Weather delays and postponements seem to be a common theme already early this spring for the Indiana High School sports season. It happened again this week. Rain, rain and more rain fell all across the state of Indiana. Thursday, April 18 was supposed to be Noblesville hosting Zionsville, but it got postponed to Saturday at 11am. Friday night was the originally scheduled day for the Millers to play at Zionsville. Boone county was under a lot of rain water and in a state of emergency. There were numerous parts of Hamilton county that flooded, but beautiful Dunker Field drains unbelievably, was ready for Saturday, but also could have been played on Friday night. The Eagles didn't have school and the town was pretty much shut down, postponing Friday's game to Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Zionsville 1, Noblesville 0 (Saturday, April 20, at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Noblesville starting pitcher Trevor Salmon looked poised, but walked his first hitter during Saturday's Hoosier Crossroads Conference game at Dunker Field in Noblesville. The one missing for the Millers was their normally active bats at the plate.
Zionsville ace pitcher, Parker Dunshee, wasn't gonna take what Noblesville normally dished out to opponents. Dunshee went the distance for the Eagles, allowing just two hits, but walked four, while striking out 9 Millers hitters.
The Millers were able to get their only hits in the first few innings, but weren't able to do anything with their base runners. Catcher TJ Lindstrand took the second pitch in the bottom of the 1st on two hops to the fence in dead center for a leadoff double. TJ tried advancing to third on an infield hit (fielder's choice) by Brian McLean, but was tagged out by 3B Grant Sloan on the throw by SS Ben Kocher. Garrett Christman walked, but he and McLean were both stranded as they watched a flyout (Luke Porter) and groundout (Nick Miller) to end the first.
McLean got the other Noblesville hit with one out in the third, but was stranded at 3rd base.
The visiting Eagles took it upon themselves that the 5th was their inning to do something offensively. With one out, Drew Bertram singled to left. After him, pinch-hitter Ryan McCormack dropped a hit into shallow right center. Catcher Travis Tokarek bunted for an infield single to load the bags. Kocher grounded to Vinny Essig at 2nd, forcing out Tokarek, but more importantly driving in Bertram for the lone run of the ballgame.
Dunshee was a little pumped getting back on the mound in the last of the 5th. Why wouldn't he be? His offense gave him a slight one run cushion. The Wake Forest-bound senior proved why he'll be pitching in the Atlantic Coast Conference next year by striking out the side in both the 5th and 6th on just 29 pitches (19 strikes) to shut down the Millers' offense.
Drew McLochlin worked the final two frames for Noblesville, silencing the Eagles' bats, something Noblesville could have used maybe an inning earlier.
4A #6 Noblesville 2, Zionsville 0 (Monday, April 22 at Zionsville)
Garrett Christman continued his dominance on the mound this season with his best performance yet. The junior right-hander hurled a 7-inning complete game shutout Monday night at Zionsville, 2-0.
This game belonged to GC and he wasn't going to let anyone take it away from him. Garrett had an RBI double to his credit from his offensive game and that's really all it would take. Trevor Salmon would also double in the game to help lead the Millers at the plate. Brian McLean and Nick Miller made up the other two hits for Noblesville off Ben Kocher, who suffered the loss in his 7 innings of work.
With the Miller defense back to its stellar status, Christman had no worries while he stayed focused on the hill in his domination of the Eagles.
Christman (4-1) allowed just four Zionsville hits all night and he needed only 68 pitches (53 strikes) to take down the Eagles. Another staggering stat is that GC struck out just three, but the remaining 17 hitters into either groundouts (9) or flyouts (8).
The loss dropped Zionsville to 5-5 overall.
Noblesville found itself in the Top 10 of the IHSBCA poll this week at #6 in Class 4A. The Millers (10-4, 4-2 HCC) turn around Tuesday to host the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos at The Dunk in Noblesville for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Elijah Brown signs letter of intent with Butler
The Butler men's basketball program has signed the 4th member of its 2013-14 freshman class. Elijah Brown of Santa Ana Mater Dei High School in Southern California, made it official on Wednesday, April 17 that he will be continuing his academic and athletic careers collegiately at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Originally, Brown was a verbal commitment in January and waited until the end of his senior season to make his decision to become a Butler Bulldog.
The 6'4, 185 lb. guard put up some pretty good numbers in his senior year at Mater Dei, averaging 17.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Elijah was a key part of his team's success, helping guide Santa Ana Mater Dei to two consecutive state championships, winning the 2013 California Interscholastic Federation Open Division Championship and leading them to a 34-2 record.
Elijah began his high school career at St. Edward High School in Cleveland, Ohio as a freshman and sophomore while his father, Mike Brown, was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following his sophomore year, his father was fired by Cleveland and he took the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Lakers. Making the move to the Los Angeles area, Elijah transferred to Santa Ana Mater Dei High School for his junior and senior seasons.
A California all-state selection, Elijah was also picked as one of 10 players to the All-Area team in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times.
Elijah made his presence known in his first season at Mater Dei in helping win the first of back-to-back state championships in 2011-12 with a 34-2 mark. In his two seasons at Santa Ana Mater Dei, the younger Brown was a vital player over his two seasons, leading them to a remarkable 68-4 record.
Elijah Brown joins three Butler recruits already signed by head coach Brad Stevens:
-6'10 Nolan Berry (DeSmet Jesuit HS, Missouri)
-6'7 Andrew Chrabascz (Cushing Academy, MA)
-6'2 Rene Castro (Worchester Academy, MA)
Originally, Brown was a verbal commitment in January and waited until the end of his senior season to make his decision to become a Butler Bulldog.
The 6'4, 185 lb. guard put up some pretty good numbers in his senior year at Mater Dei, averaging 17.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Elijah was a key part of his team's success, helping guide Santa Ana Mater Dei to two consecutive state championships, winning the 2013 California Interscholastic Federation Open Division Championship and leading them to a 34-2 record.
Elijah began his high school career at St. Edward High School in Cleveland, Ohio as a freshman and sophomore while his father, Mike Brown, was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following his sophomore year, his father was fired by Cleveland and he took the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Lakers. Making the move to the Los Angeles area, Elijah transferred to Santa Ana Mater Dei High School for his junior and senior seasons.
A California all-state selection, Elijah was also picked as one of 10 players to the All-Area team in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times.
Elijah made his presence known in his first season at Mater Dei in helping win the first of back-to-back state championships in 2011-12 with a 34-2 mark. In his two seasons at Santa Ana Mater Dei, the younger Brown was a vital player over his two seasons, leading them to a remarkable 68-4 record.
Elijah Brown joins three Butler recruits already signed by head coach Brad Stevens:
-6'10 Nolan Berry (DeSmet Jesuit HS, Missouri)
-6'7 Andrew Chrabascz (Cushing Academy, MA)
-6'2 Rene Castro (Worchester Academy, MA)
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Millers and Bulldogs each win on road for HCC series split
Noblesville 6, Brownsburg 5 (at Brownsburg): Monday, April 15
Hits were tough to come by. The Millers were able to get seven off Bulldog pitching, including two from catcher TJ Lindstrand, while DH Trevor Salmon and Luke Porter each singled in a pair of runs for Noblesville.
