Two games versus the Harrison Raiders to finish the regular season might be exactly what the Noblesville Millers need to get their bearings back and get into the mode that's going to pretty much be required in the Class 4A Sectional at Zionsville.
Noblesville 11, Harrison 0 (Thurs. 5/16 at Harrison)
Zach St. Pierre got himself back in a good pitching groove during Noblesville's final road trip of the regular season. Tossing a one-hit shutout, St. Pierre got the start out of himself that he's been trying to dig back out for quite a while this season.
St. P hadn't truly had a quality outing since Noblesville took a 4-1 Friday night matchup at Avon on May 3rd.
Zach threw quite a gem at Harrison. It only took the Millers 5 innings to get the job done. St. P only allowed 4 Raiders aboard through five innings and the beauty of it was that the southpaw gave up just one hit, while walking three and striking out 4.
He had plenty of help on offense for sure. TJ Lindstrand led the way at the dish with a 3-3 performance, scoring twice. Brian McLean, Connor Christman and St. Pierre all three had two hits apiece. Dax McLochlin (3), Garrett Christman (2), St. P (2), McLean and Connor Christman combined to drive in nine of the 11 Noblesville runs.
The Millers scored one in the 1st, put up a 7-spot in the 4th and added three more in the top of the fifth to put this one to bed in just 5 innings, 11-0.
Noblesville 7, Harrison 1 (Sat. 5/18 at The Dunk)
It was Senior Day at The Dunk and we saw five seniors play their final home games at Dunker Field, where they've called home for the past few seasons of their high school baseball careers.
The Miller baseball family honored four-year student trainer Clair Wisman, centerfielder Nick Miller, pitcher Tyler Chapman, catcher TJ Lindstrand, pitcher/corner infielder Luke Porter and relief pitcher Drew McLochlin.
Noblesville wanted their offense to pick up right where it left off Thursday night in Lafayette and that's exactly what it did.
Brian McLean led off the game with a double to center off Harrison starting pitcher Matt McConnell. Connor Christman singled to get B-Mc over to third. Luke Porter then walked to load the bases with one out. McLean scored on a passed ball, moving Connor and Porter up to third and second, respectively. Five pitches later on a 2-2 count, TJ Lindstrand drilled a two-run single into center, plating both Connor Christman and Luke Porter for a 3-0 Miller lead after one.
Harrison got itself on the board in the top of three when Nick Torres singled home Nick Morris, who had his own single with one out.
The Millers had contributions across the stat sheet from everyone. Lindstrand and St. Pierre both drove in a pair of runs. Luke Porter got it done on the mound, throwing 6 innings, while striking out six to ear the win in his first start on the hill. Drew McLochlin finished things off in his final relief appearance at The Dunk, allowing just one hit.
Noblesville finished off the Harrison Raiders, 7-1 in this Saturday affair that became Senior Day from Friday night's rain out postponed the series finale to Saturday at 11 a.m.
Next up for the Millers...
Noblesville had plenty of time off to get itself completely healthy to make a run through the 47th Annual IHSAA State Baseball Tournament. The Millers had luck on their side and drew the Bye and have the advantage of not having to play until 11 a.m. on Monday, May 27.
Noblesville (18-11) will face the North Central Panthers (18-6) in the first semifinal of the Class 4A Sectional 8 at Zionsville for an 11 a.m. first pitch.
Semifinal #2 will pit Hamilton Southeastern (12-9) vs. the Carmel Greyhounds (18-10) approximately 45 minutes after Noblesville/North Central.
The two Thursday quarterfinal games were pretty eventful. The Hamilton Southeastern Royals took 9 innings, but they upset the sectional favorite Westfield Shamrocks, 2-1. The Royals got two solo home runs from OF Trey Gantt to advance to the semifinals.
Carmel wasted no time at all in disposing of the hosts and defending sectional/regional champion Zionsville Eagles by an 11-1 score in 5 innings. Carmel completely rocked Wake Forest signee Parker Dunshee with six runs in the first and another three in the second to take a commanding 9-0 lead before Zionsville could blink. Ryan Campbell was nearly unhittable with his sidearm delivery for the Greyhounds.
The championship game of the Zionsville Sectional is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Noblesville swept by Westfield in HCC series
The final week of the regular season didn't exactly start out as the Noblesville Millers would have liked, but it couldn't have ended any better.
A conference rivalry like the Millers and the Westfield Shamrocks is one that goes from season-to-season and sport-by-sport. With the two school districts neighboring on Noblesville's west side and the east side of Westfield, many of the athletes have grown up being rivals in numerous sports starting at a very young age.
The rivalry is that much more heated when they get to the high school ranks and doesn't get any better than Noblesville and Westfield squaring off on the baseball diamond each spring.
Westfield 4, Noblesville 0 (Mon. 5/13 at Westfield)
Westfield starting pitcher Trent Dean couldn't have been more in a zone than he was in the series opener at Westfield on Monday, May 13. It seemed like his fastball was consistently hitting from the upper 70s to mid 80s, but he also got a lot of help from the plate umpire. A lot of his pitches crossed the plate just below the knees of Noblesville hitters, but somehow were always being called a strike, doing nothing but frustrating Miller hitters.
Dean stands at probably a mere 5'6, but who says that the plate umpire that night really accounted for his being vertically challenged. He did use those calls to his advantage, striking out eight in his seven inning complete game effort.
Striking out Brian McLean and Garrett Christman to start the game, Dean gave up his first hit to Luke Porter, but Dean used a quick pickoff move and picked Porter off 1st to end the top of one.
