From the start, it wasn't even close to how Noblesville wanted this 3-game series on the road at Brownsburg boost off. The Millers, coming into the HCC set on a 7-game winning streak, following Tuesday's 6-1 win over Heritage Christian at home, were tied with the Bulldogs for 2nd place in the league, both having 7-5 records coming in.
Having never been to Brownsburg for a Noblesville road game, I was told by Mike McLochlin that it was referred to as the "launching pad" and that seemed to be fitting, but for the home Bulldogs, of course.
Normally, these two HCC powers put forth quite a dogfight to even split the former format of a two-game series. Even with this change to three games played against each opponent, that won't change with the Bulldogs and Millers one single bit.
The Westfield Shamrocks had already locked up the outright HCC championship over the weekend, so it's all up to Noblesville to fend off Brownsburg and Zionsville to secure sole possession of 2nd place.
Bulldog bats batter Miller pitching in series opener
Game 1: Brownsburg 11, Noblesville 4 - (Thurs. May 14 at Brownsburg)
Millers 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 - 4 9 1
Bulldogs 4 2 0 3 0 2 x - 11 11 1
Caleb Sampen got the nod to start on the mound for Brownsburg and was going to do everything he could to help put a halt to Noblesville 7-game winning streak.
He allowed a single in the top of the 1st by Michael Carmosino, but stranded him at second.
Jacson McGowan got things going in the bottom with a one out walk from Cory Conway. Sampen flied out to left for two down, but that didn't really cross the minds of the Bulldogs.
Anthony Travelsted singled and then he and McGowan were driven home on a two-run double by the DH Brooks Birely for a 2-0 lead. First baseman Owen Gilbert walked for two on and Travis Mears loaded the bases reaching on an error by Vince Essig at short.
Ryan Robbins walked to score Birely and Brad Gullinger singled home Gilbert to help Brownsburg grab a 4-0 after one inning.
Cory Conway lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits, walking 3 and striking out just 1. Those numbers are completely uncharacteristic of the junior southpaw, but it seemed like Thursday night just wasn't his night (for once).
Clayton Marowski came in with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st and was able to get the final out of the inning.
Dax McLochlin singled past Mears at short for a one out single. Two batters later, Austin Shirley was hit by a pitch. The senior McLochlin and Shirley advance up a base on a passed ball to get into scoring position. Alec Parker singled down the left field line to score both Dax and Austin to cut the Bulldogs' lead in half and Noblesville trailed 4-2 after two at-bats.
McGowan drilled a double to the fence in right center to lead off the home half of the 2nd. Two hitter later with one out, Anthony Travelsted jacked a two-run homer to deep left to extend the Brownsburg lead back to four runs at 6-2 through two.
Noblesville was going to do whatever they could to climb their way back into the game. Vince Essig got on with a one out single to right. Carmosino doubled to get Vince to third and they both were in scoring position with one away and Connor Christman walked to load the bases. Bryce Masterson singled to the outfield to score Essig to cut the deficit to 6-3.
Marowski sent down the Bulldogs in order in the 3rd and that gave the Millers another chance in the top of 4.
Parker got his second hit of the night into left again. Essig was within inches of his first home run of the season, but settled for a ground-rule double that would score courtesy runner Harris Camp to close the gap back to two runs at 6-4.
Andrew Dishinger walked and was forced out at second on a fielder's choice by Jacson McGowan. Caleb Sampen reached on an infield single and Travelsted walked to load up the bags with one out. Then with two outs, Owen Gilbert trailed a three-run double to the fence in right over the head of Shirley to bust the game open at 9-4 Brownsburg after four.
Patrick Coleman pitched his first full inning of varsity work out of the bullpen, forcing a groundout and a pair of fly outs. The sophomore Coleman pitched the final 1/3 inning Tuesday at home against Heritage Christian to get his feet wet.
Connor Adams got the call from the bullpen to throw in the bottom of the 6th with a five run deficit. Cameron Martin pinch hit for McGowan and led off with a single right up the middle into center. Ryan Schutte also pinch hit for Sampen, dropping a single into shallow right for two on. Travelsted was at it again, this time bunting a single in the infield to score Martin.
Triston Polley pinch hit and reached on a fielder's choice, which forced Travelsted out at 2nd, and also scored Schutte for the final score of 11-4.
Millers win "longest Senior Night ever" in comeback fashion
Game 2: Noblesville 5, Brownsburg 4 (8 inn.) - (Fri. at The Dunk/Sat. at Brownsburg)
Bulldogs 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 4 10 1
Millers 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 - 5 5 2
Friday night was Senior Night at The Dunk to honor student trainer Casey Ferguson, the 7 senior players and Avrey Rose.
The weather was starting to turn as the game started and we were just hoping to get some baseball in. That's exactly what happened.
Andrew Dishinger led off the game with a walk by senior left-handed hurler Will Plumer. Jacson McGowan singled up the middle and Caleb Sampen bunted for a single to load the bases with no outs. Anthony Travelsted hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Dishinger for a 1-0 Brownsburg lead.
Travis Mears was throwing pretty well for the Bulldogs, allowing one hit over the first three innings, including fanning 5 of 6 in the 2nd and 3rd.
Brownsburg added to their lead in the 2nd. Mears led off with a single by the second base bag and into center. After a ground out by Ryan Robbins, Brad Gullinger dropped a single into right center to score courtesy runner Cameron Martin for the second Bulldog run. Three batters later with two outs, Sampen lined a single into left to score Gullinger and Brownsburg had a 3-0 lead through two at-bats.
The Bulldogs weren't done yet. Robbins singled to lead off the top of the 4th, but was forced out at 2nd on a grounder to Michael Carmosino, getting Gullinger to first on a fielder's choice. Gullinger would score on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 off of the bat of Sampen.
The Millers knew they had to get their offense going. Vince Essig legged out an infield single and reached second on a passed ball. Connor Christman took advantage of having Vince in scoring position and drove an RBI single to left to plate Essig to get Noblesville on the board, but still trailed 4-1.
Triston Polley came out of the Bulldog pen and immediately walked Bryce Masterson and Dax McLochlin reached on an E5 by McGowan at third. L.J. Tilley walked to score Christman from 3rd to cut the Brownsburg lead to 4-2.
Will Plumer was back on the mound in the top of the 5th and the weather wasn't looking promising to get the game in .
He got Ryan Schutte to line out Gillian in center. Owen Gilbert singled into shallow left center and no sooner that the ball was thrown back in to the infield, there was a lightning strike off in the distance close enough to throw the game into a delay.
After a delay of close to 45 minutes, the two head coaches, the pair of umpires and Noblesville assistant athletic director Tony Oilar decided that with the weather not going to be any better for the rest of the night, that Game 2 would be suspended until Saturday at Brownsburg. Along with the continuation, Game 3 would also be slated for Saturday to follow.
Continuation of Game 2, "the longest Senior Night ever..."
Justin Buchanan had been warming up in the bullpen Friday night at The Dunk to relieve Plumer, so it worked out that he would resume a bullpen warm-up upon the Millers' arrival in Brownsburg Saturday.
Resetting the situation, the Bulldogs were up to bat with one out and the runner aboard was Owen Gilbert. Buchanan's first hitter he faced was pinch hitter Chase Haynes, who flied out to center for the second out. With Robbins up, Pinch runner (for Gilbert) #23 (not listed) was picked off as he tried to steal second. Buchanan to Dax to Essig for the third out of the inning, igniting the Miller fans that made the road trip to Brownsburg!
Jacson McGowan came to the mound the start the 5th, giving both teams fresh arms to start the day. He mowed right through the 9-1-2 hitters of the Millers, striking out Parker and Gillian looking and forcing Essig into a pop out to Gullinger at 2nd.
After Buchanan struck out two of the hitters he faced in the 6th, the Millers were ready for McGowan in the bottom.
Michael Carmosino walked and Connor Christman singled to center to get Carmo to third with no outs. Bryce Masterson grounded out to Gilbert at first (unassisted) for the first out. Carmosino scored on a passed ball with Dax up and it was 4-3 Brownsburg.
Christman stole home when a ball got away from Bulldogs catcher Brandon Reid and the Millers tied the game at 4-4.
Neither could get anything going in the 7th, which took the game into extra innings.
Buchanan was able to get two quick outs to start the 8th, but a single from Dishinger and walk to McGowan brought an end to his day. Sophomore Patrick Coleman was on to face Caleb Sampen. On a 2-1 count, Coleman forced Sampen to ground out to McLochlin at first to end any threat with those two runners on.
Matt Rollyson had pitched the 7th, but head coach Eric Mattingly brought Michael Klayer in after Rollyson had already walked Christman and Masterson to start the inning. Neil Brown came in to pinch run for Christman. A passed ball with McLochlin up helped Brown to third and Masterson to second with no outs. Then, on a 3-1 count, Dax McLochlin launched a game-winning RBI walk-off single to deep right center on the fly to the fence, scoring Brown for the win, 5-4 in 8 innings!
The Millers tied the series up at 1-1 and Patrick Coleman had just earned his first varsity win on the mound.
Two 4-run innings fuel Millers to series win; Christman, Masterson go back-to-back
Game 3: Noblesville 9, Brownsburg 3 - (Mon. 5/18 at Brownsburg)
Millers 0 4 0 4 1 0 0 - 9 7 0
Bulldogs 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 3 4 4
With as much of this series that has been played at Brownsburg (all but 4.1 innings), it seemed like all three games were on the road
Caleb Sampen reached first on a dropped third strike with one out, but he wasn't on base for long, as he was picked off by Cory Conway. But, before that, Anthony Travelsted hit a solo home run to center to give Brownsburg the early 1-0 lead.
Noblesville answered that call in the top of the 2nd and put their first crooked number up.
Bryce Masterson grounded a single to right. Dax McLochlin lined a single of his own to left, moving Masterson to 2nd. L.J. Tilley reached on an error at first by Owen Gilbert to load the bases for the Millers.
