The Noblesville Millers are on an upswing and it's at the right time of the season. With recent wins over solid programs like McCutcheon, Terre Haute North, Wapahani and an HCC series sweep of the Hamilton Southeastern Royals, Millerball is on full display these days and they're just getting warmed up with two weeks until the 50th annual IHSAA state tournament begins.
Winning six games in a row is something that's expected of the Miller baseball program. They hit the road on Tuesday, May 10 to play the Kokomo Wildkats, who get the luxury of playing their home games at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, the home of the Kokomo Jackrabbits, a summer collegiate Prospect League team. It's a beautiful stadium that seats around 4,000, but the only problem is that the field is all turf. Everything is turf. Personally, that would create problems for fielders much more than a normal grass playing surface.
In the grand scheme of things, it is pretty cool that the Kokomo Wildkats baseball team has worked out a deal with the City of Kokomo to play their home games there at Municipal Stadium, which is right across the street from the historic Memorial Gym, the storied, longtime home of Kokomo Wildkats basketball.
Overall, it's a great opportunity for the Millers and Wildkats to get together in non-conference style and renew their rivalry on the baseball diamond.
Six-run 5th helps push past Kokomo; 4 Millers drive in 2 each
4A #9 Noblesville 10, Kokomo 5 - at Municipal Stadium, Kokomo (Tue. May 10, 2016)
Millers 2 1 0 1 6 0 0 - 10 8 2
Wildkats 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 5 9 2
Wildkat starting pitcher Brayden Root was hoping to get the Millers on the ropes right away in a brand new environment, but that's the opposite of what happened.
After Travis Gillian popped out anxiously to Root at the mound to lead off the game, Michael Carmosino was patient and walked on four straight pitches. Jackson Thurman found the gap in right center immediately on an 0-1 count, belting an RBI-triple that scored Carmo with ease.
Two batters later after Bryce Masterson was hit by a pitch, Connor Christman hit a sacrifice fly to left, plating Thurman from third to give the Millers a 2-0 lead as Kokomo came to bat in the bottom.
The somewhat funny thing about Masterson getting hit by a pitch was that just before he headed to the on deck circle, Bryce said to me in the dugout, "It's crazy that I haven't been hit this year." Six pitches into his at-bat with a 1-2 count, the DH was hit on the right foot on an inside pitch.
Being accustomed to their home "turf," Kokomo decided they would fire right back in the bottom of the 1st.
Noah Hurlock took advantage of Harris Camp playing in too far in center and drove a one-out triple to the wall on a couple bounces. The next Wildkat hitter, Jack Perkins, took a Tyler Owens 2-2 pitch sailing over the left field wall for a two-run home run to tie the game up quick. Kyle Wade grounded a single up the middle into center and was drive home two batters later on an RBI-double from Perry McCullum to put the hosts up 3-2 after one full inning.
A one-out walk from Camp for the first Miller runner aboard in the top of the 2nd. Camp would then steal second and move over to third on a Gillian single into shallow left to put runners at the corners. Carmosino walked to load the bags with Thurman up. With the big three-bagger his first trip up, Thurman wasn't given anything to hit and walked, allowing Camp to score for a 3-3 tie.
Kade Gorman came in to relieve Owens with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd. Gorman needed just four pitches to get out of the jam that Owens had unfortunately created. It didn't take long for Gorman to feel comfortable on the turf field at Municipal Stadium. Only in there for 1.1 innings, the tall sophomore walked two, along with striking out a pair, all while keeping the Wildkats from scoring.
Gillian was second up in the 4th after Camp whiffed for the first out. Travis reached on an error by Kokomo third baseman Cole Munsey, advancing to second on as the ball bounced away from first baseman Quamielle Belt. He would keep running with Carmo up, moving to third on a wild pitch and eventually scored to put the Millers up 4-3 on an RBI-single from Carmosino.
Gorman walked Colt Munsey to start the home half of the 4th and was pulled for Reese Sharp out of the bullpen.
Logan Hawk came in to relieve Root for Kokomo in the top of the 4th with two outs. Throwing two pitches, Hawk forced the Millers into a double play to end the inning.
The Millers felt like busting this thing wide open and did so with authority in the top of the 5th. Hawk walked Christman and Ty Lindstrand to put a duo of Millers on. Noah Hurlock came in and things turned from bad to worse for the Wildkat pitchers.
Austin Shirley legged out an infield single to load the bases. Alex Cleverly would walk, driving home Christman for a two run lead at 5-3. Camp reached on an error by shortstop Kyle Wade, scoring Lindstrand. After Gillian lined out to third, Carmosino and Thurman both walked, followed by a two-run single to right center by Masterson, the Millers were now up 10-3 after Shirley, Camp, Neil Brown (subbed in for Carmosino) and Thurman all scored. This busted the game wide open and put Kokomo in a hole they couldn't get out of.
Reese Sharp had to throw a lot of pitches in his four innings (67, 39 strikes), but that comes with the territory when you work out of the bullpen, sometimes.
He allowed two singles and two walks in the 5th with pinch-hitter Brian Harding scoring when pinch-hitter Nick Hemmerich walked to send Harding home to cut it to 10-4.
The Wildkats had one last ditch effort in the bottom of the 7th. Harding was up again, reaching on an error at third by Christman and scored again on a sacrifice fly by Kai Lane for the final score of 10-5.
The win over Kokomo moves the Millers to 17-5 overall and now 8-2 in non-conference play this season.
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