Garrett Christman had a little bit of variety in his first frame vs. the Shamrocks. A pop out, strikeout (looking) and fly out to keep the home team controlled.
TJ Lindstrand, Conner Christman and Nick Miller went down in order in the second. And, it didn't get any better in the third. Andrew Wilson, Dax McLochlin and Trevor Salmon all three struck out looking, only helping Trent Dean to put his game on cruise control.
Right fielder Chris Ayers led off the bottom of the second with a 2-2 single up the middle into center. Ayers was able to reach second on a stolen base with Lindstrand's thrown down to 2nd went into shallow center to get Ayers to third with no outs. With the next pitch, Cole McCrary sliced a double into right center, sending Ayers home with no trouble for a 1-0 Westfield lead. Alec Nelson followed suit two pitches later with a double of his own, just beyond third base, kicking up chalk down the line to solidify it being fair. McCrary scored on Nelson's hit for 2-0. Three batters later in the inning it was the nine hole hitter Jake Dietz that hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Nelson to help the Shamrocks post a 3-spot on the scoreboard in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
Nelson would add another RBI to his tally in the bottom of the sixth to do his part. His double to the fence in right center would score Chris Ayers, who led off the inning with a single.
Trent Dean allowed just two more hits the rest of the night for a three-hit shutout to his credit. The 4-5-6 hitting trio of Ayers-McCrary-Nelson combined to hit 5-for-9 (3 doubles), scoring all four Westfield runs and driving in three of the four.
Noblesville leadoff hitter Brian McLean (double), Luke Porter and Nick Miller scavenged for the Millers three hits off of Dean. Christman worked 6 innings, striking out six, while giving up 7 hits and 4 runs (all earned).
Westfield 5, Noblesville 1 (Tues. 5/14 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Trevor Salmon took the hill for the Millers in hopes of helping Noblesville salvage a split of their HCC series. He went to work at a medium pace, sending down the first five Westfield hitters with one strikeout.
Westfield got on the board first in the second when DH Matt Kinney singled up the middle to score Alec Nelson to go up 1-0, who got aboard with an infield single with two outs.
The Shamrocks added to their lead in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs. With two down, Nathan Manworren was hit by a pitch and was driven home on a double by catcher Bailey Partlow. The pitcher Chris Ayers helped his own cause by singling home Partlow for a 3-0 lead for the visitors.
The Millers figured it was time they make something happen. Zach St. Pierre roped a one-out single on the ground to center. Three hitters later, St. P headed home when TJ Lindstrand singled to cut the Westfield lead to 3-1 through five.
Alec Nelson led off the sixth with a solo home run deep over the left field wall for a 4-1 Shamrock advantage. That left very few options for Salmon on the mound and he was done after his six innings of work. It was more of a subpar outing to Salmon, to say the least, as he only had 4 strikeouts while giving up four runs on eight hits.
Noblesville was only able to muster just one hit over the final two innings and that was of reliever Luke Dietz.
Drew McLochlin pitched the 7th for the Millers and was rocked a little by the meat of the Westfield order. Manworren and Partlow both singled to start off the 7th and Ayers reached on an error by Dax McLochlin at second base to load the bags. Nelson walked to batters later to give the Shamrocks another run and the final score of 5-1.
Westfield swept the season series over Noblesville two games to none. Winning the series gave Westfield at least a share of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference regular season title.
A conference rivalry like the Millers and the Westfield Shamrocks is one that goes from season-to-season and sport-by-sport. With the two school districts neighboring on Noblesville's west side and the east side of Westfield, many of the athletes have grown up being rivals in numerous sports starting at a very young age.
The rivalry is that much more heated when they get to the high school ranks and doesn't get any better than Noblesville and Westfield squaring off on the baseball diamond each spring.
Westfield 4, Noblesville 0 (Mon. 5/13 at Westfield)
Westfield starting pitcher Trent Dean couldn't have been more in a zone than he was in the series opener at Westfield on Monday, May 13. It seemed like his fastball was consistently hitting from the upper 70s to mid 80s, but he also got a lot of help from the plate umpire. A lot of his pitches crossed the plate just below the knees of Noblesville hitters, but somehow were always being called a strike, doing nothing but frustrating Miller hitters.
Dean stands at probably a mere 5'6, but who says that the plate umpire that night really accounted for his being vertically challenged. He did use those calls to his advantage, striking out eight in his seven inning complete game effort.
Striking out Brian McLean and Garrett Christman to start the game, Dean gave up his first hit to Luke Porter, but Dean used a quick pickoff move and picked Porter off 1st to end the top of one.
Garrett Christman had a little bit of variety in his first frame vs. the Shamrocks. A pop out, strikeout (looking) and fly out to keep the home team controlled.
TJ Lindstrand, Conner Christman and Nick Miller went down in order in the second. And, it didn't get any better in the third. Andrew Wilson, Dax McLochlin and Trevor Salmon all three struck out looking, only helping Trent Dean to put his game on cruise control.
Right fielder Chris Ayers led off the bottom of the second with a 2-2 single up the middle into center. Ayers was able to reach second on a stolen base with Lindstrand's thrown down to 2nd went into shallow center to get Ayers to third with no outs. With the next pitch, Cole McCrary sliced a double into right center, sending Ayers home with no trouble for a 1-0 Westfield lead. Alec Nelson followed suit two pitches later with a double of his own, just beyond third base, kicking up chalk down the line to solidify it being fair. McCrary scored on Nelson's hit for 2-0. Three batters later in the inning it was the nine hole hitter Jake Dietz that hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Nelson to help the Shamrocks post a 3-spot on the scoreboard in the second to take a 3-0 lead.