Austin Shirley walked to bring home Masterson to tie the game 1-1. Alec Parker drove in two runs with a single to left on a liner, scoring Dax and L.J. on the play. Vince Essig grounded to short for the second out of the inning, but that allowed Shirley to sprint home and just like that, Noblesville had put a four-spot on the scoreboard to lead 4-1 heading into the bottom of the second.
Travis Mears led off with a walk. Brooks Birely singled to right, advancing Mears to 2nd and was able to score on the play to pull the Bulldogs within two at 4-2 through two.
The Millers were back at it strongly in the top of the 4th after yes, a "thunder delay" in the Brownsburg area in Hendricks county.
Travis Gillian reached on an error at shortstop by Sampen and he possibly would have had it legged out anyway. Michael Carmosino singled on the ground to right, scoring Gillian from first for 5-2.
Next up, Connor Christman took advantage and drove his first career varsity home run over the left center fence to give the Millers a 7-2 lead. The junior 3rd baseman was LONG overdue for his first longball and it couldn't have come during a better opportunity.
Noblesville wasn't done in the inning. Bryce Masterson decided that it had been WAY too long since he took a baseball over the fence. It was the Friday night of the HCC series opening games on April 10th, when Thursday's game was pair with Friday's for a doubleheader. The sophomore DH belted two home runs that day, one in each game.
This time, Masterson must have taken a page right out of first base coach and former Miller ('09) Jake Wood's book and took a pitch opposite field for a solo shot to left to lengthen the score to 8-2.
Before Brownsburg could even think about getting their bearings, the Millers were up in the top of the 5th to do some more damage.
Austin Shirley doubled to deep right center on one hop to the fence. Gillian reach again on an error by Sampen at short, which made it possible to get Shirley home from second for a 9-2 margin.
Brownsburg's last-ditch effort to come back was in the bottom of the 6th. Jacson McGowan led off with a single to right. Anthony Travelsted singled to center, getting McGowan to third. Owen Gilbert grounded to Essig, Vince stepped on the second base bag and gunned to first to get the double play. McGowan scored on the play for what would be the final score of 9-3.
Cory Conway pitched six solid innings before he was pulled for Clayton Marowski out of the bullpen to finish the game. The junior southpaw notched his HCC-leading 7th win on the mound and is now 7-2 this season. He also has 78 strikeouts and 22 walks in 53.1 innings pitched so far.
Brownsburg drops to 13-10 overall and 8-7 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. The Bulldogs conclude league play and their regular season in a series with Hamilton Southeastern starting at the Royals on Thursday at 6.
Noblesville improves to 17-9 on the season and is 9-6 in the HCC. The Millers will wrap up their conference slate and regular season with the Avon Orioles starting on the road Thursday night at 6. Friday night will be a doubleheader at The Dunk in Noblesville. Game 1 on Friday will be at 6 p.m. with the second game around 35 minutes after the conclusion.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Noblesville takes down Heritage Christian, stays focused
Taking a look at the schedule on www.millerball.com, the Millers were originally slated to head to Kokomo to battle the Wildkats on Tuesday, May 12. It turned out that Kokomo was in the North Central Conference tournament and was unable to play Noblesville this week.
That sent Millers' head coach Justin Keever on a search early Tuesday morning for an opponent that night. There was the slight possibility of heading to Covenant Christian in Zionsville, but that idea was just a flash in the pan. By mid morning, it was solidified that Heritage Christian would be coming north to play Noblesville at The Dunk.
In its short athletics history, the Heritage Christian Eagles have created a rich tradition that will last for quite a while. Whether it's the girls volleyball, girls basketball or football state championship and state finals appearances that have raised the standards at their 75th and Binford Rd. campus or not, their baseball program has some accolades of their own.
Head Coach Dan Ambrose led the Heritage Christian baseball program to back-to-back 2A baseball State Championships recently. In 2009, the Eagles (25-6) beat Lewis Cass 11-3 for the school's first baseball crown. It's never easy, but they repeated in 2010 (27-10) by defeating Delphi 5-1.
What better way to prepare his Eagles for the 2A state tournament that's coming up than to play the defending 4A state champions? Exactly.
The sectional draw will take place this next Tuesday, May 19th to determine the sectional pairings for the 2015 IHSAA state baseball tournament that will start on Wednesday, May 27.
Noblesville 6, Heritage Christian 1 - (Tuesday, May 12 - at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Eagles 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 5
Millers 1 1 3 1 0 0 x - 6 7 0
It was obvious that the Eagles weren't afraid to come play the Millers and they showed it in the 1st inning.
Two pitches by Justin Buchanan and two quick fly outs to center by Lake Webb and Ronnie Timmerman put the pressure on Heritage Christian right away, but they didn't fold.
Andy Hunt walked and then quickly stole second base. Jordan Brehm got his night started off right with a double down the right field line that scored Brehm from 2nd and Heritage Christian took an early 1-0 lead.
That wouldn't last long at all.
Travis Gillian made Eagles starter Ronnie Timmerman work hard, throwing 8 pitches to the Miller CF to only walk him. Gillian stole second base with Vince Essig up to bat. Gillian advanced to third on Michael Carmosino's ground out to third and would soon score on an error by 1B Reilly Schlosser to tie it up 1-1.
From striking out the final batter of the 1st inning, Buchanan was focused and faced just the minimum of three in the 2nd through 4th innings, striking out five in that span.
The Millers added another run in the home half of the 2nd. Dax McLochlin tripled to deep center on a very short hop to the fence. The senior rapidly rounded the bags and was able to make his way home to score on the play for a 2-1 Noblesville lead that they wouldn't give back.
Back to the top of the order in the 4th, Gillian would leg out an infield single off of reliever Sam Lyons to get it going. Essig walked for two on. Two batters later with two outs now, Bryce Masterson belted a stand-up double into the right field corner that scored Gillian and Essig for a 4-1 lead. Jackson Thurman came in to run for the sophomore DH and scored on L.J. Tilley's single to left for a 5-1 Noblesville lead after 3 innings.
Brock Grinstead was in to pitch the 4th and 5th innings and for the most part he was the better answer in relief for the Eagles.
Gillian singled with one out in the 4th and would score when Carmo reached on an error by second baseman Ronnie Timmerman for the final score of 6-1.
Connor Adams came in during the top of the 6th after Buchanan gave up a pair of singles to Timmerman and Hunt.
Adams struck out the Jordan Brehm to raise his confidence coming out of the bullpen. Sam Lyons hit into a fielder's choice that was hit to Essig and he quickly threw to third to get the lead runner out for the second out of the inning. The inning would end fast as Adams stepped off and threw to Essig at second when Andy Hunt tried steal second, Vince applying the tag for the third out.
The senior lefty got the first couple outs and then Keever went to Patrick Coleman out of the bullpen. Coleman threw just three pitches, getting M.J. Furnish to pop out to Alec Parker in foul territory behind home plate to end the game with the Millers securing a 6-1 victory.
The loss dropped a good Heritage Christian team to 14-5 on the year and Noblesville improved to 15-8, continuing their winning streak to 7 games.
Justin Buchanan improved to 2-0 on the season, throwing 5 innings, whiffing 6 Eagles and walking just two in 5-plus innings.
Masterson led the Millers with two RBIs on his 2-run double in the third and Gillian scored three of the Noblesville runs on his two singles and walk.
Noblesville hits the road today (Thursday) to start a huge Hoosier Crossroads Conference series with the Brownsburg Bulldogs (12-8, 7-5 HCC). The Millers are 15-8 overall with a 7-5 mark in league play, tying them with Brownsburg heading into the 3-game series.
Brownsburg is 5-6 in their last 11 games. They lost the Hendricks County tournament championship to Avon at Plainfield 5-4 on April 18. The Bulldogs made a clean sweep of Fishers to end April and start May. They next were swept by Westfield in three games and took 2 of 3 over Zionsville last week. Monday night, the Bulldogs got a big road win 5-1 over 4A #9 Center Grove.
Game 1 is tonight at Brownsburg and 6pm. Game 2 will be Friday night at The Dunk at 6pm with Game 3 concluding the series back at Brownsburg on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
That sent Millers' head coach Justin Keever on a search early Tuesday morning for an opponent that night. There was the slight possibility of heading to Covenant Christian in Zionsville, but that idea was just a flash in the pan. By mid morning, it was solidified that Heritage Christian would be coming north to play Noblesville at The Dunk.
In its short athletics history, the Heritage Christian Eagles have created a rich tradition that will last for quite a while. Whether it's the girls volleyball, girls basketball or football state championship and state finals appearances that have raised the standards at their 75th and Binford Rd. campus or not, their baseball program has some accolades of their own.
Head Coach Dan Ambrose led the Heritage Christian baseball program to back-to-back 2A baseball State Championships recently. In 2009, the Eagles (25-6) beat Lewis Cass 11-3 for the school's first baseball crown. It's never easy, but they repeated in 2010 (27-10) by defeating Delphi 5-1.
What better way to prepare his Eagles for the 2A state tournament that's coming up than to play the defending 4A state champions? Exactly.
The sectional draw will take place this next Tuesday, May 19th to determine the sectional pairings for the 2015 IHSAA state baseball tournament that will start on Wednesday, May 27.
Noblesville 6, Heritage Christian 1 - (Tuesday, May 12 - at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Eagles 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 5
Millers 1 1 3 1 0 0 x - 6 7 0
It was obvious that the Eagles weren't afraid to come play the Millers and they showed it in the 1st inning.
Two pitches by Justin Buchanan and two quick fly outs to center by Lake Webb and Ronnie Timmerman put the pressure on Heritage Christian right away, but they didn't fold.
Andy Hunt walked and then quickly stole second base. Jordan Brehm got his night started off right with a double down the right field line that scored Brehm from 2nd and Heritage Christian took an early 1-0 lead.