Noblesville was able to muster up 5 runs in the 4th inning to take a 6-4 that it wouldn't give back to Brownsburg. The Bulldogs gave it one final push in the last of the seventh with a run, but it wasn't enough as Noblesville got a huge conference road win, 6-5.
Garrett Christman threw seven strong innings and also struck out 7 Bulldogs.
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Brownsburg 3, Noblesville 2 (at The Dunk): Wednesday, April 17
Being rained out on Tuesday night, the Millers and Bulldogs were pretty anxious to continue their Hoosier Crossroads Conference series at The Dunk in Noblesville. The Millers were in prime position to sweep the two-game series with their top pitcher Zach St. Pierre (3-0) on the mound.
Vinny Essig took the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 2nd over Sampen's head at 3rd for a single. Vinny's lead off first was a little bigger than he could bargain to take against the left-handed Ty McCoy. Like a lot of southpaws, McCoy had a pretty quick flick over to first. He showed Essig that he wasn't messing around and picked Vinny off of first base for the 2nd out.
Through two innings, ZSP allowed just one hit and seemed pretty dialed in. Brownsburg was able to strike first. Caleb Sampen led off and took a 2-2 pitch opposite field to right. Garrett Isch bunted to St. Pierre for the first out, advancing Sampen to 2nd. A couple hitters later, Tyler Houston drilled an RBI-single to center, scoring Sampen for a 1-0 Bulldogs edge.
Going down 1-2-3 in the 3rd, the Miller started the bottom of the 4th off hitting. Garrett Christman singled to left center, but didn't learn much from McCoy's mound moves from the previous inning. GC was picked off after he was caught with too big of a lead. McCoy easily tossed to Sam Comer at first and Comer to Haden Shipman at 2nd for out number one. Luke Porter walked, then stole 2nd, but shortly after was out on a play at the plate.
Through four innings, Noblesville had three different base runners picked off or caught stealing. Just a complete lack of focus when you're dealing with a left-handed pitcher.
The same thing happened again with a runner on base for the Millers. Essig singled to right center, but was caught sleeping and a half step behind at 1st and was picked off again by McCoy. As frustrated as Vinny was, he had to be brought back around and that was done by 3rd base/hitting coach Kevin Fitzgerald.
Brownsburg felt they piddled around enough against St. Pierre. Haden Shipman took a one out, 2-0 pitch to center over the head of Nick Miller for a double. Hunter Leum followed with a double of his own to drive Shipman home for a 2-0 Bulldog lead. Kyle Yeager grounded out to 3rd for the second out, but more importantly to help Leum to cross home for a 3-0 cushion. Consecutive singles by Cody Gill and Sam Comer were the last two hitters that St. Pierre would face.
Noblesville had plans to put together a comeback in the sixth and hopefully close things out in the 7th inning. McCoy hit TJ Lindstrand with a 3-1 pitch to lead off the last of the 6th. Brian McLean singled to put two runners on. Garrett Christman smacked a single of his own to load the bases. With the bags full, it set up a perfect opportunity for Luke Porter. Luke drilled a two-run double to deep left center, driving home both Lindstrand and McLean to cut the Brownsburg lead to 3-2. After that, the Millers would fly out to right twice and Essig struck out. NHS got what they could off McCoy in the first four at-bats of the 6th, but when he was relieved by Haden Shipman, Noblesville was stymied by the velocity and movement of Shipman's fastball and slider.
Drew McLochlin came in out of the Miller bullpen to record the third out of the sixth inning and also forced three consecutive groundouts in the top of the 7th.
One last chance for Noblesville came in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Bret Rundle struck out looking and TJ Lindstrand K'd swinging for two quick strikeouts for Shipman. McLean then smacked a single to right and stole second base with Christman at the plate. Fighting off Shipman, Garrett Christman flew out to left for the final out of the game, giving Brownsburg a 3-2 victory and a HCC series split for the two conference rivals.
DH Cody Gill led Brownsburg with two of their eight hits, while six Bulldogs each had one hit.
Brian McLean led the Millers at the plate with a 3-4 performance. Garrett Christman and Vinny Essig both knotted two hits a piece and Luke Porter drove in both Noblesville runs.
Noblesville (9-3, 3-1 HCC) continues its conference schedule on Friday, April 19 on the road at Zionsville with the first pitch at 6pm. The series concludes on Saturday at 11am at The Dunk in Noblesville. Thursday's home game was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday.
Hits were tough to come by. The Millers were able to get seven off Bulldog pitching, including two from catcher TJ Lindstrand, while DH Trevor Salmon and Luke Porter each singled in a pair of runs for Noblesville.
Noblesville was able to muster up 5 runs in the 4th inning to take a 6-4 that it wouldn't give back to Brownsburg. The Bulldogs gave it one final push in the last of the seventh with a run, but it wasn't enough as Noblesville got a huge conference road win, 6-5.
Garrett Christman threw seven strong innings and also struck out 7 Bulldogs.
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Brownsburg 3, Noblesville 2 (at The Dunk): Wednesday, April 17Being rained out on Tuesday night, the Millers and Bulldogs were pretty anxious to continue their Hoosier Crossroads Conference series at The Dunk in Noblesville. The Millers were in prime position to sweep the two-game series with their top pitcher Zach St. Pierre (3-0) on the mound.
Vinny Essig took the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 2nd over Sampen's head at 3rd for a single. Vinny's lead off first was a little bigger than he could bargain to take against the left-handed Ty McCoy. Like a lot of southpaws, McCoy had a pretty quick flick over to first. He showed Essig that he wasn't messing around and picked Vinny off of first base for the 2nd out.
Through two innings, ZSP allowed just one hit and seemed pretty dialed in. Brownsburg was able to strike first. Caleb Sampen led off and took a 2-2 pitch opposite field to right. Garrett Isch bunted to St. Pierre for the first out, advancing Sampen to 2nd. A couple hitters later, Tyler Houston drilled an RBI-single to center, scoring Sampen for a 1-0 Bulldogs edge.
Going down 1-2-3 in the 3rd, the Miller started the bottom of the 4th off hitting. Garrett Christman singled to left center, but didn't learn much from McCoy's mound moves from the previous inning. GC was picked off after he was caught with too big of a lead. McCoy easily tossed to Sam Comer at first and Comer to Haden Shipman at 2nd for out number one. Luke Porter walked, then stole 2nd, but shortly after was out on a play at the plate.
Through four innings, Noblesville had three different base runners picked off or caught stealing. Just a complete lack of focus when you're dealing with a left-handed pitcher.
The same thing happened again with a runner on base for the Millers. Essig singled to right center, but was caught sleeping and a half step behind at 1st and was picked off again by McCoy. As frustrated as Vinny was, he had to be brought back around and that was done by 3rd base/hitting coach Kevin Fitzgerald.
Brownsburg felt they piddled around enough against St. Pierre. Haden Shipman took a one out, 2-0 pitch to center over the head of Nick Miller for a double. Hunter Leum followed with a double of his own to drive Shipman home for a 2-0 Bulldog lead. Kyle Yeager grounded out to 3rd for the second out, but more importantly to help Leum to cross home for a 3-0 cushion. Consecutive singles by Cody Gill and Sam Comer were the last two hitters that St. Pierre would face.