Nelson would add another RBI to his tally in the bottom of the sixth to do his part. His double to the fence in right center would score Chris Ayers, who led off the inning with a single.
Trent Dean allowed just two more hits the rest of the night for a three-hit shutout to his credit. The 4-5-6 hitting trio of Ayers-McCrary-Nelson combined to hit 5-for-9 (3 doubles), scoring all four Westfield runs and driving in three of the four.
Noblesville leadoff hitter Brian McLean (double), Luke Porter and Nick Miller scavenged for the Millers three hits off of Dean. Christman worked 6 innings, striking out six, while giving up 7 hits and 4 runs (all earned).
Westfield 5, Noblesville 1 (Tues. 5/14 at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Trevor Salmon took the hill for the Millers in hopes of helping Noblesville salvage a split of their HCC series. He went to work at a medium pace, sending down the first five Westfield hitters with one strikeout.
Westfield got on the board first in the second when DH Matt Kinney singled up the middle to score Alec Nelson to go up 1-0, who got aboard with an infield single with two outs.
The Shamrocks added to their lead in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs. With two down, Nathan Manworren was hit by a pitch and was driven home on a double by catcher Bailey Partlow. The pitcher Chris Ayers helped his own cause by singling home Partlow for a 3-0 lead for the visitors.
The Millers figured it was time they make something happen. Zach St. Pierre roped a one-out single on the ground to center. Three hitters later, St. P headed home when TJ Lindstrand singled to cut the Westfield lead to 3-1 through five.
Alec Nelson led off the sixth with a solo home run deep over the left field wall for a 4-1 Shamrock advantage. That left very few options for Salmon on the mound and he was done after his six innings of work. It was more of a subpar outing to Salmon, to say the least, as he only had 4 strikeouts while giving up four runs on eight hits.
Noblesville was only able to muster just one hit over the final two innings and that was of reliever Luke Dietz.
Drew McLochlin pitched the 7th for the Millers and was rocked a little by the meat of the Westfield order. Manworren and Partlow both singled to start off the 7th and Ayers reached on an error by Dax McLochlin at second base to load the bags. Nelson walked to batters later to give the Shamrocks another run and the final score of 5-1.
Westfield swept the season series over Noblesville two games to none. Winning the series gave Westfield at least a share of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference regular season title.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Millerball shines, dominates to take 2013 Noblesville Classic
Game 1: Noblesville 13, Twin Lakes 3 (5 innings)
In an effort to save his starting pitching for the remaining four HCC games left on the slate, Noblesville head coach Justin Keever opened up the opportunity for his bullpen to get some work that it might possibly need down the tournament trail later this month and into June. Instead of facing Mississinewa in the first game, like the past couple years, the Millers decided they wanted to face Keever's alma mater in the Twin Lakes Indians to start the day off.
Sophomore middle reliever Will Plumer got the nod for the Millers in the opening game of the 2013 Noblesville Classic. It was a shaky start for southpaw, but he managed to right the ship as the game went on.
Cole Guingrich laced the first ball Plumer pitched him to shallow left center. Guingrich was soon after forced out at 2nd on a Jacob Shane grounder to Will at the mound. Shane reached on a fielder's choice. Zach Diener singled to right on the ground for two on for Twin Lakes. Kole Young walked to load the bases full of Indians. Andrew Topp knotched a single of his own, driving home Jacob Shane for the first run of the day and a 1-0 Twin Lakes lead. Two hitters later, Derek Roudebush took a two-run single to the outfield and put the host Millers on their heels right away and down 3-0 before they even came up to bat.
That didn't phase Noblesville at all, to say the least.
Garrett Christman got things started with a one-out, 2-0 "Texas leaguer" single to left. GC advanced to second passed ball on the first pitch to Luke Porter. Two pitches later, Porter walked for runners at the corners for NHS. TJ Lindstrand's first pitch of his first at-bat was a wild pitch that allowed Christman home with ease, cutting the Indians' lead to 3-1 and Porter getting to 2nd. Connor Christman (hit by pitch) and Nick Miller (walk) loaded the bases. Andrew Wilson continued the free pass parade, walking and getting Porter home to put Twin Lakes only up 3-2 after the 1st.
Plumer completely settled down mentally and sent the Indians down 1-2-3 with two fly outs and a groundout to make quick work in the 2nd, throwing just 9 pitches.
Getting the start behind the plate, catcher Bret Rundle roped a leadoff 1-2 triple into the right field corner off Zach Diener. Garrett Christman walked next. Just after, Porter singled home Rundle to tie things 3-3 with one out. GC got to 3rd on Porter's hit and was sent home on a balk by Diener for what would turn out to be the game-winning run. Lindstrand reached on an error by 3B McHale Gardiner, scoring Porter on the play. Connor Christman joined in the production with an RBI-double to left to plate Lindstrand. Miller hit a sacrifice fly for the second out, but that got Connor home for a 7-3 Noblesville lead through two.
Plumer was in a groove again in the third, sending Twin Lakes down in order again.
Brian McLean muscled a leadoff single up the middle and into center. The sophomore RF stole 2nd and was driven home by Lindstrand. TJ stole swiped second and scored on Connor Christman's RBI-single. That gave the Millers two more runs in the third and a 9-3 cushion.
Plumer allowed just a leadoff hit to Gardiner in the top of the fourth, but then struck out two consecutive hitters and forced the final batter of the inning to ground out to him at the mound.
