In high school baseball, the White River Rivalry between Noblesville and Carmel always turns out to be a great game, no matter what the two teams' records are coming into the game.
The neighboring communities and school districts are always in heated battles, no matter what sport it is that they face each other. This is also a Class 4A Sectional 8 potential rematch possibility.
Both Carmel and Noblesville, through 12 and 15 games respectively, are still fully trying to gel and define their true identities. Sometimes that takes more time than the fans, parents and players would like, but that's just the reality of it. It's all about them buying into who they are as a team and putting together that final product on the field.
Last year's 4A state championship didn't happen overnight for Noblesville. Yes, those players stuck together and endured a lot of ups and downs before everything finally came together and clicked on all cylinders to produce their magical state tournament run. There's also that pressure to keep that mojo going, even when a lot of that team's starters and pitching graduated.
It's not time to worry about the Millers being just one game over .500 at the midway point of the regular season. 11th year head coach Justin Keever, along with assistants Kevin Fitzgerald, Caleb Small and Jake Wood know exactly what they're doing and will do everything in their powers to get their squad in the right mental state to win baseball games in the ways they know how to.
Carmel 7, Noblesville 6 - (Monday, April 27 at Hartman Field, Carmel)
Millers 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 - 6 8 0
Greyhounds 3 0 0 1 0 1 2 - 7 10 2
The start time got moved from 5:30 to 5:45 because of a bus situation with Noblesville not being about to get a bus until 4:20 and by the time they got loaded up and to Hartman Field, it was pushing 5 p.m.
Left-hander Connor Cunningham got the nod on the mound for Carmel and was primed to take on the Millers. He allowed just a single to Michael Carmosino in the first.
Lead-off hitter Matthew Chernoff wasted no time in taking a 1-1 pitch from Dax McLochlin down the left field line for a stand-up double. Tyler Keith walked and before Dax threw another pitch, he was called for a balk, advancing both Chernoff and Keith to second and third.
Cunningham singled home Chernoff from 2nd for the game's first run. Keith was at third and Cunningham at first, the DH Tyler Blackington hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Keith for 2-0. Two batters later with two down, Rhett Wintner lined a single into left between Connor Christman and third and Neil Brown at short in the hole to score Cunningham's courtesy runner Trevor Kinnaird and at the end of the first, the host Greyhounds had jumped out to a 3-0 lead on four hits.
Bryce Masterson led off the 2nd with an infield single and moved to second on McLochlin's single up the middle into center. Alec Parker reached on an error by Keith at second to load the bases. Austin Shirley got aboard on an error by Wintner at first, scoring Masterson to get the Millers on the board and now down 3-1.
Alex Cleverly came up next and was probably a little amped up to get in the box, since his last plate appearance was in Game 3 at Fishers on April 11. On an 0-2 pitch, the sophomore catcher hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring courtesy runner Harris Camp to cut Carmel's lead to 3-2.
Travis Gillian singled to the hole at short to load the bases again. Ty Lindstrand singled opposite field to left to score Parker to tie it up at 3-3. Connor Christman finished out the scoring in the top of the 2nd with a two-run double that tailed into the gap in right center, plating Shirley and Gillian to push the Millers ahead 5-3.
McLochlin settled in on the mound over the 2nd through 4th innings, striking out three and allowing just three hits and one walk. But, at 69 pitches through four, the righty was relieved by Will Plumer and played right field the remainder of the game.
Striking out the first two he faced in the 4th, Dax was cruising. Then, he walked Drew Fox, the Carmel 9-hole hitter. Fox stole second with Chernoff up and four pitches later scored on a Chernoff single to right center, cutting Noblesville's lead to 5-4.
By now, Cunningham was comfortable using both the inside and outside corners of the plate, as well as his curveball, throwing Miller hitters off.
Cunningham fanned 5 Noblesville hitters just in the 3rd through 5th innings, throwing just 42 pitches over those three frames, before he was pulled for Cameron Pferrer just one walk into the 6th.
In Carmel's half of the 6th, Elliot Shebek walked with one out and then made his way to 2nd on a perfect bunt single by Drew Fox. JC Hanley came off of the Greyhound bench to pinch hit for Tyler Keith. Hanley hit a ground ball to Christman at third and that was enough for Fox to be able to run home to tie the game again at 5-5.
Noblesville got back at it in the top of the 7th with Seth Keeling now on the mound. A lead-off double to center from Michael Carmosino. Masterson walked on four straight pitches for runners at first and second with one out. Dax McLochlin recorded his second hit of the night, this time to left, driving in Carmo for a 6-5 Noblesville lead heading into the bottom of the 7th and Carmel's last at-bat.
Plumer stayed on the mound for the Millers in the 7th, confident that he could shut down the hosts. He got Blackington to fly out to right and Jack Van Remortel to ground out to short for two quick outs. Robert Evans was the new left fielder in the 6th and stepped in for his first plate appearance with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. He walked to get a runner aboard. Plumer had a 1-2 count and Parker Massman was down to his last strike. Massman drove the 1-2 pitch from Plumer over the left center field fence for a walk-off two-run home run to give Carmel a 7-6 win.
Matthew Chernoff led all hitters with a 3-4 night that included a double and a pair of singles, with an RBI and a run scored. Cunningham, Blackington and Wintner also drove in one run each. Parker Massman was named Hamilton County TV's Player of the Game for his walk-off 2-run HR to give the Greyhounds the 7-6 win.
Michael Carmosino led the Millers with a single, double and a run scored. Dax McLochlin was 2-4 at the dish with two singles and an RBI in the 7th that scored Carmo to give the Millers the 6-5 edge. Connor Christman also was a big part of the 5-run 2nd with his 2-run double.
Carmel improves their record to 6-6 on the season and will head to Lawrence North on Tuesday night for a MIC showdown with the 13-0 (6-0 MIC) Wildcats, who come in ranked #5 in this week's 4A poll by the IHSBCA.
The loss drops Noblesville to 8-7 on the season before welcoming in 4A #8 McCutcheon (9-2) to The Dunk on Friday night for a 7 p.m. first pitch.
The Millers finish up their week by hosting the Miller Classic on Saturday at The Dunk. Noblesville opens the day with North Central (4-2) at 11 a.m. A potential opponent in Class 4A Sectional 8 next month. North Central scored a big road win Monday night with a 10-3 victory at Hamilton Southeastern. The second game of the day features the Crown Point Bulldogs (8-4) against the Jeffersonville Red Devils (4-2).
The consolation game that pits the losers of games one and two will be played following the Crown Point/Jeffersonville match-up. The Miller Classic championship game will feature the winners of the first two games of the day and is slated for approximately 6:30 p.m.
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