That wouldn't last long at all.
Travis Gillian made Eagles starter Ronnie Timmerman work hard, throwing 8 pitches to the Miller CF to only walk him. Gillian stole second base with Vince Essig up to bat. Gillian advanced to third on Michael Carmosino's ground out to third and would soon score on an error by 1B Reilly Schlosser to tie it up 1-1.
From striking out the final batter of the 1st inning, Buchanan was focused and faced just the minimum of three in the 2nd through 4th innings, striking out five in that span.
The Millers added another run in the home half of the 2nd. Dax McLochlin tripled to deep center on a very short hop to the fence. The senior rapidly rounded the bags and was able to make his way home to score on the play for a 2-1 Noblesville lead that they wouldn't give back.
Back to the top of the order in the 4th, Gillian would leg out an infield single off of reliever Sam Lyons to get it going. Essig walked for two on. Two batters later with two outs now, Bryce Masterson belted a stand-up double into the right field corner that scored Gillian and Essig for a 4-1 lead. Jackson Thurman came in to run for the sophomore DH and scored on L.J. Tilley's single to left for a 5-1 Noblesville lead after 3 innings.
Brock Grinstead was in to pitch the 4th and 5th innings and for the most part he was the better answer in relief for the Eagles.
Gillian singled with one out in the 4th and would score when Carmo reached on an error by second baseman Ronnie Timmerman for the final score of 6-1.
Connor Adams came in during the top of the 6th after Buchanan gave up a pair of singles to Timmerman and Hunt.
Adams struck out the Jordan Brehm to raise his confidence coming out of the bullpen. Sam Lyons hit into a fielder's choice that was hit to Essig and he quickly threw to third to get the lead runner out for the second out of the inning. The inning would end fast as Adams stepped off and threw to Essig at second when Andy Hunt tried steal second, Vince applying the tag for the third out.
The senior lefty got the first couple outs and then Keever went to Patrick Coleman out of the bullpen. Coleman threw just three pitches, getting M.J. Furnish to pop out to Alec Parker in foul territory behind home plate to end the game with the Millers securing a 6-1 victory.
The loss dropped a good Heritage Christian team to 14-5 on the year and Noblesville improved to 15-8, continuing their winning streak to 7 games.
Justin Buchanan improved to 2-0 on the season, throwing 5 innings, whiffing 6 Eagles and walking just two in 5-plus innings.
Masterson led the Millers with two RBIs on his 2-run double in the third and Gillian scored three of the Noblesville runs on his two singles and walk.
Noblesville hits the road today (Thursday) to start a huge Hoosier Crossroads Conference series with the Brownsburg Bulldogs (12-8, 7-5 HCC). The Millers are 15-8 overall with a 7-5 mark in league play, tying them with Brownsburg heading into the 3-game series.
Brownsburg is 5-6 in their last 11 games. They lost the Hendricks County tournament championship to Avon at Plainfield 5-4 on April 18. The Bulldogs made a clean sweep of Fishers to end April and start May. They next were swept by Westfield in three games and took 2 of 3 over Zionsville last week. Monday night, the Bulldogs got a big road win 5-1 over 4A #9 Center Grove.
Game 1 is tonight at Brownsburg and 6pm. Game 2 will be Friday night at The Dunk at 6pm with Game 3 concluding the series back at Brownsburg on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Upswing Millers sweep Hamilton SE in HCC series
Hamilton Southeastern started off the year with some pretty solid wins. Their season opened on April 1st and it wasn't an April Fool's joke that they a 13-4 victory over Brebeuf Jesuit. They next took 2 of 3 over Avon to take an early edge in the conference standings.
Playing in a tournament in Louisville over their spring break, the Royals went 2-1. They lost their first game to Nitro (WV) 6-5 in 8 innings, but was able to grab wins from Benjamin Logan (OH) 5-0 and McHenry (IL) 4-1.
Coming back, they took down Carmel 6-1 to improve to 6-2 overall. Following that defeat of the Greyhounds, it seems like the Royals have gone just about completely flat. Taking two of three from their neighbors in the Fishers Tigers, it looked like they might be heading in the right direction at 8-3 overall and 4-2 in HCC play. Then, the slide hit them.
Two losses to Westfield to start that conference series spelled three losses in a row. Sandwich a win in the final game of the series between a 10-3 loss at home to potential Sectional 8 opponent North Central and the slide continued. Zionsville would take the first two in the next HCC series to drop Southeastern to 9-8 (5-6) before salvaging Game 3 to grab their 10th win of the year.
Enter the streaking Noblesville Millers...
The last team that the Royals wanted to see at this point in the season was Noblesville. The Millers suffered two consecutive one-run setbacks at Carmel (7-6) and to McCutcheon 6-5, but now have strung together 3 straight wins over North Central (7-6, 8 inn.) and Jeffersonville (8-0) to win the Miller Classic and 12-0 over 2A #5 Wapahani.
This was their longest streak of the season and that happened in the final three games of the DeMarini Diamond Classic in Knoxville, where Noblesville grabbed wins over Knoxville West (5-2), Grace Christian Academy (10-8, 8 inn.) and Brentwood (7-0) to come home 4-1 before conference play.
The only bad streak the Millers have had this year is when they lost the finale of the Fishers series on the road (3-2) and dropped the first two games of the Westfield series, 2-1 and 9-6.
Other than that, Noblesville is playing some pretty good baseball from that point and they look to continue streaking for as long as they possibly can.
Three 3-run frames propel Millers in series opener
Game 1: Noblesville 9, Hamilton SE 5 - (Thurs. May 7 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Royals 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 - 5 10 2
Millers 3 0 3 0 3 0 x - 9 9 0
Will Plumer got slightly ahead of lead-off hitter and Indiana-commit Matt Gorski with a 2-1 count, but that really didn't matter. Gorski took a fastball on the fourth pitch, that was out over the plate, belting a lead-off solo home run to left to give Hamilton Southeastern an early 1-0 edge.
On the first pitch he saw, Travis Gillian drove a double deep to the gap in left center. Vince Essig next hit a tailing triple just right of the fence in center to easily plate Gillian to tie it up 1-1 in no time flat.
Michael Carmosino reached on an error by catcher Spencer Irick that helped Essig score from third and Carmo managed to get down to second. Three batters later, Dax McLochlin singled to score Carmosino from second and just like that, the Millers had already gained the lead 3-1 after one.
The Millers were back at it to put some more runs on the scoreboard against one of their bigger Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals.
We were at the top of the order again with Gillian up, but that didn't last long as he was hit by the first pitch that David Blanco threw to (at) him. He would reach second quickly on a passed ball and with Essig walking, Noblesville had a pair of runners aboard.
Carmosino was able to get his bat on a 1-2 pitch and send it into the left field corner to drive Gillian home for a 4-1 score. Connor Christman hit a sacrifice fly to center that would score Vince for 5-1. Bryce Masterson smacked a nice sac fly to center that sent Carmosino home and the Millers had sent three across home plate in both the 1st and 3rd and now led 6-1.
Noblesville decided that they would make it a theme to score three runs in the odd innings to be able to stretch their lead out even more to frustrate the Hamilton Southeastern Royals.
Not kidding. They were at it again in the home half of the 5th.
Gillian led off with a walk from junior relief pitcher Carter Poiry, who came in to pitch the 4th, but was pulled for freshman Carter Lohman after the walk of Gillian.
Essig singled again for his second hit of the night, moving Gillian to 2nd. Carmosino bunted Gillian and Essig over to 3rd and 2nd, respectively and into scoring position. Connor Christman drilled a two-run single into left center and scored both Travis and Vince to make it 8-1. Bryce Masterson knocked in his second run of the game by doubling to the fence in right center to score Christman and the Millers headed to the 6th with a commanding 9-1 lead.
Aaron McGee led off the top of the 6th with double over Gillian's head in center to pump up the visitor's dugout. With Owen Callaghan flying out to right for the first out of the inning, McGee was able to tag up and head to 3rd and into scoring position. Nick Kiehl hit a grounder to short. Essig threw to first, allowing the McGee to score to get the second out and Hamilton Southeastern plated their second run of the game and their first since the 1st, trailing now 9-2.
The Royals had one more crack at it in the top of the 7th. Cole Jacobs singled to shallow left to get things started. Two hitters later, Gorski belted another home run over the left field fence. This time, his two-run shot ended up on SR 32 and into the back of a pickup truck. That guy got a free baseball and didn't even know it until he got home!
Plumer allowed a single to the next batter J.B. Washburn and head coach Justin Keever went to his bullpen to senior lefty Connor Adams.
Adams gave up a single to Aaron McGee on the second pitch he threw and then two consecutive walks to Callaghan and Kiehl to load the bases, ending Adams' appearance after 11 pitches.
Senior right-hander Justin Buchanan came on with one out in relief of Adams. He only needed to face one Royals hitter though. Jon McGee had a 2-2 count and hit a ground ball to Carmosino at second. He quickly tossed to second to force Kiehl's pinch-runner Jackson Howard out and then on to first to get McGee out to end the game, recording the save for Buchanan, his first of the season.
Noblesville staves off the Royals' comeback bid for a 9-5 win to open the series.
Congratulations to Miller head coach Justin Keever...
Thursday's series-opening victory at home over Hamilton Southeastern was Noblesville head coach Justin Keever's 200th career victory. A big congratulations to Coach Keever for achieving that milestone in his 11th season at the helm of the Noblesville Millers.
Millers hold off Royals for 7-5 road win to take series
Game 2: Noblesville 7, Hamilton SE 5 - (Fri. May 8 at Hamilton SE, Fishers)
Millers 3 0 0 4 0 0 0 - 7 6 1
Royals 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 - 5 10 2
The Millers kept it going in the odd innings in Game 2 at Hamilton Southeastern on Friday night.