Dax McLochlin took his turn to put something positive on the board with a double down the left field line, hitting the chalk line for a leadoff double. Rundle moved Dax to 3rd with a single up the middle for runners on the corners. McLean drove in McLochlin. Garrett Christman drove an Andrew Topp pitch to deep right center, which got Rundle and McLean home to get the Millers up 12-3 after four.
It didn't take long in the top of the fourth for NHS freshman reliever Cory Conway to shut down Twin Lakes for good. Like Plumer's 4th, Conway also allowed a leadoff single, but quickly got three straight outs with a fly out to left and two strikeouts to his credit.
Nick Miller led off the fifth by taking a ball on the ground to second, but it was too much for Tucker Reyes to handle, getting Miller on base via the error. Two at-bats later, Dax walked for two Millers on. The Millers were trying to 10-run the Indians to give themselves more rest before coming back to play for the championship. With two outs, they were determined. McLean sailed a ball into left center, scoring pinch-runner Matt Swearingen and Noblesville was victorious with a 13-3 route in 5 innings over Twin Lakes.
Game 2: Mississinewa 13, Hamilton Heights 4
Normally, it's the all-Hamilton county matchup between Hamilton Heights and Noblesville for the Noblesville Classic title, but that wasn't the way that Mississinewa planned their day in Noblesville, Indiana to be. Making the trip from Gas City, the Indians of Mississinewa were there to make their presence known and make a day of it in Noblesville.
Mississinewa got on the scoreboard first. Catcher Trey Alston doubled to lead off the 2nd and scored on a passed ball to go up 1-0 on Hamilton Heights.
The Indians added to their total in the top of the 4th, all with two outs. Chris Cooper climbed aboard with an infield single and was immediately moved over to third with a double to left by DH Cory Markley. The two were driven home by leadoff hitter Austin Branock on his double to center for a 3-0 Indian lead.
Hamilton Heights' bats finally came to life in the bottom of the fourth. Lukas Sipe doubled to lead off and was driven in by Landon Cunningham on a double of his own to break the shutout and trail just 4-1 through four.
Just like that, the Huskies were back in the game. Jeff Carr struck out swinging, but strike three got away from Alston behind the plate and Carr made it to first. Ethan Engelhardt singled his way on and Carr was on the move to 3rd. Pitcher Phoenix Cox tried to help his own cause by driving home Carr with an RBI-single. Engelhardt scored on a Lukas Sipe sac fly to center and with a Branock error at short, that allowed Cox to score and knot things 4-4.
The next few innings belonged to Mississinewa, putting an exclamation point on this game with 9 runs combined in the 6th and 7th.
Aaron Arrendale singled down the line past third and quickly jogged down to second on a passed ball. He scored on Markley's single to right center to give the Indians the lead they wouldn't give up. Jacob Hammel committed an error at short that got Branock on. Markley touched home on Payton Scott's single. Then, Branock and Scott both crossed the plate on Alex Morrison's two-run double, capping off the scoring in the 6th, helping Mississinewa to bust this one open, 9-4.
They made sure that Hamilton Heights wouldn't have any chance to come back. The Indians scored four more runs in the top of the 7th, while only mustering one hit, but walked twice and got three hitters on by fielder's choice. Those four runs would make a statement and give Mississinewa a 13-4 dominating win to advance to the championship against Noblesville.
Consolation Game: Hamilton Heights 18, Twin Lakes 10
The Consolation game ended up being more like a football score than a baseball game's outcome. There were seven different frames that involved multiple runs being scored.
Twin Lakes scored five in the 3rd, three in the 4th and a pair of runs in the 5th for their 10-run total.
Hamilton Heights had that much more going on with their bats that the Indians. A six-run 4th, five-run 5th and three-run 7th to put this icing on this one.
It turned out to be, no joke, one of the worst defensively played baseball games that I've ever seen. And, I don't think I'm alone with this one.
Twin Lakes committed 6 errors and Hamilton Heights 2, as there were only 27 combined hits with the 28 runs that were scored.
Zach Diener (4 hits) and Kole Young (3) led the Indians offensively, along with McHale Gardiner (3), Cole Guingrich (2) and Young (2) driving in seven of Twin Lakes' 10 runs.
The Huskies were able to get six hitters in the box score with multiple hits. Ethan Engelhardt, Jake Pickett and Christian McGill all three had three-hit games, while Lukas Sipe, Sam Reel and Jacob Hammel each had two hits.
Championship game: Noblesville 8, Mississinewa 1
The Millers were back in black and ready to defend their home turf at The Dunk.
Luke Porter got the call to take to the mound in his first stint as a starting pitcher. Luke couldn't have been more dialed in than he was on that pitching rubber.
Three K's through the first couple innings was an okay start, but it was obvious that LP wasn't satisfied. Alex Morrison led off the 2nd with a single and trotted home on an Aaron Arrendale groundout to first for Mississinewa's lone run.
From the third through fifth innings, Porter struck out six more Indians for 9 punch outs in his 5 innings of work.
The Miller bats finally got going in the third after Trey Alston sent them down 1-2-3 in the first and second.
Andrew Wilson led the third off with a walk on four straight pitches. Dax McLochlin singled to give the Millers two on with no outs and Zach St. Pierre bunted his way on to load the bases. Brian McLean reached via an error by second baseman Ian Mill and Garrett Christman by fielder's choice, but this was after Wilson, McLochlin and St. Pierre all scored for a 3-1 Noblesville takeover in the 3rd.
