 3 3
After getting pushed back from starting the series at Fishers on Thursday, Friday became a doubleheader at Noblesville. It was a great night to "play two" and no better place than Dunker Field.
Game 1 became Noblesville's home game, because of its original slating to be played on Friday night.Dax McLochlin (right) took to the mound with a 2-0 record on the season. The senior right-handed hurler was able to get through the first couple innings giving up three hits and Fishers stranded all three. With one out in the top of the 3rd, Andy Bennett reached on an error by Michael Carmosino at shortstop and was driven in two hitters later by Joe Michel, who doubled over the head of Austin Shirley in center for a 1-0.
McLochlin got himself into a groove on the mound the next couple innings, but got himself into a pitching situation that he was unable to get out of.
Michel led off the top of the 6th with a single up the middle. Caleb Brenczewski came up next and doubled to center field for runners at second and third and unfortunately had Dax reeling. Two batters later, Christian Chapman lined a two-run double to right center to get Michel and Brenczewski home for a 3-0 lead. Chapman made his way home before the inning ended to put Fishers up 4-0.
Noblesville felt the pressure and decided it was time to put some runs on the board. Travis Gillian walked on seven pitches to lead things off, making sophomore Fishers pitcher Luke Duermit work for the victory. Up next, the DH Bryce Masterson blasted a two-run, the first of his young varsity career as a Miller, narrowing the Tigers' lead to 4-2 through six.
Fishers knew that Noblesville would be very capable in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game and/or win the game. The Tigers knew they should probably tack on another insurance run or two.
Bennett walked and Miller head coach Justin Keever pulled McLochlin and brought in junior right-hander Clayton Marowski. Brandon Yoho walked and Michel for bases loaded and no outs. Brenczewski grounded to short, forcing out Michel at 2nd, scoring Bennett. Still two runners on and Elliot Gilmore, who was in to pitch now, walked to score Yoho for the final score of 6-2.The Millers were only able to get an infield single out of Carmosino before the final out was recorded by Gilmore, giving him the save.
Masterson led the Millers with his 2-run HR in the 6th. Luke Duermit pitched a solid 5-plus innings for Fishers, striking out 7.
Joe Michel (above) had a great game at the plate, going 3-4 with three singles, an RBI, stolen base, run scored and was named the Player of the Game by Hamilton County TV.
Game 2: Noblesville 11, Fishers 0 (6 inn.) - (Fri. 4/10 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Millers 0 2 3 0 1 5 - 11 12 0
Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 1
Cory Conway (pitching at left) was back on the hill for the first time since last Thursday, when he threw 6 innings and struck out 11 Farragut batters, but lost that decision as the Millers were no-hit 2-0 by the host Admirals.The junior southpaw picked up right where he left off eight days prior. It was a little bit of a jittery first home start of the season for Conway, walking two before he fanned two in a row, forcing Fishers to strand runners at 2nd and 3rd.
The Tigers started another sophomore in Game 2. Ryan Metz was looking for his second win of the season, but all he could do was look, because the Millers' offense had other things in mind.
Conway struck out another three in the 2nd to give him 5 K's through two to give him a confidence boost for the duration.
Noblesville got their bats going in the top of the 2nd, being the visiting team in this game. Connor Christman legged out an infield single in the hole at short with one out. Two hitters later with two outs now, Alec Parker singles to get runners at the corners. Then, sophomore catcher Alex Cleverly busted out his stick at the dish, doubling on one hop to the fence in center, scoring both Christman and Parker for an early 2-0 Millers advantage that they would only build on.
The top of the 3rd got a little better the Miller offense. Travis Gillian lined a one out single into center. He was driven home not too long after, as Bryce Masterson belted a 3-1 pitch over the right field fence for a two-run home run and it was now 4-0. McLochlin walked and was singled home by Christman to make it 5-0 through three.
It was continued dominance by Conway on the mound as he would send down another six batters on strikes to give him 11 on the night.
Dax McLochlin smoked a double to the right field corner on the second pitch he saw. Alec Parker reached on a fielder's choice with Dax at third and scored McLochlin for 6-0.
The Millers wanted to end this game as quick as they could for the Friday night doubleheader split and that's exactly what they did.