With one out, Essig walked on five pitches and reached 2nd on a walk to Carmosino. Christman was at the plate and Tanner Sizemore threw a wild pitch, moving up both Essig and Carmo to 3rd and 2nd, respectively. Christman would walk and ball four was a passed ball that allowed Vince to head home from 3rd for the first run of the game.
Bryce Masterson reached on an error by Matt Gorski at second base, scoring Carmosino and getting Christman to second with one out. Ty Lindstrand reached on a passed ball on a dropped strike three and scored Connor for a 3-0 Miller lead early.
Noblesville ace southpaw Cory Conway was on the hill looking to pitch his Millers to a victory, but he knew it wouldn't be easy by any means.
Conway faced slugger Matt Gorski to lead off and was hoping that he wouldn't repeat either of the two HRs he belted off of fellow lefty Will Plumer the night before.
Gorski singled, but was forced out at 2nd on a throw by Dax McLochlin when Aaron McGee grounded to first. J.B. Washburn would single, but he and McGee would both be stranded and second and third to end the inning.
Sizemore was able to keep the Millers' offense silent in the 2nd and 3rd, giving his offense a chance to cut into the three run deficit.
Jon McGee led off the home half of the 2nd with single down the left field line. He would eventually score in the inning to cut the Miller lead to 3-1 after two.
The Royals were able to make some more noise offensively in the bottom of the 3rd with a lead-off walk. Washburn singled McGee to second to put two aboard. A sacrifice bunt by Callaghan moved the runners up a base to second and third and in scoring position with two outs. Nick Kiehl reached on an error by Essig behind the second base bag, scoring both McGee and Washburn to tie the game at 3-3.
The Millers weren't the happiest that their lead vanished, so they were gonna do something about it in the 4th.
Lindstrand led off the 4th being hit by a pitch. Austin Shirley singled up the middle to advance Ty to third on a throwing error by Cole Jacobs in center. Shirley tried stretching the hit into a double, but Jacobs' throw back in to Washburn was in good timing and he tossed to Gorski at second to tag out Shirley for the first out of the inning.
Alec Parker walked for runners at the corners and Harris Camp would come in to courtesy run for the catcher. Travis Gillian singled right after to left field, scoring Ty for a 4-3 score to put the Millers back in front. Gillian was the last batter that Sizemore would face.
Michael Pachmeyer came on in relief and got off to a shaky start, walking Essig and hitting Carmosino with a pitch to load the bases for Christman. Camp would score on a passed ball, advancing Gillian to second. Connor would hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Gillian from third for a 6-3 count. Masterson singled to left and scored Essig on the play to give Noblesville a 7-3 lead after four innings at the plate.
Hamilton Southeastern would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. The catcher Spencer Irick walked with one out and his courtesy runner Tristan Gold would make his way home on an Aaron McGee single past Essig at short to trim the Miller lead to three, 7-4 after four.
After Conway pitched another solid game, Justin Buchanan was on in the bottom of the 7th to try and pick up the save for the second straight night.
Aaron McGee singled to lead off the inning, which led to Conway's exit. Buchanan's fourth pitch in this appearance resulted in a ground out from Washburn to J.B. at the mound that he would take himself to the first base bag for out number one.
Walking Callaghan and giving up a single to Kiehl, it looked like the Royals were truly going to threaten the Miller lead.
But fear not, Buchanan forced Jon McGee to fly out to left and struck out pinch hitter Carter Poiry for the final out, saving the ball game for the second night in a row.
It was another great night on the mound, despite giving up more offense than normal. Conway struck out 9 Royals in 6+ innings, while walked two and scattering 9 hits. The nine punch-outs gives Conway an HCC-leading 59 strikeouts in 41.2 innings and improved his record to 5-1, a win total that he achieved last season as a sophomore by earning the win in the Class 4A state championship.
Bryce Masterson was the Player of the Game on Hamilton County TV's broadcast, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, reaching base in three of his four at-bats.
Last Friday night's game at Hamilton Southeastern can be seen archived at wwww.hctvsports.com!
Christman's walk-off single helps Millers sweep Royals
Game 3: Noblesville 4, Hamilton SE 3 - (Sat. May 9 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Royals 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 3 8 0
Millers 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 - 4 9 1
Clayton Marowski got the start for Noblesville and picked up right where he left off from his 3-hit, 12-0 shutout of Wapahani on Tuesday.
The right-handed junior didn't allow base runners in the first two innings and gave up just two hits, one each in the 3rd and 4th, while striking out two.
Noblesville got their bats going in the last of the 2nd. Bryce Masterson led off with a single. In the seven slot two hitters later, L.J. Tilley singled up the middle into center. Austin Shirley then doubled to left scoring Masterson and Tilley was also able to sprint home from second for a 2-0 Miller lead.
Hamilton Southeastern figured out a way to tie the game in the top of the 5th, but that didn't rattle Marowski really.
Jon McGee singled to right and made his way home on Carter Poiry's double to deep center to cut the deficit to a 2-1 Miller lead.
Gorski would ground out to Carmosino at second for the second out, but Poiry would jog home to tie the game up 2-2.
Andrew Bohm kept Noblesville's bats in-check in the 5th and 6th with the game still tied heading into the top of the 7th.
Matt Gorski clubbed a two-out, solo HR to left to give the Royals a 3-2 lead, but that's all they would get before the Millers came to bat in the bottom.
Tilley led off beating out an infield single and moved over to second to batters later when Alec Parker walked. Neil Brown would come in to courtesy run for Parker.
Travis Gillian hit an RBI single to score Tilley from second to tie the game again at 3-3 with one out. Vince Essig was intentionally walked to load the bases. Michael Carmosino struck out for the second time in the game for two outs and the pressure was on.
Next, on a 1-0 count, Connor Christman floated a game-winning single to left, scoring Brown for the game-winning run and a 4-3 win!
Marowski pitched a complete game, improving his record on the mound to 3-1.
L.J. Tilley went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Travis Gillian had a double, single and an RBI, Austin Shirley had a 2-run double and Connor Christman had a pair of hits, including the game-winner to lead the Millers at the plate on the day.
The win gives Noblesville a 3-game series sweep of Hamilton Southeastern and their first sweep in conference play with the switch to the series format this season. It also ups the Millers record in HCC play to 7-5, tied with Brownsburg for 2nd and just one out in the loss column of Westfield.
The series sweep also helps the Millers improve overall to 14-8 and extend their winning streak to 6 games prior to Tuesday's match-up with 2A Heritage Christian.
Playing in a tournament in Louisville over their spring break, the Royals went 2-1. They lost their first game to Nitro (WV) 6-5 in 8 innings, but was able to grab wins from Benjamin Logan (OH) 5-0 and McHenry (IL) 4-1.
Coming back, they took down Carmel 6-1 to improve to 6-2 overall. Following that defeat of the Greyhounds, it seems like the Royals have gone just about completely flat. Taking two of three from their neighbors in the Fishers Tigers, it looked like they might be heading in the right direction at 8-3 overall and 4-2 in HCC play. Then, the slide hit them.
Two losses to Westfield to start that conference series spelled three losses in a row. Sandwich a win in the final game of the series between a 10-3 loss at home to potential Sectional 8 opponent North Central and the slide continued. Zionsville would take the first two in the next HCC series to drop Southeastern to 9-8 (5-6) before salvaging Game 3 to grab their 10th win of the year.
Enter the streaking Noblesville Millers...
The last team that the Royals wanted to see at this point in the season was Noblesville. The Millers suffered two consecutive one-run setbacks at Carmel (7-6) and to McCutcheon 6-5, but now have strung together 3 straight wins over North Central (7-6, 8 inn.) and Jeffersonville (8-0) to win the Miller Classic and 12-0 over 2A #5 Wapahani.
This was their longest streak of the season and that happened in the final three games of the DeMarini Diamond Classic in Knoxville, where Noblesville grabbed wins over Knoxville West (5-2), Grace Christian Academy (10-8, 8 inn.) and Brentwood (7-0) to come home 4-1 before conference play.
The only bad streak the Millers have had this year is when they lost the finale of the Fishers series on the road (3-2) and dropped the first two games of the Westfield series, 2-1 and 9-6.
Other than that, Noblesville is playing some pretty good baseball from that point and they look to continue streaking for as long as they possibly can.
Three 3-run frames propel Millers in series opener
Game 1: Noblesville 9, Hamilton SE 5 - (Thurs. May 7 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Royals 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 - 5 10 2
Millers 3 0 3 0 3 0 x - 9 9 0
Will Plumer got slightly ahead of lead-off hitter and Indiana-commit Matt Gorski with a 2-1 count, but that really didn't matter. Gorski took a fastball on the fourth pitch, that was out over the plate, belting a lead-off solo home run to left to give Hamilton Southeastern an early 1-0 edge.
On the first pitch he saw, Travis Gillian drove a double deep to the gap in left center. Vince Essig next hit a tailing triple just right of the fence in center to easily plate Gillian to tie it up 1-1 in no time flat.
Michael Carmosino reached on an error by catcher Spencer Irick that helped Essig score from third and Carmo managed to get down to second. Three batters later, Dax McLochlin singled to score Carmosino from second and just like that, the Millers had already gained the lead 3-1 after one.
The Millers were back at it to put some more runs on the scoreboard against one of their bigger Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals.
We were at the top of the order again with Gillian up, but that didn't last long as he was hit by the first pitch that David Blanco threw to (at) him. He would reach second quickly on a passed ball and with Essig walking, Noblesville had a pair of runners aboard.
Carmosino was able to get his bat on a 1-2 pitch and send it into the left field corner to drive Gillian home for a 4-1 score. Connor Christman hit a sacrifice fly to center that would score Vince for 5-1. Bryce Masterson smacked a nice sac fly to center that sent Carmosino home and the Millers had sent three across home plate in both the 1st and 3rd and now led 6-1.