Back at it in the 4th, Nick Miller led off with a single to left, but was caught stealing on a throw down to Austin Branock at second, squandering a base runner. Wilson walked again, Dax singled (again) and St. Pierre walked for three ducks on the pond for McLean with no outs. B-Mac grounded to second and St. P was forced out at second and McLean to first, scoring Wilson on the play. That left the door open for the elder Christman to continue his great day. Sure enough, GC drilled a two-run double on one hop to center to drive in Dax and McLean for a 6-1 cushion for the hosts.
Dax's older brother Drew McLochlin took the ball and pitched the 6th and only needed nine pitches, forcing two fly outs and a ground out.
In the bottom of the inning, the Miller bats put the icing on the 2013 Noblesville Classic championship game.
Dax led the last of the 6th off with his third hit of the game. Pinch-hitter Easton Brock got on base on an error by right fielder Cory Markley. McLean grounded out to short to send Dax home for a 7-1 advantage. Garrett drove in his third run of the game with a single to center, sending Easton home for the final score of 8-1 and a 2013 Noblesville Classic title for the Millers.
Trevor Salmon came on in the 7th to get an inning of work and struck out two Indians and forced Brandon Carnall to pop up to end the game.
2013 Noblesville Classic All-Tournament Team:
P Luke Porter (N): 5 IP, 9 K's, 2H, run (ER), (5 putouts, 2 assists); 1-5, 2 BB, RBI, 2 runs
P Will Plumer (N): 4 IP, 3 K's, 3 R (3 ER), 5H, 2 assists
P Aaron Arrendale (M): 4 IP, 5 K's, R (ER), 4H
C TJ Lindstrand (N): 2-6, RBI, 2 runs, 2 SBs
1B Payton Scott (M): 3-8, 2B, RBI, R (11 putouts)
2B Dax McLochlin (N): 4-5, 2B, 3 singles, 4 runs, SB, (assist)
3B Alex Morrison (M): 3-8, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 2B, (3 assists)
SS Garrett Christman (N): 4-7, 5 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 SBs, 2 singles, (3 putouts, assist)
INF Zach Diener (TL): 5-8, 3 runs, 5 singles, RBI, (11 putouts, assist)
LF Sam Reel (HH): 3-8, run, 3 singles
CF Ethan Engelhardt (HH): 4-6, 5 runs, 2B, 3 singles
RF Brian McLean (N): 3-8, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, SB, GW-RBI vs. Twin Lakes, (2 putouts)
OF Cole Guingrich (TL): 3-7, 2 RBIs, run, 2B, 2 singles, SB
Util. Jake Pickett (HH): 3-8, 4 RBIs, run, (9 putouts)
DH Cory Markley (M): 2-6, 3 runs, RBI, 2B (putout)
In an effort to save his starting pitching for the remaining four HCC games left on the slate, Noblesville head coach Justin Keever opened up the opportunity for his bullpen to get some work that it might possibly need down the tournament trail later this month and into June. Instead of facing Mississinewa in the first game, like the past couple years, the Millers decided they wanted to face Keever's alma mater in the Twin Lakes Indians to start the day off.
Sophomore middle reliever Will Plumer got the nod for the Millers in the opening game of the 2013 Noblesville Classic. It was a shaky start for southpaw, but he managed to right the ship as the game went on.
Cole Guingrich laced the first ball Plumer pitched him to shallow left center. Guingrich was soon after forced out at 2nd on a Jacob Shane grounder to Will at the mound. Shane reached on a fielder's choice. Zach Diener singled to right on the ground for two on for Twin Lakes. Kole Young walked to load the bases full of Indians. Andrew Topp knotched a single of his own, driving home Jacob Shane for the first run of the day and a 1-0 Twin Lakes lead. Two hitters later, Derek Roudebush took a two-run single to the outfield and put the host Millers on their heels right away and down 3-0 before they even came up to bat.
That didn't phase Noblesville at all, to say the least.
Garrett Christman got things started with a one-out, 2-0 "Texas leaguer" single to left. GC advanced to second passed ball on the first pitch to Luke Porter. Two pitches later, Porter walked for runners at the corners for NHS. TJ Lindstrand's first pitch of his first at-bat was a wild pitch that allowed Christman home with ease, cutting the Indians' lead to 3-1 and Porter getting to 2nd. Connor Christman (hit by pitch) and Nick Miller (walk) loaded the bases. Andrew Wilson continued the free pass parade, walking and getting Porter home to put Twin Lakes only up 3-2 after the 1st.
Plumer completely settled down mentally and sent the Indians down 1-2-3 with two fly outs and a groundout to make quick work in the 2nd, throwing just 9 pitches.
Getting the start behind the plate, catcher Bret Rundle roped a leadoff 1-2 triple into the right field corner off Zach Diener. Garrett Christman walked next. Just after, Porter singled home Rundle to tie things 3-3 with one out. GC got to 3rd on Porter's hit and was sent home on a balk by Diener for what would turn out to be the game-winning run. Lindstrand reached on an error by 3B McHale Gardiner, scoring Porter on the play. Connor Christman joined in the production with an RBI-double to left to plate Lindstrand. Miller hit a sacrifice fly for the second out, but that got Connor home for a 7-3 Noblesville lead through two.
Plumer was in a groove again in the third, sending Twin Lakes down in order again.
Brian McLean muscled a leadoff single up the middle and into center. The sophomore RF stole 2nd and was driven home by Lindstrand. TJ stole swiped second and scored on Connor Christman's RBI-single. That gave the Millers two more runs in the third and a 9-3 cushion.
Plumer allowed just a leadoff hit to Gardiner in the top of the fourth, but then struck out two consecutive hitters and forced the final batter of the inning to ground out to him at the mound.
