By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
On Friday, May 1, the Millers and Shamrocks shifted the second game of their Hoosier Crossroads Conference series to downtown Indianapolis. Game two took place at Victory Field in the second game of the Victory Field Classic. New Palestine and Shelbyville took the field first and then the Millers and ‘Rocks were the nightcap.
Noblesville took the first game between the two HCC rivals on Thursday, 10-3. Game two was a chess match of sorts between two of the best, Justin Keever and Ryan Bunnell. The game had a couple different momentum shifts, but Noblesville found ways for the walk-off win, 6-5.
Zac Glander lined a double to left to score Aiden Reynolds to go up 1-0 in the first. Brooks Riggs next grounded into a fielder’s choice for two on. Slade Hodges climbed aboard with a fielder’s choice of his own. Two more runs crossed for 3-0 on a Jalen Stidham double to left, plating Glander and Hodges.
Westfield got on the board in the top of the second for their first run. Lincoln Hoffman belted an inside-the-park home run over Ethan Clark’s head in center to cut it to 3-1.
The Shamrocks took the lead in the third. Kasen Jessup led off with a base hit to left. Maddox Novotney walked for two on. Andrew Noble lined a single to center, scoring Jessup, making it 3-2. Beck Jordan tripled to center, sending both Novotney and Noble home for a 4-3 Rocks lead.
Brooks Riggs hit into a fielder’s choice to Jessup at short, scoring Reynolds to tie it 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth. Miller reliever Quin Hendrich walked a pair and hit another to load the bases with one out. Hoffman scored on a balk to help Westfield regain the advantage 5-4 in the top of the seventh.
The Millers’ had one more chance in their last at-bats in the seventh. Garrett Dixon drove in Blake Riggs to knot it again at 5-5.
“Blake (Riggs) came up with two outs and found a way to get on base, extending the inning, so we had the winning run on base. Then, we had Garrett Dixon, who’s played his can off all spring, with a big two-out knock to tie the game up,” said Noblesville head coach Justin Keever.
Ryan Ruse came in to courtesy run for Dixon. Jackson Graf came in to pinch hit for Martz and was intentionally walked. Freshman Luke Stevenson reached on an error by Beck Jordan at third. Riggs scored on the error, plating the game-winning run in walk-off fashion.
“They intentionally walked Jackson Graf to get to Luke Stevenson, who had to come in earlier in the game for Ethan (Clark). Luke jumped right in earlier and played some great baseball for us,” Keever said. “He came up in that spot, got two strikes and fought off a pitch and put it in no man’s land between third and short. They weren’t going to throw him out with that speed and that’s when we got the job done.”
The win secured the two-game series sweep for Noblesville. Griffin Snider worked four innings and had seven strikeouts. Ethan Kang held his own in 1 ⅓ innings, whiffing two and Quin Hendrich threw 1 ⅔ with two K’s to hold on to earn the win.
“Our guys kept fighting all game. It was a good ballgame, a real entertaining game,” added Keever. “It wasn’t always clean. We walked way too many guys. That’s not us. To their credit, they’ve got good hitters and they’re a good team. I’m really proud of our guys and the way they competed. I thought the way Quin Hendrich came in during the sixth with the middle of their order up, he got two punches, which was big time.”
Noblesville is now 7-1 in the HCC and has a two-game lead ahead of Hamilton Southeastern (5-3), who they’ll play this week. Westfield dropped to 4-4 in league play. The Rocks play Pendleton Heights and Harrison before HCC action against Zionsville on Thursday and Friday.