Noblesville had plans to put together a comeback in the sixth and hopefully close things out in the 7th inning. McCoy hit TJ Lindstrand with a 3-1 pitch to lead off the last of the 6th. Brian McLean singled to put two runners on. Garrett Christman smacked a single of his own to load the bases. With the bags full, it set up a perfect opportunity for Luke Porter. Luke drilled a two-run double to deep left center, driving home both Lindstrand and McLean to cut the Brownsburg lead to 3-2. After that, the Millers would fly out to right twice and Essig struck out. NHS got what they could off McCoy in the first four at-bats of the 6th, but when he was relieved by Haden Shipman, Noblesville was stymied by the velocity and movement of Shipman's fastball and slider.
Drew McLochlin came in out of the Miller bullpen to record the third out of the sixth inning and also forced three consecutive groundouts in the top of the 7th.
One last chance for Noblesville came in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Bret Rundle struck out looking and TJ Lindstrand K'd swinging for two quick strikeouts for Shipman. McLean then smacked a single to right and stole second base with Christman at the plate. Fighting off Shipman, Garrett Christman flew out to left for the final out of the game, giving Brownsburg a 3-2 victory and a HCC series split for the two conference rivals.
DH Cody Gill led Brownsburg with two of their eight hits, while six Bulldogs each had one hit.
Brian McLean led the Millers at the plate with a 3-4 performance. Garrett Christman and Vinny Essig both knotted two hits a piece and Luke Porter drove in both Noblesville runs.
Noblesville (9-3, 3-1 HCC) continues its conference schedule on Friday, April 19 on the road at Zionsville with the first pitch at 6pm. The series concludes on Saturday at 11am at The Dunk in Noblesville. Thursday's home game was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Noblesville sweeps series DH over Fishers, but Carmel snaps Millers' 5-game streak
The weather forecasted for Thursday, April 11 was for the rains from Wednesday to keep drenching the Noblesville and Fishers area, preventing the two from opening up conference play normally. On Wednesday, the Millers and Tigers were slated to get together at Noblesville's Dunker Field. Both programs agreed that it was a great idea to play both games on the same night, because of Thursday's weather conditions wouldn't be any better. After getting rained out Wednesday at Noblesville and then the games were moved to Fishers Thursday also were rained out, we finally were able to get both games in on Friday evening in a doubleheader at Noblesville.
Game 1 - Noblesville 2, Fishers 1 (at The Dunk):
Zach St. Pierre took the mound for Noblesville for their doubleheader with Fishers to open up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play and obviously had just one thing on his mind and that was shutting down the Tigers' bats.
It took no time at all for Noblesville's anxious bats to get going. TJ Lindstrand smoked the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first, over the head of centerfielder Conner Christiansen. Brian McLean followed suit by singling up the middle to get TJ to third. Garrett Christman drove Lindstrand home for an early 1-0 Miller lead. Luke Porter also joined the hit parade two give NHS four straight hits. Porter was doubled up when Nick Miller lined out to Brandon Yoho at the mound.
St. Pierre was cruising through the first couple innings. Yoho belted a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to help his own cause, tying the game at 1-1.
McLean and Christman each singled again, respectively, to start the Miller half of the 3rd. They both advanced into scoring position at 2nd and 3rd because Yoho balked with Porter at the plate. With Nick Miller reached on an error by SS Garrett Schlotter, allowing Christman to cross home for the game-winning run for a 2-1 Noblesville win.
ZSP only had the two hits from the bat of Yoho, but otherwise was unblemished during his seven innings of work. He struck out five and walked just one. Most importantly, St. Pierre forced 8 pop outs and 4 groundouts to keep Fishers under control at the plate and is now 3-0 to lead Noblesville's starting pitching.
Christman went 3-3 with 3 singles, scored a run and the lone RBI for the Millers, while also having four putouts defensively. McLean was 2-3 and Lindstrand was 1-3 and scored the other run.
Game 2 - Noblesville 13, Fishers 1 (5 innings):
In game #2 of the doubleheader, Noblesville's bats got bigger and better. McLean continued his dominance at the dish, singling to left center on a 1-1 pitch from Nathaniel Rhodes. Christman singled to get aboard, moving McLean to 3rd. Porter hit a sacrifice fly to right to get McLean home for the first Miller run of the game.
TJ Lindstrand led off the top of the third and sent another double over Christiansen's head in center. McLean kept his hot hitting up with a beautifully dropped down bunt single to get Lindstrand to third. Two batters later, Luke Porter doubled down the right field line, scoring both TJ and B-Mac for a 3-1 Noblesville lead that they would only build on.
The bottom third of the Fishers order got it going for what little fight the Tigers showed in this nightcap. Yoho and Mike Chakrey both singled to left and Connor Christiansen was hit by a Trevor Salmon pitch to load the bags up. Fishers was only able to get one run in. Derek Ely got on base with a bunt single to score Yoho for a 3-1 Tiger deficit.
Andrew Wilson got his second hit of the game to start off the 4th. Third baseman Cole Dalton overthrew Chakrey at first, giving Wilson second base easily. Matt Swearingen pinch ran for Wilson and advanced to 3rd on St. Pierre's ground out. Swearingen scored on a Lindstrand sacrifice fly to right to put Noblesville up 4-1 thru four.
A steady misting rain had started to fall and it was time that Noblesville ended this game and put this HCC series to bed in grand fashion.
Garrett Christman singled up the middle to lead off the top of the 5th. Derek Ely started the 5th on the mound for the Tigers and he might wish that he hadn't been brought in to face the Millers. Luke Porter reached on an error by Schlotter at short. Nick Miller's bunt single loaded the bases, but no sooner that they got loaded that Trevor Salmon lit up an Ely pitch and sent it to deep right center and scored Christman, Porter and Miller for a three-run double. The next pitch was Ely's last, as Vinny Essig went up the middle to drive Salmon in for an 8-1 NHS cushion.
Noblesville still had more work to do on Fishers in the 5th.
With Essig on, Cory Reed came in as the third pitcher in five innings for the Tigers. Right away, Wilson flew out to left and advanced Vinny to 2nd. Zach St. Pierre walked and Lindstrand was hit by a pitch. Brian McLean was the ninth hitter of the inning for the Millers, singling for his third hit of the game and driving Essig home.
Bases were again loaded. Christman flew out to center for a sacrifice fly to score St. Pierre to make it 10-1. One pitch later, Porter smacked his second two-run double to the outfield, plating Lindstrand and McLean. Nick Miller reached on a throwing error by Reed on the mound, allowing Porter to trot home from third and produced the final score of 13-1 for Noblesville.
Salmon finished off Fishers by striking out the first and sixth hitters he faced in the 5th. This gave Noblesville a doubleheader sweep and series win over the Fishers Tigers.
Porter led the Miller hitting onslaught with 5 RBIs and a couple runs scored. McLean went 3-4 and scored 3 runs while driving in another. Christman had a 2-4 night with a run and an RBI. Lindstrand kept his bat going with a 1-3 night, scoring twice. Andrew Wilson had two hits and Trevor Salmon chipped in 3 RBIs on his three-run double, while striking out 6 Tigers in five innings of work.