Dax McLochlin took his turn to put something positive on the board with a double down the left field line, hitting the chalk line for a leadoff double. Rundle moved Dax to 3rd with a single up the middle for runners on the corners. McLean drove in McLochlin. Garrett Christman drove an Andrew Topp pitch to deep right center, which got Rundle and McLean home to get the Millers up 12-3 after four.
It didn't take long in the top of the fourth for NHS freshman reliever Cory Conway to shut down Twin Lakes for good. Like Plumer's 4th, Conway also allowed a leadoff single, but quickly got three straight outs with a fly out to left and two strikeouts to his credit.
Nick Miller led off the fifth by taking a ball on the ground to second, but it was too much for Tucker Reyes to handle, getting Miller on base via the error. Two at-bats later, Dax walked for two Millers on. The Millers were trying to 10-run the Indians to give themselves more rest before coming back to play for the championship. With two outs, they were determined. McLean sailed a ball into left center, scoring pinch-runner Matt Swearingen and Noblesville was victorious with a 13-3 route in 5 innings over Twin Lakes.
Game 2: Mississinewa 13, Hamilton Heights 4
Normally, it's the all-Hamilton county matchup between Hamilton Heights and Noblesville for the Noblesville Classic title, but that wasn't the way that Mississinewa planned their day in Noblesville, Indiana to be. Making the trip from Gas City, the Indians of Mississinewa were there to make their presence known and make a day of it in Noblesville.
Mississinewa got on the scoreboard first. Catcher Trey Alston doubled to lead off the 2nd and scored on a passed ball to go up 1-0 on Hamilton Heights.
The Indians added to their total in the top of the 4th, all with two outs. Chris Cooper climbed aboard with an infield single and was immediately moved over to third with a double to left by DH Cory Markley. The two were driven home by leadoff hitter Austin Branock on his double to center for a 3-0 Indian lead.
Hamilton Heights' bats finally came to life in the bottom of the fourth. Lukas Sipe doubled to lead off and was driven in by Landon Cunningham on a double of his own to break the shutout and trail just 4-1 through four.
Just like that, the Huskies were back in the game. Jeff Carr struck out swinging, but strike three got away from Alston behind the plate and Carr made it to first. Ethan Engelhardt singled his way on and Carr was on the move to 3rd. Pitcher Phoenix Cox tried to help his own cause by driving home Carr with an RBI-single. Engelhardt scored on a Lukas Sipe sac fly to center and with a Branock error at short, that allowed Cox to score and knot things 4-4.
The next few innings belonged to Mississinewa, putting an exclamation point on this game with 9 runs combined in the 6th and 7th.
Aaron Arrendale singled down the line past third and quickly jogged down to second on a passed ball. He scored on Markley's single to right center to give the Indians the lead they wouldn't give up. Jacob Hammel committed an error at short that got Branock on. Markley touched home on Payton Scott's single. Then, Branock and Scott both crossed the plate on Alex Morrison's two-run double, capping off the scoring in the 6th, helping Mississinewa to bust this one open, 9-4.
They made sure that Hamilton Heights wouldn't have any chance to come back. The Indians scored four more runs in the top of the 7th, while only mustering one hit, but walked twice and got three hitters on by fielder's choice. Those four runs would make a statement and give Mississinewa a 13-4 dominating win to advance to the championship against Noblesville.
Consolation Game: Hamilton Heights 18, Twin Lakes 10
The Consolation game ended up being more like a football score than a baseball game's outcome. There were seven different frames that involved multiple runs being scored.
Twin Lakes scored five in the 3rd, three in the 4th and a pair of runs in the 5th for their 10-run total.
Hamilton Heights had that much more going on with their bats that the Indians. A six-run 4th, five-run 5th and three-run 7th to put this icing on this one.
It turned out to be, no joke, one of the worst defensively played baseball games that I've ever seen. And, I don't think I'm alone with this one.
Twin Lakes committed 6 errors and Hamilton Heights 2, as there were only 27 combined hits with the 28 runs that were scored.
Zach Diener (4 hits) and Kole Young (3) led the Indians offensively, along with McHale Gardiner (3), Cole Guingrich (2) and Young (2) driving in seven of Twin Lakes' 10 runs.
The Huskies were able to get six hitters in the box score with multiple hits. Ethan Engelhardt, Jake Pickett and Christian McGill all three had three-hit games, while Lukas Sipe, Sam Reel and Jacob Hammel each had two hits.
Championship game: Noblesville 8, Mississinewa 1
The Millers were back in black and ready to defend their home turf at The Dunk.
Luke Porter got the call to take to the mound in his first stint as a starting pitcher. Luke couldn't have been more dialed in than he was on that pitching rubber.
Three K's through the first couple innings was an okay start, but it was obvious that LP wasn't satisfied. Alex Morrison led off the 2nd with a single and trotted home on an Aaron Arrendale groundout to first for Mississinewa's lone run.
From the third through fifth innings, Porter struck out six more Indians for 9 punch outs in his 5 innings of work.
The Miller bats finally got going in the third after Trey Alston sent them down 1-2-3 in the first and second.
Andrew Wilson led the third off with a walk on four straight pitches. Dax McLochlin singled to give the Millers two on with no outs and Zach St. Pierre bunted his way on to load the bases. Brian McLean reached via an error by second baseman Ian Mill and Garrett Christman by fielder's choice, but this was after Wilson, McLochlin and St. Pierre all scored for a 3-1 Noblesville takeover in the 3rd.