Noblesville decided that they would make it a theme to score three runs in the odd innings to be able to stretch their lead out even more to frustrate the Hamilton Southeastern Royals.
Not kidding. They were at it again in the home half of the 5th.
Gillian led off with a walk from junior relief pitcher Carter Poiry, who came in to pitch the 4th, but was pulled for freshman Carter Lohman after the walk of Gillian.
Essig singled again for his second hit of the night, moving Gillian to 2nd. Carmosino bunted Gillian and Essig over to 3rd and 2nd, respectively and into scoring position. Connor Christman drilled a two-run single into left center and scored both Travis and Vince to make it 8-1. Bryce Masterson knocked in his second run of the game by doubling to the fence in right center to score Christman and the Millers headed to the 6th with a commanding 9-1 lead.
Aaron McGee led off the top of the 6th with double over Gillian's head in center to pump up the visitor's dugout. With Owen Callaghan flying out to right for the first out of the inning, McGee was able to tag up and head to 3rd and into scoring position. Nick Kiehl hit a grounder to short. Essig threw to first, allowing the McGee to score to get the second out and Hamilton Southeastern plated their second run of the game and their first since the 1st, trailing now 9-2.
The Royals had one more crack at it in the top of the 7th. Cole Jacobs singled to shallow left to get things started. Two hitters later, Gorski belted another home run over the left field fence. This time, his two-run shot ended up on SR 32 and into the back of a pickup truck. That guy got a free baseball and didn't even know it until he got home!
Plumer allowed a single to the next batter J.B. Washburn and head coach Justin Keever went to his bullpen to senior lefty Connor Adams.
Adams gave up a single to Aaron McGee on the second pitch he threw and then two consecutive walks to Callaghan and Kiehl to load the bases, ending Adams' appearance after 11 pitches.
Senior right-hander Justin Buchanan came on with one out in relief of Adams. He only needed to face one Royals hitter though. Jon McGee had a 2-2 count and hit a ground ball to Carmosino at second. He quickly tossed to second to force Kiehl's pinch-runner Jackson Howard out and then on to first to get McGee out to end the game, recording the save for Buchanan, his first of the season.
Noblesville staves off the Royals' comeback bid for a 9-5 win to open the series.
Congratulations to Miller head coach Justin Keever...
Thursday's series-opening victory at home over Hamilton Southeastern was Noblesville head coach Justin Keever's 200th career victory. A big congratulations to Coach Keever for achieving that milestone in his 11th season at the helm of the Noblesville Millers.
Millers hold off Royals for 7-5 road win to take series
Game 2: Noblesville 7, Hamilton SE 5 - (Fri. May 8 at Hamilton SE, Fishers)
Millers 3 0 0 4 0 0 0 - 7 6 1
Royals 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 - 5 10 2
The Millers kept it going in the odd innings in Game 2 at Hamilton Southeastern on Friday night.
With one out, Essig walked on five pitches and reached 2nd on a walk to Carmosino. Christman was at the plate and Tanner Sizemore threw a wild pitch, moving up both Essig and Carmo to 3rd and 2nd, respectively. Christman would walk and ball four was a passed ball that allowed Vince to head home from 3rd for the first run of the game.
Bryce Masterson reached on an error by Matt Gorski at second base, scoring Carmosino and getting Christman to second with one out. Ty Lindstrand reached on a passed ball on a dropped strike three and scored Connor for a 3-0 Miller lead early.
Noblesville ace southpaw Cory Conway was on the hill looking to pitch his Millers to a victory, but he knew it wouldn't be easy by any means.
Conway faced slugger Matt Gorski to lead off and was hoping that he wouldn't repeat either of the two HRs he belted off of fellow lefty Will Plumer the night before.
Gorski singled, but was forced out at 2nd on a throw by Dax McLochlin when Aaron McGee grounded to first. J.B. Washburn would single, but he and McGee would both be stranded and second and third to end the inning.
Sizemore was able to keep the Millers' offense silent in the 2nd and 3rd, giving his offense a chance to cut into the three run deficit.
Jon McGee led off the home half of the 2nd with single down the left field line. He would eventually score in the inning to cut the Miller lead to 3-1 after two.
The Royals were able to make some more noise offensively in the bottom of the 3rd with a lead-off walk. Washburn singled McGee to second to put two aboard. A sacrifice bunt by Callaghan moved the runners up a base to second and third and in scoring position with two outs. Nick Kiehl reached on an error by Essig behind the second base bag, scoring both McGee and Washburn to tie the game at 3-3.
The Millers weren't the happiest that their lead vanished, so they were gonna do something about it in the 4th.
Lindstrand led off the 4th being hit by a pitch. Austin Shirley singled up the middle to advance Ty to third on a throwing error by Cole Jacobs in center. Shirley tried stretching the hit into a double, but Jacobs' throw back in to Washburn was in good timing and he tossed to Gorski at second to tag out Shirley for the first out of the inning.
Alec Parker walked for runners at the corners and Harris Camp would come in to courtesy run for the catcher. Travis Gillian singled right after to left field, scoring Ty for a 4-3 score to put the Millers back in front. Gillian was the last batter that Sizemore would face.
Michael Pachmeyer came on in relief and got off to a shaky start, walking Essig and hitting Carmosino with a pitch to load the bases for Christman. Camp would score on a passed ball, advancing Gillian to second. Connor would hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Gillian from third for a 6-3 count. Masterson singled to left and scored Essig on the play to give Noblesville a 7-3 lead after four innings at the plate.
Hamilton Southeastern would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. The catcher Spencer Irick walked with one out and his courtesy runner Tristan Gold would make his way home on an Aaron McGee single past Essig at short to trim the Miller lead to three, 7-4 after four.
After Conway pitched another solid game, Justin Buchanan was on in the bottom of the 7th to try and pick up the save for the second straight night.
Aaron McGee singled to lead off the inning, which led to Conway's exit. Buchanan's fourth pitch in this appearance resulted in a ground out from Washburn to J.B. at the mound that he would take himself to the first base bag for out number one.
Walking Callaghan and giving up a single to Kiehl, it looked like the Royals were truly going to threaten the Miller lead.
But fear not, Buchanan forced Jon McGee to fly out to left and struck out pinch hitter Carter Poiry for the final out, saving the ball game for the second night in a row.
It was another great night on the mound, despite giving up more offense than normal. Conway struck out 9 Royals in 6+ innings, while walked two and scattering 9 hits. The nine punch-outs gives Conway an HCC-leading 59 strikeouts in 41.2 innings and improved his record to 5-1, a win total that he achieved last season as a sophomore by earning the win in the Class 4A state championship.
Bryce Masterson was the Player of the Game on Hamilton County TV's broadcast, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, reaching base in three of his four at-bats.
Last Friday night's game at Hamilton Southeastern can be seen archived at wwww.hctvsports.com!
Christman's walk-off single helps Millers sweep Royals
Game 3: Noblesville 4, Hamilton SE 3 - (Sat. May 9 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Royals 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 3 8 0
Millers 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 - 4 9 1
Clayton Marowski got the start for Noblesville and picked up right where he left off from his 3-hit, 12-0 shutout of Wapahani on Tuesday.
The right-handed junior didn't allow base runners in the first two innings and gave up just two hits, one each in the 3rd and 4th, while striking out two.
Noblesville got their bats going in the last of the 2nd. Bryce Masterson led off with a single. In the seven slot two hitters later, L.J. Tilley singled up the middle into center. Austin Shirley then doubled to left scoring Masterson and Tilley was also able to sprint home from second for a 2-0 Miller lead.
Hamilton Southeastern figured out a way to tie the game in the top of the 5th, but that didn't rattle Marowski really.
Jon McGee singled to right and made his way home on Carter Poiry's double to deep center to cut the deficit to a 2-1 Miller lead.
Gorski would ground out to Carmosino at second for the second out, but Poiry would jog home to tie the game up 2-2.
Andrew Bohm kept Noblesville's bats in-check in the 5th and 6th with the game still tied heading into the top of the 7th.
Matt Gorski clubbed a two-out, solo HR to left to give the Royals a 3-2 lead, but that's all they would get before the Millers came to bat in the bottom.
Tilley led off beating out an infield single and moved over to second to batters later when Alec Parker walked. Neil Brown would come in to courtesy run for Parker.
Travis Gillian hit an RBI single to score Tilley from second to tie the game again at 3-3 with one out. Vince Essig was intentionally walked to load the bases. Michael Carmosino struck out for the second time in the game for two outs and the pressure was on.
Next, on a 1-0 count, Connor Christman floated a game-winning single to left, scoring Brown for the game-winning run and a 4-3 win!
Marowski pitched a complete game, improving his record on the mound to 3-1.
L.J. Tilley went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Travis Gillian had a double, single and an RBI, Austin Shirley had a 2-run double and Connor Christman had a pair of hits, including the game-winner to lead the Millers at the plate on the day.
The win gives Noblesville a 3-game series sweep of Hamilton Southeastern and their first sweep in conference play with the switch to the series format this season. It also ups the Millers record in HCC play to 7-5, tied with Brownsburg for 2nd and just one out in the loss column of Westfield.
The series sweep also helps the Millers improve overall to 14-8 and extend their winning streak to 6 games prior to Tuesday's match-up with 2A Heritage Christian.
Noblesville whips 2A #5 Wapahani, Marowski tosses 3-hitter
The Wapahani Raiders came into the 2015 season as the pre-season ranked #1 team in Class 2A. They seem to have come across some bumps in the road along the way and there are reasons why Noblesville and Wapahani have scheduled this meeting.
Noblesville is the defending Class 4A state champion, winning last June 20th vs. Terre Haute North, 2-1, in front of a record crowd of 4,961 for a high school game at Victory Field.
Wapahani comes into 2015 as the 2014 Class 2A state champion with a 2-0 win over Evansville Mater Dei on June 21st. The Raiders were also the 2A state runners-up in 2004, dropping a 2-0 decision to Hammond Bishop Noll.