Noblesville now finds itself at 8-1 overall and 2-0 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play and will continue league games on Monday at Brownsburg at 6pm, followed by hosting the Bulldogs on Tuesday at The Dunk at 6pm.
White River Rivalry - Carmel 10, Noblesville 6 (at Hartman Field, Carmel):
It's always a flip of a coin when Noblesville and Carmel meet up. You never know who's going to win. The Millers came over to Carmel on a pretty big high note. Winners of five in a row, they were looking to continue their streak against their county rivals in the annual White River Rivalry game in the Battle for the Oar. Carmel was also coming in confident with a doubleheader sweep of defending 4A State Champion Lake Central last Saturday at home.
Luke Porter led Noblesville at the plate once again, going 2-4 with an RBI and run scored. A majority of the Miller lineup was hitting the ball, but it took until the 4th inning before NHS was able to get their first hit.
Carmel had three good innings at the plate. They scored four in the 3rd and another pair in the 4th to lead 6-2 after four. They Greyhounds pretty much put this one out of reach in the bottom of the 6th with another 4-spot to extend their cushion to 10-3. Noblesville gave it one last effort and put 3 on the board, but that wasn't enough as Carmel kept the White River Rivalry game's Oar with a 10-6 win over the Millers.
The loss drops Noblesville to 8-2 (2-0 HCC) on the young season. Millerball looks to get things back on track Monday night with a trip to Brownsburg (3-2, 0-1 HCC) at 6pm. The series continues Tuesday night at The Dunk in Noblesville at 6pm. Carmel improves to 6-2 and stays home Wednesday to host Westfield at 5pm.
Game 1 - Noblesville 2, Fishers 1 (at The Dunk):
Zach St. Pierre took the mound for Noblesville for their doubleheader with Fishers to open up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play and obviously had just one thing on his mind and that was shutting down the Tigers' bats.
It took no time at all for Noblesville's anxious bats to get going. TJ Lindstrand smoked the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first, over the head of centerfielder Conner Christiansen. Brian McLean followed suit by singling up the middle to get TJ to third. Garrett Christman drove Lindstrand home for an early 1-0 Miller lead. Luke Porter also joined the hit parade two give NHS four straight hits. Porter was doubled up when Nick Miller lined out to Brandon Yoho at the mound.
St. Pierre was cruising through the first couple innings. Yoho belted a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall to help his own cause, tying the game at 1-1.
McLean and Christman each singled again, respectively, to start the Miller half of the 3rd. They both advanced into scoring position at 2nd and 3rd because Yoho balked with Porter at the plate. With Nick Miller reached on an error by SS Garrett Schlotter, allowing Christman to cross home for the game-winning run for a 2-1 Noblesville win.
ZSP only had the two hits from the bat of Yoho, but otherwise was unblemished during his seven innings of work. He struck out five and walked just one. Most importantly, St. Pierre forced 8 pop outs and 4 groundouts to keep Fishers under control at the plate and is now 3-0 to lead Noblesville's starting pitching.
Christman went 3-3 with 3 singles, scored a run and the lone RBI for the Millers, while also having four putouts defensively. McLean was 2-3 and Lindstrand was 1-3 and scored the other run.
Game 2 - Noblesville 13, Fishers 1 (5 innings):
In game #2 of the doubleheader, Noblesville's bats got bigger and better. McLean continued his dominance at the dish, singling to left center on a 1-1 pitch from Nathaniel Rhodes. Christman singled to get aboard, moving McLean to 3rd. Porter hit a sacrifice fly to right to get McLean home for the first Miller run of the game.
TJ Lindstrand led off the top of the third and sent another double over Christiansen's head in center. McLean kept his hot hitting up with a beautifully dropped down bunt single to get Lindstrand to third. Two batters later, Luke Porter doubled down the right field line, scoring both TJ and B-Mac for a 3-1 Noblesville lead that they would only build on.
The bottom third of the Fishers order got it going for what little fight the Tigers showed in this nightcap. Yoho and Mike Chakrey both singled to left and Connor Christiansen was hit by a Trevor Salmon pitch to load the bags up. Fishers was only able to get one run in. Derek Ely got on base with a bunt single to score Yoho for a 3-1 Tiger deficit.
Andrew Wilson got his second hit of the game to start off the 4th. Third baseman Cole Dalton overthrew Chakrey at first, giving Wilson second base easily. Matt Swearingen pinch ran for Wilson and advanced to 3rd on St. Pierre's ground out. Swearingen scored on a Lindstrand sacrifice fly to right to put Noblesville up 4-1 thru four.
A steady misting rain had started to fall and it was time that Noblesville ended this game and put this HCC series to bed in grand fashion.
Garrett Christman singled up the middle to lead off the top of the 5th. Derek Ely started the 5th on the mound for the Tigers and he might wish that he hadn't been brought in to face the Millers. Luke Porter reached on an error by Schlotter at short. Nick Miller's bunt single loaded the bases, but no sooner that they got loaded that Trevor Salmon lit up an Ely pitch and sent it to deep right center and scored Christman, Porter and Miller for a three-run double. The next pitch was Ely's last, as Vinny Essig went up the middle to drive Salmon in for an 8-1 NHS cushion.
Noblesville still had more work to do on Fishers in the 5th.
With Essig on, Cory Reed came in as the third pitcher in five innings for the Tigers. Right away, Wilson flew out to left and advanced Vinny to 2nd. Zach St. Pierre walked and Lindstrand was hit by a pitch. Brian McLean was the ninth hitter of the inning for the Millers, singling for his third hit of the game and driving Essig home.
Bases were again loaded. Christman flew out to center for a sacrifice fly to score St. Pierre to make it 10-1. One pitch later, Porter smacked his second two-run double to the outfield, plating Lindstrand and McLean. Nick Miller reached on a throwing error by Reed on the mound, allowing Porter to trot home from third and produced the final score of 13-1 for Noblesville.
Salmon finished off Fishers by striking out the first and sixth hitters he faced in the 5th. This gave Noblesville a doubleheader sweep and series win over the Fishers Tigers.
Porter led the Miller hitting onslaught with 5 RBIs and a couple runs scored. McLean went 3-4 and scored 3 runs while driving in another. Christman had a 2-4 night with a run and an RBI. Lindstrand kept his bat going with a 1-3 night, scoring twice. Andrew Wilson had two hits and Trevor Salmon chipped in 3 RBIs on his three-run double, while striking out 6 Tigers in five innings of work.
Noblesville now finds itself at 8-1 overall and 2-0 in Hoosier Crossroads Conference play and will continue league games on Monday at Brownsburg at 6pm, followed by hosting the Bulldogs on Tuesday at The Dunk at 6pm.
White River Rivalry - Carmel 10, Noblesville 6 (at Hartman Field, Carmel):
It's always a flip of a coin when Noblesville and Carmel meet up. You never know who's going to win. The Millers came over to Carmel on a pretty big high note. Winners of five in a row, they were looking to continue their streak against their county rivals in the annual White River Rivalry game in the Battle for the Oar. Carmel was also coming in confident with a doubleheader sweep of defending 4A State Champion Lake Central last Saturday at home.