Back at it in the 4th, Nick Miller led off with a single to left, but was caught stealing on a throw down to Austin Branock at second, squandering a base runner. Wilson walked again, Dax singled (again) and St. Pierre walked for three ducks on the pond for McLean with no outs. B-Mac grounded to second and St. P was forced out at second and McLean to first, scoring Wilson on the play. That left the door open for the elder Christman to continue his great day. Sure enough, GC drilled a two-run double on one hop to center to drive in Dax and McLean for a 6-1 cushion for the hosts.
Dax's older brother Drew McLochlin took the ball and pitched the 6th and only needed nine pitches, forcing two fly outs and a ground out.
In the bottom of the inning, the Miller bats put the icing on the 2013 Noblesville Classic championship game.
Dax led the last of the 6th off with his third hit of the game. Pinch-hitter Easton Brock got on base on an error by right fielder Cory Markley. McLean grounded out to short to send Dax home for a 7-1 advantage. Garrett drove in his third run of the game with a single to center, sending Easton home for the final score of 8-1 and a 2013 Noblesville Classic title for the Millers.
Trevor Salmon came on in the 7th to get an inning of work and struck out two Indians and forced Brandon Carnall to pop up to end the game.
2013 Noblesville Classic All-Tournament Team:
P Luke Porter (N): 5 IP, 9 K's, 2H, run (ER), (5 putouts, 2 assists); 1-5, 2 BB, RBI, 2 runs
P Will Plumer (N): 4 IP, 3 K's, 3 R (3 ER), 5H, 2 assists
P Aaron Arrendale (M): 4 IP, 5 K's, R (ER), 4H
C TJ Lindstrand (N): 2-6, RBI, 2 runs, 2 SBs
1B Payton Scott (M): 3-8, 2B, RBI, R (11 putouts)
2B Dax McLochlin (N): 4-5, 2B, 3 singles, 4 runs, SB, (assist)
3B Alex Morrison (M): 3-8, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, 2B, (3 assists)
SS Garrett Christman (N): 4-7, 5 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 SBs, 2 singles, (3 putouts, assist)
INF Zach Diener (TL): 5-8, 3 runs, 5 singles, RBI, (11 putouts, assist)
LF Sam Reel (HH): 3-8, run, 3 singles
CF Ethan Engelhardt (HH): 4-6, 5 runs, 2B, 3 singles
RF Brian McLean (N): 3-8, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, SB, GW-RBI vs. Twin Lakes, (2 putouts)
OF Cole Guingrich (TL): 3-7, 2 RBIs, run, 2B, 2 singles, SB
Util. Jake Pickett (HH): 3-8, 4 RBIs, run, (9 putouts)
DH Cory Markley (M): 2-6, 3 runs, RBI, 2B (putout)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Millers/Royals split, each win at home in HCC series
It doesn't matter what sport it is that the Noblesville Millers and Hamilton Southeastern Royals face off in, it becomes one of the more heated relationships between rival schools. The two Hamilton county schools trade chants back-and-forth at football and basketball games, as well as other events, giving the fans something more to act bitter about than who wins or loses.
The beauty of a rivalry like that of Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern is that the games can go either way, but the competition is always going to be there.
I came across an interesting stat given to me courtesy of Noblesville assistant athletic director Tony Oilar while sitting in the press box during Tuesday night's game. Before Noblesville took Game 1 of the two-game set, he told me the astounding fact that Noblesville didn't have one single victory over Hamilton Southeastern in any sport at all during the 2012-13 school year. Noblesville baseball brought that stretch to a screeching halt with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday, May 8 at The Dunk.
Noblesville 5, Hamilton Southeastern 1 (The Dunk, Noblesville)
With lefty Trevor Salmon on the mound, head coach Justin Keever was counting on the southpaw to pitch the Millers to a home field win.
The Royals were aiming to catch Salmon off guard from the get-go. He struck out Trey Gantt to lead off the game, but both Matt Nash and Steven Curry were both hit by a pitch with 0-2 counts. Clean up hitter Mitch Roman muscled through an eight pitch at-bat and doubled home Nash for a 1-0 Hamilton Southeastern lead. Salmon quickly struck out Brendan Burns and Jake Watrous to end the 1st.
Nathan Upchurch had the Miller bats in-check for the first few innings, not allowing a hit, but walked Conner Christman and hit Nick Miller with a pitch.
No worries. The Miller offense showed Upchurch what they could do in the 4th and 5th innings.
Luke Porter took a one out, 1-1 pitch to left to put Noblesville's first hit on the scoreboard. Porter was just about caught stealing on Upchurch's throw to first, but as LP took off for 2nd, 1B Jake Watrous airmailed his throw to 2nd into shallow left, getting Porter to second with ease now. TJ Lindstrand dropped a single to left for runners in scoring position and 2nd and 3rd. Andrew Wilson followed suit with a hit to left, but his drove in Porter for a 1-1 tie. Two hitters later, Connor Christman hit a sacrifice fly to left to score TJ and give Noblesville a 2-1 lead that they wouldn't give up.
Nick Miller got things started in the 5th with a one out walk. Garrett Christman moved him over to second with a single to right center. Porter also singled, plating Miller. Lindstrand busted the score open with a two-run double that scored Christman and Porter for what would be the final tally of 5-1.
Aside from a rocky first inning, Trevor Salmon was on the money. He worked the corners and every bit of the strike zone, taking down 11 Royals as his strikeout victims, while allowing just five hits in six innings. Drew McLochlin pitched a quick top of the 7th, tossing just six pitches with one fly ball out and the final two outs were groundouts to Garrett Christman at short.
Hamilton Southeastern 6, Noblesville 1 (at Hamilton Southeastern)
The Millers were out to make a statement in their short trek to Fishers to face the Hamilton Southeastern Royals.