Harris Camp and Michael Carmosino led off the top of the 6th with a pair walks. Bryce Masterson singled to short to score Camp for a 7-0 score. McLochlin reached on a fielder's choice to score Carmo from third and it was 8-0.Connor Christman knocked an RBI single to right center, scoring McLochlin to make it 9-0. Austin Shirley kept that party going with an RBI single of his own to right, after starting the series 0-for-6 at the plate, to give the Millers a double-digit lead. Alec Parker singled to left to send Shirley home and put Noblesville up by what became the final count of 11-0 in 6 innings.
Christman had an outstanding night at the plate, going 4-for-4, with four singles, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base to earn Hamilton County TV's Noblesville Trophies Player of the Game honor.
Game 3: Fishers 3, Noblesville 2 - (Sat. 4/11 at Fishers)
Millers 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 6 1
Tigers 3 0 0 0 0 0 x - 3 6 2
It'll be said time and time again, but it's just about a guarantee that no series will probably be swept in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference this season. Yes, it is very possible, but being how competitive that this league is and how tight the games will be, each series will grind it out to be decided in the final innings of the third game of the set.
That's how things wound up in the first series for Noblesville and Fishers. With the Tigers taking the first game 6-2 and the Millers dominating the second game of Friday's doubleheader 11-0, it was bound to be quite a Game 3, to say the least.It was amazing weather for Saturday morning's series finale at Fishers.
Michael Carmosino reached to lead off the game on an error by pitcher Brandon Yoho and was able to reach second base on the overthrow by Yoho. Travis Gillian singled to right halfway down the line and Carmo scored from second for an early 1-0 lead for the Millers.
Bryce Masterson singled to shallow left for runners at first and second. Dax McLochlin belted a high fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly, plating Gillian for a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
Harris Camp started on the mound for the Millers and was hoping to get himself off to a better start than in his varsity debut eight days earlier at Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee.
After Jacob Totman popped out to Alec Parker in foul territory, Andy Bennett walked and Yoho reached on an error by Camp at the mound. Bennett was able to score on the play and the Tigers trailed just 2-1. Mike Folta pinch ran for Yoho and scored with Joe Michel at first on a fielder's choice by the DH Caleb Brenczewski to tie it up at 2-2. Two batters later with Brenczewski and Luke Duermit aboard, Christian Chapman singled to center to give Fishers a 3-2 lead after the first inning.
Neither coach probably figured that it would be the end of the scoring for the remainder of the game.
From that point on, it became a pitcher's duel.
Brandon Yoho was on point with his pitches, allowing five hits over his final 5-plus innings of work before giving way to Elliot Gilmore to save the game.
The thing that myself and Perry Williams were more impressed with was the finesse and great composure on the mound in relief by Noblesville senior southpaw Will Plumer (left). He was warming up in the bullpen during the first inning when Harris Camp ran into trouble when Fishers put three up.
Plumer came in and finished the game on the mound for the final six innings, striking out two and only allowing four hits over that span in a great effort to keep the Tigers' hitters in-check after scoring in the first.
Noblesville had one last chance to either tie or take the lead in the top of the 7th. Ty Lindstrand singled to left to lead off the inning and Carmosino was hit by a pitch for runners at first and second and the Millers in prime position to rattle Fishers reliever Elliot Gilmore, who was brought on in place of Yoho to put a stop to Noblesville's momentum.
Travis Gillian laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners to second and third. It was a perfect situation for the Millers to make a move.
Bryce Masterson hit a hard grounder to Michel at third and Lindstrand was on his way home. Sliding home, it appeared that Ty got his foot on the backside of the plate just before catcher Ryan Metz applied the tag. Unfortunately, that's not how home plate umpire Kevin Moore saw it and Lindstrand was called out at home for the second out. Bryce was safe at first on a fielder's choice and his pinch runner (Harris Camp) was stranded to end the game on a ground out to second by McLochlin.
Fishers (5-3, 2-1 HCC) won the game Saturday 3-2 and also took the series 2-1. Noblesville dropped to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in HCC play. The Millers will match up with Westfield (2-3, 1-2 HCC) at home on Thursday to start their three-game set.
Brandon Yoho was named the Hamilton County TV Player of the Game for his pitching efforts on the mound, striking out 3 and a double at the plate.
Miller head coach Justin Keever was in complete disagreement with Moore's call at the plate of Lindstrand being out and was ejected from the game. Being ejected, Keever is expected to miss Thursday night's series opener with Westfield. Third base/assistant head coach Kevin Fitzgerald will take Keever's place, if this is the case.
(*all photos courtesy of Kent Graham at kentgraham.photoshelter.com)
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