Luke Porter led Noblesville at the plate once again, going 2-4 with an RBI and run scored. A majority of the Miller lineup was hitting the ball, but it took until the 4th inning before NHS was able to get their first hit.
Carmel had three good innings at the plate. They scored four in the 3rd and another pair in the 4th to lead 6-2 after four. They Greyhounds pretty much put this one out of reach in the bottom of the 6th with another 4-spot to extend their cushion to 10-3. Noblesville gave it one last effort and put 3 on the board, but that wasn't enough as Carmel kept the White River Rivalry game's Oar with a 10-6 win over the Millers.
The loss drops Noblesville to 8-2 (2-0 HCC) on the young season. Millerball looks to get things back on track Monday night with a trip to Brownsburg (3-2, 0-1 HCC) at 6pm. The series continues Tuesday night at The Dunk in Noblesville at 6pm. Carmel improves to 6-2 and stays home Wednesday to host Westfield at 5pm.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Brandon Miller back at Butler as new assistant coach
It looks like it will be "third time's the charm" for former Butler men's basketball standout Brandon Miller. He has accepted an assistant couching position on head coach Brad Stevens' staff to replace former associate head coach Matthew Graves, who is the head coach at South Alabama.
Miller was a leader on the court for the Bulldogs from 2000-03 and he was also an assistant on Stevens' staff during the 2007-08 season. Stevens was the Director of Basketball Operations during Miller's freshman year (00-01) and an assistant coach from 01-03. After his time as a player at Butler, Brandon made his way to become an assistant at such storied programs as Illinois, Ohio State and Xavier.
Earlier this season, Miller had the chance to coach against Butler in the Maui Invitational championship game. He was a special assistant to Illinois head coach John Groce this past season. Prior to this season, Brandon had the chance to work as an assistant on head coach Thad Matta's staff at Ohio State from 2006-12, including four Big Ten titles, three Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, along with the 2007 NCAA National Championship game vs. Florida.
Brandon Miller not only brings a lot of coaching experience back to Butler since his playing days, but what he accomplished during his time as a player is what will help the current and incomers.
He's in the 1,000-point club with 1,121 career point and made his mark as a shooter with 189 career three-point field goals, not to mention 305 assists, while leading Butler to a 77-20 record in his three-year playing career.
During Miller's senior season in 2003, he led the Bulldogs to a 27-6 record, which included the conference championship and a Sweet 16 appearance for Butler.
The New Castle, Indiana native couldn't be happier to bring his wife Holly and his two sons Mason and Michael back to Butler where it all started.
Miller was a leader on the court for the Bulldogs from 2000-03 and he was also an assistant on Stevens' staff during the 2007-08 season. Stevens was the Director of Basketball Operations during Miller's freshman year (00-01) and an assistant coach from 01-03. After his time as a player at Butler, Brandon made his way to become an assistant at such storied programs as Illinois, Ohio State and Xavier.
Earlier this season, Miller had the chance to coach against Butler in the Maui Invitational championship game. He was a special assistant to Illinois head coach John Groce this past season. Prior to this season, Brandon had the chance to work as an assistant on head coach Thad Matta's staff at Ohio State from 2006-12, including four Big Ten titles, three Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, along with the 2007 NCAA National Championship game vs. Florida.
Brandon Miller not only brings a lot of coaching experience back to Butler since his playing days, but what he accomplished during his time as a player is what will help the current and incomers.
He's in the 1,000-point club with 1,121 career point and made his mark as a shooter with 189 career three-point field goals, not to mention 305 assists, while leading Butler to a 77-20 record in his three-year playing career.
During Miller's senior season in 2003, he led the Bulldogs to a 27-6 record, which included the conference championship and a Sweet 16 appearance for Butler.
The New Castle, Indiana native couldn't be happier to bring his wife Holly and his two sons Mason and Michael back to Butler where it all started.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Butler's Andrew Smith receives Senior CLASS All-American award
Butler senior center Andrew Smith has added another accolade to his personal trophy case, as well as etching his name even further into Butler men's basketball lore. Smith brought has been recognized as 1 of 10 student-athletes in men's college basketball as a Senior CLASS All-American.This particular award is given to 10 individuals in Division I men's basketball that have, as college seniors, achieved and maintained a certain academic status while succeeding on the basketball court. In this instance, CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.
Demonstrating themselves as outstanding student-athletes, each must be a senior academically and the award focuses on their work in the classroom, community involvement, personal character and competition.
The Bulldogs have a recent history of landing a player in this significant group the past couple seasons. Ronald Nored in 2011-12 and Matt Howard in 2010-11 were also Senior CLASS All-Americans.
Smith, majoring in finance, has also been named to the 2012-13 Capitol One 2nd Team All-American team.
The 6'11 senior center from Zionsville, IN (Covenant Christian HS) averaged 11.3 points per game (2nd on team) and led Butler in rebounding (6.1) during his senior season and has been a big part of the most successful postseasons in Butler Bulldogs basketball history. During his four-year span as a player, he and his teammates compiled a 110-39 record. Smith was a big part of Butler's two consecutive NCAA Tournament runs to the National Championship game in 2010 and 2011. He was also able to finish with 1,147 career points, winding up as the 25th all-time leading scorer in Butler history.
Indiana University guard Jordan Hulls was recognized as the top senior CLASS award winner.
2012-13 Senior CLASS Award Winners:
First Team All-Americans
Mike Groselle, The Citadel
Jordan Hulls, Indiana (Bloomington, IN)
C. J. McCollum, Lehigh
Mike Muscala, Bucknell
Mason Plumlee, Duke (Warsaw, IN)
Second Team All-Americans Peyton Siva, Louisville
Andrew Smith, Butler (Zionsville, IN)
Marc Trasolini, Santa Clara
Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's
Jonathan Lee, Northeastern
Monday, April 8, 2013
Noblesville makes great showing at Farragut, wins all 3 on Spring Break trip
The Noblesville Millers took their spring break and headed south to Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee to the biggest high school baseball showcase at the Farragut Invitational.
Thursday night's tournament opener vs. Tennessee's #5 ranked Hardin Valley Academy was rained out and would not be made up the rest of the weekend.
By the time Friday afternoon came around, the Millers were getting pretty anxious to get on the field and showcase why it is that they come to the Farragut Invitational every spring.
Noblesville 5, #6 Science Hill (TN) 4
The first action for Noblesville came against Science Hill, who is Tennessee's #6 ranked team. Science Hill had the Millers on their heels with a three-run top of the second. NHS battled back with one in the bottom of 2 to trail 3-1.
Back at it in the top of the 3rd, the Hilltoppers from Johnson City tacked on their final run before Noblesville got their bats back out to make their presence known.
Millerball showed what they had and put two on the scoreboard in the last of the third, followed by one run each in the fourth and fifth. A double by TJ Lindstrand, a triple from Andrew Wilson, and more importantly, home runs by Luke Porter and Zach St. Pierre gave Noblesville the offensive boost needed to comeback to beat Tennessee's 6th-ranked Hilltoppers, 5-4.