Plus, who wouldn't want to see a match-up of two of last year's four state champions when we're 2/3 of the way through the season?
Noblesville 12, 2A #5 Wapahani 0 - (5 innings) (Tues. 5/5 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Raiders 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 0
Millers 3 3 1 5 x - 12 11 0
Junior right-hander Clayton Marowski took to the mound and was looking to fix the pitching woes that he faced recently. His last appearance was in the series clincher at Zionsville on Thursday, April 23, so it seemed obvious that Marowski was anxious to get back out there and pitch.
Completely focused throughout the 5 inning game, Marowski was dialed in and forced two fly outs and a ground out to quickly close out the 1st.
The Millers figured they would break out their sticks right away in this one.
Vince Essig walked with one out, followed by two more by Michael Carmosino and Connor Christman to load the bags in a hurry. Bryce Masterson then smacked a two-run double on one hop off of the fence in right, plating Essig and Carmo for a 2-0 lead.
With Christman at third, Ty Lindstrand hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Connor for a 3-0 score for the Millers after one.
Marowski faced five hitters in the 2nd, but only threw 7 pitches, allowing two singles and a fielder's choice, stranding both Wapahani runners on base.
After Alex Cleverly lined out to third to begin the inning, Alec Parker, Travis Gillian and Vince Essig all three singled to load the bases for the second consecutive inning. Carmosino lined a single to left down the line, scoring Parker and Gillian to make it 5-0. Christman then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Essig and it was a 6-0 Noblesville advantage after two.
Chandler Wise led off the 3rd with a single. Hayden Castor flied out to center for the first out. Hunter Stanley lined out to Carmo at 2nd and stepped on second base for the unassisted double play to end the inning and any sort of threat by the 2A #5 Raiders.
A two-out walk from Parker started a rally. The Miller 1B stole second and was driven in by Gillian's long single to right center to put the Millers up 7-0 through 3 innings.
Essig led off the bottom of the 4th with a triple to deep left center to help pump up his teammates. Carmosino grounded up the middle for an RBI single to score Vince to make it 8-0.
Christman singled in the hole between short and third and that would be all for starting pitcher Cody Smith. Chandler Wise came in to relieve Smith and that's when the Millers opened the flood gates that would let them end this game early.
L.J. Tilley came on to pinch hit for Lindstrand. Tilley was clutch with a one-out, 2-run single to left, which scored Carmo and Christman for a 10-0 score. Austin Shirley hit an RBI double to left center to get Tilley home with ease for 11-0. The final run would come across the plate when Wise balked on the mound, allowing Parker second base, following a walk and Shirley an easy walk home for the final score of 12-0.
Over his final two innings on the mound, Marowski didn't allow the ball out of the infield, forcing three ground outs, a line out and striking out two. He tossed a 3-hitter over 5 innings, throwing just 45 pitches (32 strikes) to move his record to 2-1 on the season.
Noblesville is the defending Class 4A state champion, winning last June 20th vs. Terre Haute North, 2-1, in front of a record crowd of 4,961 for a high school game at Victory Field.
Wapahani comes into 2015 as the 2014 Class 2A state champion with a 2-0 win over Evansville Mater Dei on June 21st. The Raiders were also the 2A state runners-up in 2004, dropping a 2-0 decision to Hammond Bishop Noll.
Plus, who wouldn't want to see a match-up of two of last year's four state champions when we're 2/3 of the way through the season?
Noblesville 12, 2A #5 Wapahani 0 - (5 innings) (Tues. 5/5 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Raiders 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 0
Millers 3 3 1 5 x - 12 11 0
Junior right-hander Clayton Marowski took to the mound and was looking to fix the pitching woes that he faced recently. His last appearance was in the series clincher at Zionsville on Thursday, April 23, so it seemed obvious that Marowski was anxious to get back out there and pitch.
Completely focused throughout the 5 inning game, Marowski was dialed in and forced two fly outs and a ground out to quickly close out the 1st.
The Millers figured they would break out their sticks right away in this one.
Vince Essig walked with one out, followed by two more by Michael Carmosino and Connor Christman to load the bags in a hurry. Bryce Masterson then smacked a two-run double on one hop off of the fence in right, plating Essig and Carmo for a 2-0 lead.
With Christman at third, Ty Lindstrand hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Connor for a 3-0 score for the Millers after one.
Marowski faced five hitters in the 2nd, but only threw 7 pitches, allowing two singles and a fielder's choice, stranding both Wapahani runners on base.
After Alex Cleverly lined out to third to begin the inning, Alec Parker, Travis Gillian and Vince Essig all three singled to load the bases for the second consecutive inning. Carmosino lined a single to left down the line, scoring Parker and Gillian to make it 5-0. Christman then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Essig and it was a 6-0 Noblesville advantage after two.
Chandler Wise led off the 3rd with a single. Hayden Castor flied out to center for the first out. Hunter Stanley lined out to Carmo at 2nd and stepped on second base for the unassisted double play to end the inning and any sort of threat by the 2A #5 Raiders.
A two-out walk from Parker started a rally. The Miller 1B stole second and was driven in by Gillian's long single to right center to put the Millers up 7-0 through 3 innings.
Essig led off the bottom of the 4th with a triple to deep left center to help pump up his teammates. Carmosino grounded up the middle for an RBI single to score Vince to make it 8-0.
Christman singled in the hole between short and third and that would be all for starting pitcher Cody Smith. Chandler Wise came in to relieve Smith and that's when the Millers opened the flood gates that would let them end this game early.
L.J. Tilley came on to pinch hit for Lindstrand. Tilley was clutch with a one-out, 2-run single to left, which scored Carmo and Christman for a 10-0 score. Austin Shirley hit an RBI double to left center to get Tilley home with ease for 11-0. The final run would come across the plate when Wise balked on the mound, allowing Parker second base, following a walk and Shirley an easy walk home for the final score of 12-0.
Over his final two innings on the mound, Marowski didn't allow the ball out of the infield, forcing three ground outs, a line out and striking out two. He tossed a 3-hitter over 5 innings, throwing just 45 pitches (32 strikes) to move his record to 2-1 on the season.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Millers outlast North Central in extras, blank Jeffersonville to win Miller Classic
Normally each season for the past few years, Noblesville has hosted both the Miller Classic and the Noblesville Classic, spaced out toward the beginning and near the last few weeks of the regular season. Instead of being able to host two different 4-team events this season, Noblesville narrowed it down to hosting just the Miller Classic and making sure the field was top notch.
Noblesville opened up with the Central Panthers, a team the Millers are familiar with in north central Indiana, who also is in the 4A Sectional 8 field. Crown Point is a returnee in the lineup and matched up with newcomer Jeffersonville in the second game of the day. The consolation was the third game of the day, followed by the championship.
Game 1: Noblesville 7, North Central 6 - (10 innings)
Panthers 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 - 6 8 1
Millers 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 0 1 - 7 9 3
Will Plumer got the start for the Millers. His last outing didn't end well at all, with Carmel hitting a walk-off HR on Monday night.
The Panthers jumped out to a solid 3-0 lead in the top of the 3rd inning. Josh Wooten walked to lead off. Two hitters later with two down, Roy Thurman singled to drive the courtesy runner AJ Williams home to open the scoring 1-0. Alan Lozer singled to left for two runners aboard. Robert Young fully broke open the inning with a 2-run double to score both Thurman and Lozer for a 3-0 North Central lead through 2 1/2 innings.
Noblesville wasn't able to really get their bats going until the bottom of the 4th inning. Freshman Panther lefty Sam Behrmann was in control for the first few frames, sending the Millers down in order.
Travis Gillian singled down the line in left to lead off the home half of the 4th. He tried swiping second, but was gunned down by catcher Josh Wooten. Connor Christman also singled to left with Michael Carmosino walking after him. Vince Essig grounded to short, forcing out Carmo at second and Essig reaching 1st on a fielder's choice for runners at the corners with two outs. Bryce Masterson and Ty Lindstrand both walked consecutively to get the Millers on the board, trailing 3-1.
North Central got their bats going again in the top of the 6th. Robert Young tripled to lead off and was driven home by Allbry Major's RBI single to left for a 4-1 NC advantage. They Panthers would strand a pair of runner to end any more of a threat.
They added another onto their total in the top of the 7th when AJ Williams darted home on a passed ball for a 5-1 score and the Millers would be in panic mode in the bottom.
Jackson Thurman came in to pinch hit for Alex Cleverly to start off the bottom of 7, Harris Camp's ground out to short moved Thurman to second. Alec Parker and Gillian both walked to load the bags. Christman and Carmo singled consecutively, scoring Thurman and Parker to cut the gap to 5-3.
Vince Essig sac flied to left, scoring Gillian to narrow it to 5-4. Ty Lindstrand helped finish off the inning to tie it up with an RBI single to score Connor Christman, sending the game to extra innings.
North Central would add a run in the top of the 8th with AJ Williams scoring on a wild pitch for a 6-5 Panthers edge.
Noblesville would tie it up again in the last of the 8th when Gillian hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Harris Camp for a 6-6 score, heading to the 9th.
Neither would get anything done in the 9th, sending us to the 10th.
Gillian (at right without helmet) would come through in the clutch once again in the bottom of the 10th.
Cleverly walked to start off the inning. Camp flied out to center for the first out. Alec Parker would reach on an error by the shortstop Seth Fleming for two on. Gillian took a 1-1 pitch for a game-winning RBI double to the gap in left center, giving the Millers a big-time comeback win to start off the Miller Classic, 7-6 over North Central in 10 innings.
Game 2: Jeffersonville 9, Crown Point 4
Red Devils 3 0 0 2 1 0 2 - 9 13 1
Bulldogs 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 - 4 7 2
Jeffersonville got started right away with 3 runs in the 1st. Drew Campbell got it going with the first of his four hits. Then, in the middle of the Red Devils lineup in the 1st, Nolan Fertig doubled home Campbell, Casey Gibson singled home Fertig and Bailey Falkenstein drove Gibson home with another single for a 3-0 Jeffersonville lead.
