Loeb Stadium, Lafayette, IN: Lafayette Jeff 5, Noblesville 2
The Millers started this Tuesday night road trip off on the right foot with a two-run third inning. Andrew Wilson and Luke Porter each drove in runs and Porter (along with Nevin Fansher) crossed home plate in the inning.
The host Bronchos fought right back in the bottom of the third, fourth and fifth, scoring one, three and one in consecutive frames. After five, Jeff had itself a 5-2 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
Garrett Christman led Noblesville in hitting with a 3-for-3 effort. Nick Vallier, TJ Lindstrand, Garrett Welch, Porter and Wilson all combined with Christman for the eight Miller hits.
Lafayette Jeff starting pitcher Griff Clark went the distance, striking out five and walking just one in his seven innings of complete game work for the Bronchos.
Ben Yoder suffered the loss for Noblesville, tossing four innings and allowing four (all earned) of Jeff's five runs, but he did strike out six, walking just a pair. Brock Masterson and Trevor Salmon each threw an inning.
The loss dropped the Millers to 1-6 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play and Lafayette Jeff upped its league record to 3-4.
Dunker Field, Noblesville, IN: Noblesville 4, Lafayette Jeff 2
Peter Ripke was out to prove that he really is one of the better pitchers in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. The toughest task was that he had to do it on the road at The Dunk in Noblesville. Senior hurler Kent Williams was making his second start of the season since coming back from a pre-season injury and couldn't wait to get his first win on the mound.
It was quite the pitching duel through the first four with Ripke and Williams. Ripke had six K's in his six innings and Williams fanned eight in his 5.1 innings. Ripke seemed almost unstoppable, sending down four of the first seven hitters he faced on strikes. Before the 5th, Williams only allowed two hits and stranding four Bronchos on the bases.
Lafayette Jeff struck first in the top of the 5th. Ethan Smith led off with a 1-0 single to right. He moved over to third on an Austin Albrecht single to center, giving Jeff runners at the corners with one out, an Eli Ledman strikeout. Reid Pittard was hit by a Williams pitch to load the bases for the pitcher Ripke. With a 3-1 count, Ripke was given the green light and hit a sacrifice fly that scored Smith from third to put the visitors on the scoreboard first with a 1-0 lead.
They got back at it in the 6th with three consecutive one-out hits. Griff Clark reached first with an infield hit. Sam Russell drove Clark home with an RBI double to left for a 2-0 Jeff lead. Smith got on base with a swinging bunt, but he and Russell were both stranded after Bailey Perdue and Albrecht counted for the final two outs of the inning.
Noblesville was a little irritated and felt it was their turn to put some runs on the board and that's just what they did in the bottom of the sixth.
With one out (a Wides pinch-hit K), Nevin Fansher hit a sharp grounder that was misplayed by SS Griff Clark, allowing Fansher to first with a Clark error. Luke Porter flied out to right to give the Millers two outs and hope dwindling away. Andrew Wilson walked in five pitches. Next, Nick Vallier lined a two-run double to the right center gap, sending Fansher and Wilson home to knot the score up at 2-2. Mike Nichols was overdue for a big hit and he came through when it mattered most for the Millers, hitting a two-hop double to the wall in right center, scoring Vallier for a 3-2 advantage. Garrett Christman smacked a single to right which allowed Nichols to score with ease, giving the Millers a 4-2 cushion heading to the top of the 7th.
Brock Hammond, who relieved Kent Williams in the sixth with one out, came back in to secure the win for Noblesville in the seventh. Hammond was a man on a mission. He went 1-2-3 through the Broncho hitters, end the game with a Noblesville, much needed, victory!
Ripke threw a complete game, but got the loss in the decision. Despite his 8 K's, Kent Williams would up with a no-decision, but what a valiant effort the senior gave. His senior pitching mate, Brock Hammond, got himself the W, going the final 1.2 innings.
It was technically the "meat" of the NHS batting order that turned out to make the difference in this losing streak snapping win. Vallier, Nichols and Christman combined to go 4-of-8 with 4 RBI's and two runs scored, most importantly the game-winning run by Nichols.
Noblesville is now 2-6 in the HCC, while the series-splitting loss gives the Bronchos a 3-5 league mark.
Dunker Field, Noblesville, IN: 2A #7 Delphi 4, Noblesville 3
Miller baseball seemed like it was back in full swing to start the non-conference battle with 2A #7 Delphi. They wasted no time at all to get under the skin of Oracle pitcher Jason Sterrett.