Zach St. Pierre got the win on the mound and Drew McLochlin earned his second save of the season.
Noblesville 6, #1 Lexington Catholic (KY) 5
The Millers had the privilege of playing two games on Friday afternoon. In the words of Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, "let's play two!" I'm sure Noblesville jumped at the chance to play two games, especially against two teams ranked in their state's top 10. NHS met up with Kentucky's #1 team in the Lexington Catholic Knights.
Lexington Catholic wasted no time jumping on the Millers with three in the top of the 1st and one more in the second for an early 4-0 lead for the Knights.
Noblesville scored one in the third and a pair more in the fourth to cut Lexington Catholic's lead to 4-3 after four.
LC got one more run in the 5th before their bats were silenced by Miller pitching. This brought on the rally that the Knights had no idea was coming. In the bottom of the 7th, sophomore Vinny Essig knocked a game-winning, walk-off single to the outfield, capping off three-run 7th and a second NHS comeback win of the day.
Sophomore relief pitcher Will Plumer was the winner, with his late-inning heroics.
Noblesville 12, Upper Arlington (OH) 0
At this point of the Millers' spring break trip, they were riding high off of a pair of comeback wins over the #6 team from Tennessee (Science Hill) and Kentucky's #1 squad (Lexington Catholic). Nothing was going to stop Noblesville from leaving Knoxville with three wins to add to their 3-1 record going into the Farragut Invitational.
Not to take anything away from a very successful baseball program like Upper Arlington's, but it really didn't take much to defeat the Golden Bears on Saturday, April 6. Continuing where they left off Friday night, the Millers made real quick work of Upper Arlington. Noblesville sent one of Ohio's finest from Columbus packing much earlier than they anticipated.
This became a more spread out offensive effort for the Millers. One in the first probably would have been enough, but Noblesville put together a three-run 2nd and an 8-spot on the board in the 3rd to fully secure a 12-0 win in 5 innings over the Upper Arlington Golden Bears.
Garrett Christman got the win with ease in this blowout affair.
Noblesville (6-1) returns home this week on Wednesday to face the Fishers Tigers to open up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. First pitch is at 6 p.m. The Millers and Tigers will finish their home-and-home conference series with Fishers on Thursday at 6 p.m. NHS will conclude the week with the White River Rivalry and the battle for the oar as they'll visit the Carmel Greyhounds on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Keep your eyes peeled for my blog all season long to follow Noblesville Miller baseball and you can also follow me on Twitter at @irishcub4life.
Thursday night's tournament opener vs. Tennessee's #5 ranked Hardin Valley Academy was rained out and would not be made up the rest of the weekend.
By the time Friday afternoon came around, the Millers were getting pretty anxious to get on the field and showcase why it is that they come to the Farragut Invitational every spring.
Noblesville 5, #6 Science Hill (TN) 4
The first action for Noblesville came against Science Hill, who is Tennessee's #6 ranked team. Science Hill had the Millers on their heels with a three-run top of the second. NHS battled back with one in the bottom of 2 to trail 3-1.
Back at it in the top of the 3rd, the Hilltoppers from Johnson City tacked on their final run before Noblesville got their bats back out to make their presence known.
Millerball showed what they had and put two on the scoreboard in the last of the third, followed by one run each in the fourth and fifth. A double by TJ Lindstrand, a triple from Andrew Wilson, and more importantly, home runs by Luke Porter and Zach St. Pierre gave Noblesville the offensive boost needed to comeback to beat Tennessee's 6th-ranked Hilltoppers, 5-4.
Zach St. Pierre got the win on the mound and Drew McLochlin earned his second save of the season.
Noblesville 6, #1 Lexington Catholic (KY) 5
The Millers had the privilege of playing two games on Friday afternoon. In the words of Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, "let's play two!" I'm sure Noblesville jumped at the chance to play two games, especially against two teams ranked in their state's top 10. NHS met up with Kentucky's #1 team in the Lexington Catholic Knights.
Lexington Catholic wasted no time jumping on the Millers with three in the top of the 1st and one more in the second for an early 4-0 lead for the Knights.
Noblesville scored one in the third and a pair more in the fourth to cut Lexington Catholic's lead to 4-3 after four.
LC got one more run in the 5th before their bats were silenced by Miller pitching. This brought on the rally that the Knights had no idea was coming. In the bottom of the 7th, sophomore Vinny Essig knocked a game-winning, walk-off single to the outfield, capping off three-run 7th and a second NHS comeback win of the day.
Sophomore relief pitcher Will Plumer was the winner, with his late-inning heroics.
Noblesville 12, Upper Arlington (OH) 0
At this point of the Millers' spring break trip, they were riding high off of a pair of comeback wins over the #6 team from Tennessee (Science Hill) and Kentucky's #1 squad (Lexington Catholic). Nothing was going to stop Noblesville from leaving Knoxville with three wins to add to their 3-1 record going into the Farragut Invitational.
Not to take anything away from a very successful baseball program like Upper Arlington's, but it really didn't take much to defeat the Golden Bears on Saturday, April 6. Continuing where they left off Friday night, the Millers made real quick work of Upper Arlington. Noblesville sent one of Ohio's finest from Columbus packing much earlier than they anticipated.
This became a more spread out offensive effort for the Millers. One in the first probably would have been enough, but Noblesville put together a three-run 2nd and an 8-spot on the board in the 3rd to fully secure a 12-0 win in 5 innings over the Upper Arlington Golden Bears.
Garrett Christman got the win with ease in this blowout affair.
Noblesville (6-1) returns home this week on Wednesday to face the Fishers Tigers to open up Hoosier Crossroads Conference play. First pitch is at 6 p.m. The Millers and Tigers will finish their home-and-home conference series with Fishers on Thursday at 6 p.m. NHS will conclude the week with the White River Rivalry and the battle for the oar as they'll visit the Carmel Greyhounds on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Keep your eyes peeled for my blog all season long to follow Noblesville Miller baseball and you can also follow me on Twitter at @irishcub4life.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Brebeuf Jesuit hands Millers first loss
Coming off three consecutive wins over Pike in their season opener, then Richmond and Hanover Central to win the 2013 Miller Invitational, Noblesville was heating up and ready to continue spring break and keep winning.
Brebeuf had other things in mind for their trip to Noblesville from west 86th street. Starting out their season 0-2, the Braves were hungry and they showed that they were ready to win. Maroon-clad Brebeuf came away from Dunker Field with a 5-2 road win over the Millers.
Garrett Christman got the start for Noblesville and got a reality check on the mound just three hitters in. Nick Chambers grounded out to start the game and DH Kevin Freier walked, but was picked off trying to steal second for out number two. Eric Petruzzi was given the green light by head coach Jeff Scott and took a 3-1 Christman pitch deep over the left field wall for a solo home run and a 1-0 Brebeuf lead.
In their first four innings at the plate, the Millers were only able to get four on base and failed to score in that span.