Crown Point would have a similar inning in the bottom of the 3rd. The Bulldogs scored three runs of their own. Corey Brown led off the 3rd getting on by an error by 1B Joe Burke. Austin Thomas singled into center to move Brown over. Two batters later, the pitcher Mike Wathier singled to right center to send Brown home to cut Jeffersonville's lead to 5-2.
Back to the top of the order. Andrew Atchison singled into left to score both Thomas and Wathier, narrowing the Red Devil lead to 5-4.
Jacob Cochrum's solo HR in the top of the 5th and Campbell's 2-run single in the 7th helped the Red Devils distance themselves from Crown Point and hold on for a 9-4 Game 2 win for a berth in the championship game with Noblesville.
Consolation Game: Crown Point 8, North Central 2
Bulldogs 1 1 0 3 2 0 1 - 8 9 0
Panthers 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 - 2 9 2
Crown Point started the Consolation game off with a small storm at the plate. Andrew Atchison took the second pitch he saw from Ty Finchum for a double in the right center gap. Geoff Kozlowski singled to left to score Atchison for an early 1-0 Bulldog lead.
They added another on in the 2nd when Thayne Bukowski and Mike Wathier led off with singles and Bukowski was able to score on a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 score.
Alan Lozer had a two out single in the bottom of the 3rd to get North Central's first run on the board when he was doubled home by Roy Thurman.
The red clad Bulldogs broke the game open a little bit in the top of the 4th. Corey Brown was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Austin Thomas singled him over to second and Wathier walked. Next, Alex Ruiz drilled a 3-run triple to the fence in center to give Crown Point a 5-1 cushion.
Adding a couple more runs in the top of the 5th, they Crown Point Bulldogs did it for the second inning in a row with two outs. Thomas walked and Bukowski doubled him over to third. Thomas would score on the play on a throwing error by Thurman in right. Wathier got on base by an error from the LF AJ Williams, allowing Bukowski to score to make it 7-1.
The Panthers would score just one more and it came in the bottom of the 5th and it came on an RBI single by Robert Young to score Alex Snider for a 7-2 deficit.
The Bulldogs added one more in the top of the 7th when Austin Thomas singled to lead off and would eventually score for the final score of 8-2.
Championship Game: Noblesville 8, Jeffersonville 0
Red Devils 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 5
Millers 1 0 6 1 0 0 x - 8 4 0
Noblesville's ace was on the mound for the Miller Classic Championship and he would surely be dialed in from the get-go to take down the Jeffersonville Red Devils.
Cory Conway had a slightly shaky start, but then he was able to settle himself down in no time at all. After two groundouts to start the game, Joe Burke singled, Nolan Fertig walked and it looked like the Red Devils would strike first.
Two pitches later, Casey Gibson grounded to Connor Christman at third and he quickly stepped on the bag for the third out, ending a possible scoring threat by Jeffersonville, leaving a pair of runners aboard.
Travis Gillian was hit by the first pitch that Dawson Willis throw to (at) him. Vince Essig double Gillian over to third and just like that, the Millers had runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Two batters later, Christman would hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Gillian for a 1-0 Miller lead after one.
Conway must have gotten back to his old self mentally in the second inning. He struck out the side, sending Bailey Falkenstein, Jacob Cochrum and Trey Dempsey all down on strikes.
The Millers really busted the game open in the bottom of the 3rd. Alec Parker led off with a walk. Gillian reached on an error for runners at first and second. Then, they both advanced on a passed ball to get to second and third.
Essig grounded out to third, scoring Parker for 2-0. Michael Carmosino was hit by a pitch for what seems like the 12th time this season already for runners at the corners. Christman hit a roller in the infield, scoring Gillian. Connor was safe at first on a fielder's choice, but Carmo was also safe at second, as he beat the throw to the base. Two pitches later, Bryce Masterson hit a 2-run single that plated Carmosino and Christman and it was now 4-0.
Ty Lindstrand singled to move Masterson over to second. Masterson and Lindstrand would eventually score and the Millers had taken a commanding 6-0 lead through three innings.
Through his final 4 innings on the hill, Conway allowed just two hits and two walks. Keeping the Red Devils' hitters at a minimum, it was up to Noblesville's offense to keep that part of the bargain going.
Essig would single and wind up scoring in the home half of the 4th for what would be the final count of 8-0.
Conway had another stellar outing, fanning 8 Jeffersonville hitters and walking just three.
Miller Classic All-Tournament Team:
P - Cory Conway (Noblesville) 7 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K's; WP in Championship
P - Gabe Bierman (Jeffersonville) 6 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 8 K's; WP in Game 2
P - Austin Thomas (Crown Point) 5 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 K's; WP in Consolation
C - Andrew Atchison (Crown Point) 3-7, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 1Bs
1B - Allbry Major (North Central) 2-8, 2B, RBI
2B - Michael Carmosino (Noblesville) 1-6, R, RBI
3B - Connor Christman (Noblesville) 2-8, 3 R, 3 RBIs
SS - Vince Essig (Noblesville) 3-9, 2B, R, 2 RBIs
OF - Travis Gillian (Noblesville) 2-6, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBIs
OF - Drew Campbell (Jeffersonville) 5-8, 3B, 4 1Bs, 2 RBIs, R
OF - Nolan Fertig (Jeffersonville) 4-6, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SBs
OF - Roy Thurman (North Central) 3-8, 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs, R
DH - Robert Young (North Central) 3-7, 3B, 2B, 3 RBIs, R
*all photos are courtesy of Kent Graham. Visit the rest of his photo gallery at kentgraham.photoshelter.com!
Noblesville wasn't able to really get their bats going until the bottom of the 4th inning. Freshman Panther lefty Sam Behrmann was in control for the first few frames, sending the Millers down in order.
Travis Gillian singled down the line in left to lead off the home half of the 4th. He tried swiping second, but was gunned down by catcher Josh Wooten. Connor Christman also singled to left with Michael Carmosino walking after him. Vince Essig grounded to short, forcing out Carmo at second and Essig reaching 1st on a fielder's choice for runners at the corners with two outs. Bryce Masterson and Ty Lindstrand both walked consecutively to get the Millers on the board, trailing 3-1.
North Central got their bats going again in the top of the 6th. Robert Young tripled to lead off and was driven home by Allbry Major's RBI single to left for a 4-1 NC advantage. They Panthers would strand a pair of runner to end any more of a threat.
They added another onto their total in the top of the 7th when AJ Williams darted home on a passed ball for a 5-1 score and the Millers would be in panic mode in the bottom.
Jackson Thurman came in to pinch hit for Alex Cleverly to start off the bottom of 7, Harris Camp's ground out to short moved Thurman to second. Alec Parker and Gillian both walked to load the bags. Christman and Carmo singled consecutively, scoring Thurman and Parker to cut the gap to 5-3.
Vince Essig sac flied to left, scoring Gillian to narrow it to 5-4. Ty Lindstrand helped finish off the inning to tie it up with an RBI single to score Connor Christman, sending the game to extra innings.
North Central would add a run in the top of the 8th with AJ Williams scoring on a wild pitch for a 6-5 Panthers edge.
Noblesville would tie it up again in the last of the 8th when Gillian hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Harris Camp for a 6-6 score, heading to the 9th.
Neither would get anything done in the 9th, sending us to the 10th.
Gillian (at right without helmet) would come through in the clutch once again in the bottom of the 10th.
Cleverly walked to start off the inning. Camp flied out to center for the first out. Alec Parker would reach on an error by the shortstop Seth Fleming for two on. Gillian took a 1-1 pitch for a game-winning RBI double to the gap in left center, giving the Millers a big-time comeback win to start off the Miller Classic, 7-6 over North Central in 10 innings.
Game 2: Jeffersonville 9, Crown Point 4
Red Devils 3 0 0 2 1 0 2 - 9 13 1
Bulldogs 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 - 4 7 2
Jeffersonville got started right away with 3 runs in the 1st. Drew Campbell got it going with the first of his four hits. Then, in the middle of the Red Devils lineup in the 1st, Nolan Fertig doubled home Campbell, Casey Gibson singled home Fertig and Bailey Falkenstein drove Gibson home with another single for a 3-0 Jeffersonville lead.
Crown Point would have a similar inning in the bottom of the 3rd. The Bulldogs scored three runs of their own. Corey Brown led off the 3rd getting on by an error by 1B Joe Burke. Austin Thomas singled into center to move Brown over. Two batters later, the pitcher Mike Wathier singled to right center to send Brown home to cut Jeffersonville's lead to 5-2.
Back to the top of the order. Andrew Atchison singled into left to score both Thomas and Wathier, narrowing the Red Devil lead to 5-4.
Jacob Cochrum's solo HR in the top of the 5th and Campbell's 2-run single in the 7th helped the Red Devils distance themselves from Crown Point and hold on for a 9-4 Game 2 win for a berth in the championship game with Noblesville.
Consolation Game: Crown Point 8, North Central 2
Bulldogs 1 1 0 3 2 0 1 - 8 9 0
Panthers 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 - 2 9 2
Crown Point started the Consolation game off with a small storm at the plate. Andrew Atchison took the second pitch he saw from Ty Finchum for a double in the right center gap. Geoff Kozlowski singled to left to score Atchison for an early 1-0 Bulldog lead.
They added another on in the 2nd when Thayne Bukowski and Mike Wathier led off with singles and Bukowski was able to score on a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 score.
Alan Lozer had a two out single in the bottom of the 3rd to get North Central's first run on the board when he was doubled home by Roy Thurman.