Nevin Fansher did his job as the lead-off hitter, nabbing an infield single and stealing second fairly quick after reaching base. Andrew Wilson singled to left, sending Fansher to third with one out. Next, Nick Vallier hit a grounder to short, forcing Wilson out and Vallier was safe at first on a fielder's choice. Fansher scored for a 1-0 Noblesville lead. Mike Nichols kept his bat hot and singled to shallow left center, giving NHS runners at first and second with two outs. Garrett Christman also kept his bat heated up with a two-run single, scoring Vallier and Nichols to put Noblesville up 3-0 after one.
Both squads went in order in the second.
Delphi found a kink in the Millers' armour in the third. Taran Murphy got a little rattled, walking Sterrett to lead off the inning. Matt Brown laid down a bunt to move his pitcher to second. He did a great job because the throw to second was late, giving Brown a fielder's choice on a bunt and Sterrett safe at second. DH Karson Bender put his bat all over the ball, hitting a two-run double to the wall in left, scoring Sterrett and Brown to cut Noblesville's lead to 3-2. The next hitter, Ostin Clark, hit an RBI double to the outfield, sending Bender home to tie the score at 3-3 through three innings.
Sterrett had the Millers' number for the remainder of the ball game. After they got 3 runs on 4 hits in the first, Noblesville was held to two hits and six total base runners through the final six. Two of those base runners were picked off on the base path, squandering chances to score.
Murphy went seven strong innings for Coach Keever's crew, but he pitched nothing close to what he did during the middle of the game. He started the 7th off with 0-2 count on the pitcher Sterrett, but plunked his counterpart. Matt Brown put down a sacrifice bunt, giving Sterrett second with ease. Kaleb Salyer struck out for out number two. Murphy's nerves got a little tighter with 2B Kolby Myer at the plate. Myer sent a grounder straight up the middle, scoring Sterrett from second for a 4-3 Delphi lead.
Noblesville had one last shot to either tie or win the ball game in the bottom of the seventh. Mike Nichols got the inning off on the right foot with a single to left, igniting the Miller faithful. Christman grounded out to the pitcher for the first out, moving Nichols to second. Justin Holloway came in to pinch-hit for LF Brian McLean and he popped out to Kolby Myer at second for the second out. Garrett Welch showed great patience, walking on four pitches. Welch and Nichols moved up a base each to second and third on a passed ball, giving the home standing Millers a little bit of energy. Catcher Sam Wides came up with a good deal of confidence and hope that he might provide the game-winning hit. Wides worked the count to 2-1 in his favor, hoping to get the best of Sterrett. Wides connected on the next pitch and hit the ball on a rope to left, but it wasn't deep enough, nor was it shallow enough to drop for a base hit. Instead, LF Kaleb Salyer leaned forward and made a below-the-waist catch for the third out, ending what would have been another come-from-behind win for the Millers. Noblesville fell, but fell honorably to a good Delphi team.
The Millers only had six hits, half of them coming from Nichols and Christman. They jeopardized run possibilities in the fifth and sixth innings by getting picked off trying to steal bases. If Wides' line out to end the game in the bottom of the 7th would have been to either side of the Delphi left fielder, there would have been a different outcome and this would have been Noblesville's second comeback win in as many games.
Heartbreaking, to say the least. Motivating game for Noblesville? You bet it was, at least it should be. We've got a chance this week to make some noise in the conference.
We start from scratch Monday at home vs. the McCutcheon Mavericks (13-3 overall; 5-1 HCC). It won't be an easy task by any means. Tuesday, we'll head up to Lafayette to face McCutcheon that their place. On Friday, we hit the road again and go down to the SW side of Indianapolis to Avon (8-7 overall; 3-5 HCC). Saturday afternoon puts a cap on the series with the Avon Orioles with a Noon start at The Dunk.
Millers, it's time to put the saddles back on your horses. This team is very capable of doing some magic during the final 12 regular season games ahead. I'll recall back to the 2010 season when Noblesville won the Noblesville Sectional at Dunker Field. Those feisty Millers won the Sectional and came very close to beating Cathedral for a Regional title with a 14-14 record! Let's start this week against two key Hoosier Crossroads Conference foes and get a winning streak going! LET'S GO MILLERS!
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