The Braves were back at it in the top of the 4th. Catcher Hunter Hale walked and scampered down to second on a passed ball. His battery mate Marshall Farren dropped down a perfect bunt single that got Hale to 3rd with no outs. Tyler Holt struckout. Brebeuf wanted to get Hale in from third and that's exactly what 3B John Lowe did. Lowe hit a sacrifice fly to Andrew Wilson in left, scoring Hale and extending their lead to 2-0. Farren crossed the plate on a Nick Chambers single to left center, giving Brebeuf a 3-0 cushion.
Noblesville finally woke up their bats in the bottom of the 5th. Vinny Essig led off by smacking a double over centerfielder Eric Petruzzi's head on one hop. Essig advanced to third on a Trevor Salmon fly out to center. Zach St. Pierre drove home Essig on an RBI groundout to second, putting NHS on the board, but trailing 3-1.
Small ball was the theme for Brebeuf after Petruzzi's first inning solo shot. Hale walked to start the sixth and scored three batters later on Lowe's single to right to put the Braves up 4-1.
Brebeuf tacked one more on the scoreboard in the seventh. Kevin Freier walked to get it going. Petruzzi singled up the middle into center to get Freier to third. Joey Perkins hit a sacrifice fly to Nick Miller in center to score Freier for a 5-1 Brebeuf lead, putting Noblesville against a wall in the bottom of the seventh.
The Millers weren't giving up that easily, especially on their home field. Essig had great patience at the plate, walking on five pitches to lead off and pinch runner Matt Swearingen stole second with ease just after taking over at first for Essig. Trevor Salmon singled to shallow right center, scoring Swearingen to cut the Braves' lead to 5-2. Salmon was forced out at second on a TJ Lindstrand fielder's choice. Then, Brian McLean ended the game and Noblesville's last-ditch effort for a threat by popping out to third baseman Joey Perkins.
It was Brebeuf Jesuit's first win of 2013 (1-2) and the loss dropped Noblesville to 3-1 on the young season.
Brebeuf had other things in mind for their trip to Noblesville from west 86th street. Starting out their season 0-2, the Braves were hungry and they showed that they were ready to win. Maroon-clad Brebeuf came away from Dunker Field with a 5-2 road win over the Millers.
Garrett Christman got the start for Noblesville and got a reality check on the mound just three hitters in. Nick Chambers grounded out to start the game and DH Kevin Freier walked, but was picked off trying to steal second for out number two. Eric Petruzzi was given the green light by head coach Jeff Scott and took a 3-1 Christman pitch deep over the left field wall for a solo home run and a 1-0 Brebeuf lead.
In their first four innings at the plate, the Millers were only able to get four on base and failed to score in that span.
The Braves were back at it in the top of the 4th. Catcher Hunter Hale walked and scampered down to second on a passed ball. His battery mate Marshall Farren dropped down a perfect bunt single that got Hale to 3rd with no outs. Tyler Holt struckout. Brebeuf wanted to get Hale in from third and that's exactly what 3B John Lowe did. Lowe hit a sacrifice fly to Andrew Wilson in left, scoring Hale and extending their lead to 2-0. Farren crossed the plate on a Nick Chambers single to left center, giving Brebeuf a 3-0 cushion.
Noblesville finally woke up their bats in the bottom of the 5th. Vinny Essig led off by smacking a double over centerfielder Eric Petruzzi's head on one hop. Essig advanced to third on a Trevor Salmon fly out to center. Zach St. Pierre drove home Essig on an RBI groundout to second, putting NHS on the board, but trailing 3-1.
Small ball was the theme for Brebeuf after Petruzzi's first inning solo shot. Hale walked to start the sixth and scored three batters later on Lowe's single to right to put the Braves up 4-1.
Brebeuf tacked one more on the scoreboard in the seventh. Kevin Freier walked to get it going. Petruzzi singled up the middle into center to get Freier to third. Joey Perkins hit a sacrifice fly to Nick Miller in center to score Freier for a 5-1 Brebeuf lead, putting Noblesville against a wall in the bottom of the seventh.
The Millers weren't giving up that easily, especially on their home field. Essig had great patience at the plate, walking on five pitches to lead off and pinch runner Matt Swearingen stole second with ease just after taking over at first for Essig. Trevor Salmon singled to shallow right center, scoring Swearingen to cut the Braves' lead to 5-2. Salmon was forced out at second on a TJ Lindstrand fielder's choice. Then, Brian McLean ended the game and Noblesville's last-ditch effort for a threat by popping out to third baseman Joey Perkins.
It was Brebeuf Jesuit's first win of 2013 (1-2) and the loss dropped Noblesville to 3-1 on the young season.
Noblesville wins Miller Invite, defense stays unscaved
Noblesville's diamond Millers were able to put together two dominating performances in Saturday's 2013 Miller Invitational and kept the trophy. Stellar left-handed pitching and fundamental hitting gave NHS what they needed to defend The Dunk.
The 2013 Miller Invitational featured two new teams, along with the two-time defending champion Homestead Spartans and Noblesville Millers. A pair of participants from last year's one-day tourney weren't able to make it because of religious affiliations. Chicago de LaSalle and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller weren't able to be a part in this year's tournament because it fell on Easter weekend.
Game 1: Noblesville 3, Richmond 0
It took very little time at all for Noblesville to get its bats going in the bottom of the first. TJ Lindstrand was hit by a pitch. He stole second and advanced to third on Brian McLean's groundout to second. Garrett Christman then drove in TJ with and RBI groundout to second for a 1-0 Noblesville lead. Luke Porter smoked a 3-2 pitch sailing over the left field wall, taking a high bounce off of SR 32 and into the grass across the street. Porter's solo home run put the Millers up 2-0 after one inning.
The Millers put one more on the board in the bottom of the 5th when McLean drove Lindstrand in for the final score of 3-0.
What's the most impressive about Noblesville victory over the Richmond Red Devils really had nothing to do with the great work they did at the plate. Starting pitcher Zach St. Pierre was simply in a zone of his own on the mound. Striking out 10 Red Devils over his 6 innings of work, there was nothing at the plate that would stymie St. Pierre. He did an amazing feat mowing down all three batters in the 2nd, but even better was that he struck all three out looking. Zach was also able to strike out two hitters in both the 3rd and 5th innings.
"Strategery" became second nature for St. Pierre and his left-handed windup. Being a southpaw, Zach picked off two Richmond base runners. Drew McLochlin worked the 7th inning, striking out two of the four hitters he faced for the save.
Game 2: Hanover Central 10, Homestead 6
Each had a five-run inning, but it was Hanover Central that was able to keep it going throughout the game. The Wildcats had four different players with 4 RBIs.
Homestead was the two-time defending champion of the Miller Invitational, but 2A Hanover Central is obviously no slouch when it comes to meeting up with the big schools like 4A Homestead.
Hanover Central advanced to the championship with a 10-6 win over the Homestead Spartans, getting them a date in the nightcap with host Noblesville.
Game 3: Richmond 6, Homestead 3
After dropping their opener to Noblesville, Richmond did what it could to get things back on track to get in the win column.
Jimmy Bailey led the Red Devils with two hits, but couldn't stay on the base path. He got picked off by McLean Trieglaff not once, but twice.
Alex Rodriguez, Matt Morrow and Kristian Rodriguez each scored a pair of runs to help Richmond edge Homestead.