The red clad Bulldogs broke the game open a little bit in the top of the 4th. Corey Brown was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Austin Thomas singled him over to second and Wathier walked. Next, Alex Ruiz drilled a 3-run triple to the fence in center to give Crown Point a 5-1 cushion.
Adding a couple more runs in the top of the 5th, they Crown Point Bulldogs did it for the second inning in a row with two outs. Thomas walked and Bukowski doubled him over to third. Thomas would score on the play on a throwing error by Thurman in right. Wathier got on base by an error from the LF AJ Williams, allowing Bukowski to score to make it 7-1.
The Panthers would score just one more and it came in the bottom of the 5th and it came on an RBI single by Robert Young to score Alex Snider for a 7-2 deficit.
The Bulldogs added one more in the top of the 7th when Austin Thomas singled to lead off and would eventually score for the final score of 8-2.
Championship Game: Noblesville 8, Jeffersonville 0
Red Devils 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 5
Millers 1 0 6 1 0 0 x - 8 4 0
Noblesville's ace was on the mound for the Miller Classic Championship and he would surely be dialed in from the get-go to take down the Jeffersonville Red Devils.
Cory Conway had a slightly shaky start, but then he was able to settle himself down in no time at all. After two groundouts to start the game, Joe Burke singled, Nolan Fertig walked and it looked like the Red Devils would strike first.Two pitches later, Casey Gibson grounded to Connor Christman at third and he quickly stepped on the bag for the third out, ending a possible scoring threat by Jeffersonville, leaving a pair of runners aboard.
Travis Gillian was hit by the first pitch that Dawson Willis throw to (at) him. Vince Essig double Gillian over to third and just like that, the Millers had runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Two batters later, Christman would hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Gillian for a 1-0 Miller lead after one.
Conway must have gotten back to his old self mentally in the second inning. He struck out the side, sending Bailey Falkenstein, Jacob Cochrum and Trey Dempsey all down on strikes.
The Millers really busted the game open in the bottom of the 3rd. Alec Parker led off with a walk. Gillian reached on an error for runners at first and second. Then, they both advanced on a passed ball to get to second and third.
Essig grounded out to third, scoring Parker for 2-0. Michael Carmosino was hit by a pitch for what seems like the 12th time this season already for runners at the corners. Christman hit a roller in the infield, scoring Gillian. Connor was safe at first on a fielder's choice, but Carmo was also safe at second, as he beat the throw to the base. Two pitches later, Bryce Masterson hit a 2-run single that plated Carmosino and Christman and it was now 4-0.Ty Lindstrand singled to move Masterson over to second. Masterson and Lindstrand would eventually score and the Millers had taken a commanding 6-0 lead through three innings.
Through his final 4 innings on the hill, Conway allowed just two hits and two walks. Keeping the Red Devils' hitters at a minimum, it was up to Noblesville's offense to keep that part of the bargain going.
Essig would single and wind up scoring in the home half of the 4th for what would be the final count of 8-0.
Conway had another stellar outing, fanning 8 Jeffersonville hitters and walking just three.
Miller Classic All-Tournament Team:
P - Cory Conway (Noblesville) 7 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K's; WP in Championship
P - Gabe Bierman (Jeffersonville) 6 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 8 K's; WP in Game 2
P - Austin Thomas (Crown Point) 5 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 K's; WP in Consolation
C - Andrew Atchison (Crown Point) 3-7, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 1Bs
1B - Allbry Major (North Central) 2-8, 2B, RBI
2B - Michael Carmosino (Noblesville) 1-6, R, RBI
3B - Connor Christman (Noblesville) 2-8, 3 R, 3 RBIs
SS - Vince Essig (Noblesville) 3-9, 2B, R, 2 RBIs
OF - Travis Gillian (Noblesville) 2-6, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBIs
OF - Drew Campbell (Jeffersonville) 5-8, 3B, 4 1Bs, 2 RBIs, R
OF - Nolan Fertig (Jeffersonville) 4-6, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SBs
OF - Roy Thurman (North Central) 3-8, 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs, R
DH - Robert Young (North Central) 3-7, 3B, 2B, 3 RBIs, R
*all photos are courtesy of Kent Graham. Visit the rest of his photo gallery at kentgraham.photoshelter.com!
Monday, May 4, 2015
4A #8 McCutcheon steals one late from Noblesville
When McCutcheon, Lafayette and Harrison all three left the Hoosier Crossroads Conference after the spring sports season in 2014, it was almost a given that the Mavericks would be kept on the schedule for head coach Justin Keever and the Millers.
Just as McCutcheon made the Friday night trip to The Dunk this season, the Millers will take the trip to Lafayette in 2016 to keep this ongoing rivalry alive.
As expected, it would be another classic in the series that could have gone either way. Jake Burton, made his typical 3 or 4 walks out onto the field to complain about calls on the base paths and tried changing the mind of the base umpire, but that obviously never happens and didn't on Friday night.
4A #8 McCutcheon 6, Noblesville 5 - (Fri. 5/1 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Mavericks 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 - 6 9 2
Millers 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 - 5 5 1
Senior pitcher Justin Buchanan looked like the J.B. that we saw against Knoxville West at Grace Christian in the second game of the spring baseball trip about a month ago. He forced two fly outs and a ground out to make quick work of the Mavericks in the top of the 1st.
Travis Gillian singled to left center on the first pitch he saw and made his way to second on an error by the first baseman Jackson Smeltz. Connor Christman walked for a pair of runners aboard quickly.
Michael Carmosino seems to really be seeing the ball much better in the past week or so. Carmo took a 2-1 pitch to deep center on a hop to the fence for a stand-up double, scoring both Gillian and Christman for an early 2-0 Noblesville lead.
The Millers tacked on another in the home half of the 3rd when Ty Lindstrand walked with the bases load to score Gillian for 3-0.
The cushion got a little bigger in the bottom of the 4th.
After Harris Camp and Alec Parker were out via a fly out to center and a strikeout looking, respectively, they started a two-out rally. Gillian singled for his second hit of the night. Christman singled to get Travis to 3rd for runners at the corners. The next pitch, Carmo hit a two-run single off of reliever Mason Bruce up the middle into center and it was now a 5-0 score in favor of the Millers.
Clayton Marowski came on in relief of Buchanan in the top of the 4th, after J.B. had walked the Smeltz and Walter Talcott to start the inning.
Marowski took down the Mavericks next three hitters to get Noblesville out of the slight jam.
Bruce got himself into a little bit of a groove on the mound for the remainder of the game. After sending down the Millers 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th, McCutcheon found a way to get their offense going.
Braden Giroux smacked a double deep to the fence in left center with one out. Two batters later, Sean Roginski took a fly ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run, scoring both he and Giroux to cut Noblesville's lead to 5-2 through five.
The visiting Mavericks had figured out Marowski in the 6th. They scored four runs in the inning to take a 6-5 lead, which would wind up as the final score. Two runs were scored with Marowski in the game and the other two with left-handed reliever Connor Adams on the mound, but all four were the responsibility of Marowski.
Mason Bruce did what he was put in the game to do. He kept the Noblesville bats just about silent in the final three innings as he and the Mavericks made their comeback offensively.
The win upped McCutcheon's overall record to 10-3 and dropped Noblesville to 8-8.
Just as McCutcheon made the Friday night trip to The Dunk this season, the Millers will take the trip to Lafayette in 2016 to keep this ongoing rivalry alive.
As expected, it would be another classic in the series that could have gone either way. Jake Burton, made his typical 3 or 4 walks out onto the field to complain about calls on the base paths and tried changing the mind of the base umpire, but that obviously never happens and didn't on Friday night.
4A #8 McCutcheon 6, Noblesville 5 - (Fri. 5/1 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Mavericks 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 - 6 9 2
Millers 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 - 5 5 1
Senior pitcher Justin Buchanan looked like the J.B. that we saw against Knoxville West at Grace Christian in the second game of the spring baseball trip about a month ago. He forced two fly outs and a ground out to make quick work of the Mavericks in the top of the 1st.
Travis Gillian singled to left center on the first pitch he saw and made his way to second on an error by the first baseman Jackson Smeltz. Connor Christman walked for a pair of runners aboard quickly.
Michael Carmosino seems to really be seeing the ball much better in the past week or so. Carmo took a 2-1 pitch to deep center on a hop to the fence for a stand-up double, scoring both Gillian and Christman for an early 2-0 Noblesville lead.
The Millers tacked on another in the home half of the 3rd when Ty Lindstrand walked with the bases load to score Gillian for 3-0.
The cushion got a little bigger in the bottom of the 4th.
After Harris Camp and Alec Parker were out via a fly out to center and a strikeout looking, respectively, they started a two-out rally. Gillian singled for his second hit of the night. Christman singled to get Travis to 3rd for runners at the corners. The next pitch, Carmo hit a two-run single off of reliever Mason Bruce up the middle into center and it was now a 5-0 score in favor of the Millers.
Clayton Marowski came on in relief of Buchanan in the top of the 4th, after J.B. had walked the Smeltz and Walter Talcott to start the inning.
Marowski took down the Mavericks next three hitters to get Noblesville out of the slight jam.
Bruce got himself into a little bit of a groove on the mound for the remainder of the game. After sending down the Millers 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th, McCutcheon found a way to get their offense going.
Braden Giroux smacked a double deep to the fence in left center with one out. Two batters later, Sean Roginski took a fly ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run, scoring both he and Giroux to cut Noblesville's lead to 5-2 through five.
The visiting Mavericks had figured out Marowski in the 6th. They scored four runs in the inning to take a 6-5 lead, which would wind up as the final score. Two runs were scored with Marowski in the game and the other two with left-handed reliever Connor Adams on the mound, but all four were the responsibility of Marowski.
Mason Bruce did what he was put in the game to do. He kept the Noblesville bats just about silent in the final three innings as he and the Mavericks made their comeback offensively.
The win upped McCutcheon's overall record to 10-3 and dropped Noblesville to 8-8.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)