Championship game: Noblesville 7, Hanover Central 0
Consistent hitting and focused pitching is exactly what were the keys to Noblesville capturing. Trevor Salmon was in complete command on the mound, striking out 7, while just allowing three hits and two walks in five innings of work.
TJ Lindstrand scored in the first on a passed ball to get Noblesville on the board.
Nick Miller and Vinny Essig lined out and grounded out to short respectively to start the bottom of the second. Salmon and Zach St. Pierre had back-to-back singles to put the Millers in a prime spot to score again. Lindstrand was back at it, doubling to right center and scoring both Salmon and St. Pierre. Brian McLean drove TJ home with a single to left center. Luke Porter drove home McLean to cap the four-run second, putting Noblesville up comfortably through two, 5-0.
Lindstrand scored his third run of the game on a passed ball in the 4th for a 6-0 Miller lead.
Noblesville put their final run on the board in the bottom of the sixth with Nick Miller's RBI-single, scoring Garrett Christman. The Millers won the 2013 Miller Invitational over Hanover Central, 7-0.
My 2013 Miller Invitational All-Tournament Team
C TJ Lindstrand (Noblesville): 3-3, 5 runs, reached base in all 7 plate appearances
1B Evan Garthus (Hanover Central): 3-6, run, 2 singles, RBI double
2B Dan Stum (Hanover Central): 4-7, run, 3 singles, double
3B Luke Porter (Noblesville): 3-6, solo HR, 2 singles, run
SS Matt Morrow (Richmond): 2-4, 2 runs, RBI, single, double
OF Brian McLean (Noblesville): 3-5, 2 RBI, run
OF Luke Landrigan (Homestead): 3-6, 2 runs, RBI, 2 doubles
OF Nick Myszkowski (Hanover Central): 1-6, 2 RBIs
Util Jesse Wilkening (Hanover Central): 3-6, 2 runs, RBI
Util Tyler Zimske (Homestead): 2-4, 2 BB, run, 2 singles
SP Zach St. Pierre (Noblesville): Win, 6 IP, 10 K's, 3 hits, 2 BBs; Hitting: 2-4, run
SP Trevor Salmon (Nobleville): Win, 5 IP, 7 K's, 3 hits, 2 BBs; Hitting: 2-4, run
RP Drew McLochlin (Noblesville): 2 IP, 3 K's, 2 hits, 2 BBs
The 2013 Miller Invitational featured two new teams, along with the two-time defending champion Homestead Spartans and Noblesville Millers. A pair of participants from last year's one-day tourney weren't able to make it because of religious affiliations. Chicago de LaSalle and Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller weren't able to be a part in this year's tournament because it fell on Easter weekend.
Game 1: Noblesville 3, Richmond 0
It took very little time at all for Noblesville to get its bats going in the bottom of the first. TJ Lindstrand was hit by a pitch. He stole second and advanced to third on Brian McLean's groundout to second. Garrett Christman then drove in TJ with and RBI groundout to second for a 1-0 Noblesville lead. Luke Porter smoked a 3-2 pitch sailing over the left field wall, taking a high bounce off of SR 32 and into the grass across the street. Porter's solo home run put the Millers up 2-0 after one inning.
The Millers put one more on the board in the bottom of the 5th when McLean drove Lindstrand in for the final score of 3-0.
What's the most impressive about Noblesville victory over the Richmond Red Devils really had nothing to do with the great work they did at the plate. Starting pitcher Zach St. Pierre was simply in a zone of his own on the mound. Striking out 10 Red Devils over his 6 innings of work, there was nothing at the plate that would stymie St. Pierre. He did an amazing feat mowing down all three batters in the 2nd, but even better was that he struck all three out looking. Zach was also able to strike out two hitters in both the 3rd and 5th innings.
"Strategery" became second nature for St. Pierre and his left-handed windup. Being a southpaw, Zach picked off two Richmond base runners. Drew McLochlin worked the 7th inning, striking out two of the four hitters he faced for the save.
Game 2: Hanover Central 10, Homestead 6
Each had a five-run inning, but it was Hanover Central that was able to keep it going throughout the game. The Wildcats had four different players with 4 RBIs.
Homestead was the two-time defending champion of the Miller Invitational, but 2A Hanover Central is obviously no slouch when it comes to meeting up with the big schools like 4A Homestead.
Hanover Central advanced to the championship with a 10-6 win over the Homestead Spartans, getting them a date in the nightcap with host Noblesville.
Game 3: Richmond 6, Homestead 3
After dropping their opener to Noblesville, Richmond did what it could to get things back on track to get in the win column.
Jimmy Bailey led the Red Devils with two hits, but couldn't stay on the base path. He got picked off by McLean Trieglaff not once, but twice.
Alex Rodriguez, Matt Morrow and Kristian Rodriguez each scored a pair of runs to help Richmond edge Homestead.
Championship game: Noblesville 7, Hanover Central 0
Consistent hitting and focused pitching is exactly what were the keys to Noblesville capturing. Trevor Salmon was in complete command on the mound, striking out 7, while just allowing three hits and two walks in five innings of work.
TJ Lindstrand scored in the first on a passed ball to get Noblesville on the board.
Nick Miller and Vinny Essig lined out and grounded out to short respectively to start the bottom of the second. Salmon and Zach St. Pierre had back-to-back singles to put the Millers in a prime spot to score again. Lindstrand was back at it, doubling to right center and scoring both Salmon and St. Pierre. Brian McLean drove TJ home with a single to left center. Luke Porter drove home McLean to cap the four-run second, putting Noblesville up comfortably through two, 5-0.
Lindstrand scored his third run of the game on a passed ball in the 4th for a 6-0 Miller lead.
Noblesville put their final run on the board in the bottom of the sixth with Nick Miller's RBI-single, scoring Garrett Christman. The Millers won the 2013 Miller Invitational over Hanover Central, 7-0.
My 2013 Miller Invitational All-Tournament Team
C TJ Lindstrand (Noblesville): 3-3, 5 runs, reached base in all 7 plate appearances
1B Evan Garthus (Hanover Central): 3-6, run, 2 singles, RBI double
2B Dan Stum (Hanover Central): 4-7, run, 3 singles, double
3B Luke Porter (Noblesville): 3-6, solo HR, 2 singles, run
SS Matt Morrow (Richmond): 2-4, 2 runs, RBI, single, double
OF Brian McLean (Noblesville): 3-5, 2 RBI, run
OF Luke Landrigan (Homestead): 3-6, 2 runs, RBI, 2 doubles
OF Nick Myszkowski (Hanover Central): 1-6, 2 RBIs
Util Jesse Wilkening (Hanover Central): 3-6, 2 runs, RBI
Util Tyler Zimske (Homestead): 2-4, 2 BB, run, 2 singles
SP Zach St. Pierre (Noblesville): Win, 6 IP, 10 K's, 3 hits, 2 BBs; Hitting: 2-4, run
SP Trevor Salmon (Nobleville): Win, 5 IP, 7 K's, 3 hits, 2 BBs; Hitting: 2-4, run
RP Drew McLochlin (Noblesville): 2 IP, 3 K's, 2 hits, 2 BBs
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