Nick Miller walked and eventually scored on a passed ball to give the Millers an early 1-0 lead.
That lead didn't last long at all. Mileke Austin slipped into hitting leadoff after he started in the 9th spot Tuesday night. Austin took the first Garrett Christman pitch he saw and laced it into left field for a leadoff single. Two batters later, the tide changed. Trey Gantt sent a 1-0 pitch sailing over the right field wall and the host Royals found themselves taking a 2-1 lead on Noblesville.
With starting pitcher Steven Curry making quick work of the Millers in the 2nd, HSE was back at it. First baseman Jake Watrous led off and reached base on an error by third baseman Luke Porter. Two consecutive groundouts to Christman at the mound by Jack Casey and Mileke Austin gave Noblesville the upper hand, somewhat. Christman had things on his side for the moment. Catcher Matt Nash drove in Watrous with a single to shallow center to put the Royals up 3-1 through two innings.
The Millers' bats were put away quick in the third, just as they were in the second. Both innings, Noblesville was only able to manage getting a runner aboard with a walk, but left both stranded.
At this point, the clouds were starting to roll in and swirl around southeastern Hamilton county. There hadn't been thunder or lightning, so play was still on.
Steven Curry flied out to center. Hunter Hardee drilled a grounder up the middle and into center, but was caught stealing on TJ Lindstrand's throw down to Dax McLochlin at second. Erik DeWael struck out on six pitches to end the third.
The light rain that started to fall in the 3rd became more of a downpour and both teams waited it out in the dugouts in hopes to finish this under the lights after the rain. But, play had been suspended until Friday afternoon.
Play continued at the top of the 4th and only lasted another inning and a half. The Royals were able to managed three more runs off Luke Porter to finish off this HCC game with a 6-1 win over the Millers in just 4.5 innings of play after it was called official.
The beauty of a rivalry like that of Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern is that the games can go either way, but the competition is always going to be there.
I came across an interesting stat given to me courtesy of Noblesville assistant athletic director Tony Oilar while sitting in the press box during Tuesday night's game. Before Noblesville took Game 1 of the two-game set, he told me the astounding fact that Noblesville didn't have one single victory over Hamilton Southeastern in any sport at all during the 2012-13 school year. Noblesville baseball brought that stretch to a screeching halt with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday, May 8 at The Dunk.
Noblesville 5, Hamilton Southeastern 1 (The Dunk, Noblesville)
With lefty Trevor Salmon on the mound, head coach Justin Keever was counting on the southpaw to pitch the Millers to a home field win.
The Royals were aiming to catch Salmon off guard from the get-go. He struck out Trey Gantt to lead off the game, but both Matt Nash and Steven Curry were both hit by a pitch with 0-2 counts. Clean up hitter Mitch Roman muscled through an eight pitch at-bat and doubled home Nash for a 1-0 Hamilton Southeastern lead. Salmon quickly struck out Brendan Burns and Jake Watrous to end the 1st.
Nathan Upchurch had the Miller bats in-check for the first few innings, not allowing a hit, but walked Conner Christman and hit Nick Miller with a pitch.
No worries. The Miller offense showed Upchurch what they could do in the 4th and 5th innings.
Luke Porter took a one out, 1-1 pitch to left to put Noblesville's first hit on the scoreboard. Porter was just about caught stealing on Upchurch's throw to first, but as LP took off for 2nd, 1B Jake Watrous airmailed his throw to 2nd into shallow left, getting Porter to second with ease now. TJ Lindstrand dropped a single to left for runners in scoring position and 2nd and 3rd. Andrew Wilson followed suit with a hit to left, but his drove in Porter for a 1-1 tie. Two hitters later, Connor Christman hit a sacrifice fly to left to score TJ and give Noblesville a 2-1 lead that they wouldn't give up.
Nick Miller got things started in the 5th with a one out walk. Garrett Christman moved him over to second with a single to right center. Porter also singled, plating Miller. Lindstrand busted the score open with a two-run double that scored Christman and Porter for what would be the final tally of 5-1.
Aside from a rocky first inning, Trevor Salmon was on the money. He worked the corners and every bit of the strike zone, taking down 11 Royals as his strikeout victims, while allowing just five hits in six innings. Drew McLochlin pitched a quick top of the 7th, tossing just six pitches with one fly ball out and the final two outs were groundouts to Garrett Christman at short.
Hamilton Southeastern 6, Noblesville 1 (at Hamilton Southeastern)
The Millers were out to make a statement in their short trek to Fishers to face the Hamilton Southeastern Royals.
Nick Miller walked and eventually scored on a passed ball to give the Millers an early 1-0 lead.
That lead didn't last long at all. Mileke Austin slipped into hitting leadoff after he started in the 9th spot Tuesday night. Austin took the first Garrett Christman pitch he saw and laced it into left field for a leadoff single. Two batters later, the tide changed. Trey Gantt sent a 1-0 pitch sailing over the right field wall and the host Royals found themselves taking a 2-1 lead on Noblesville.
With starting pitcher Steven Curry making quick work of the Millers in the 2nd, HSE was back at it. First baseman Jake Watrous led off and reached base on an error by third baseman Luke Porter. Two consecutive groundouts to Christman at the mound by Jack Casey and Mileke Austin gave Noblesville the upper hand, somewhat. Christman had things on his side for the moment. Catcher Matt Nash drove in Watrous with a single to shallow center to put the Royals up 3-1 through two innings.
The Millers' bats were put away quick in the third, just as they were in the second. Both innings, Noblesville was only able to manage getting a runner aboard with a walk, but left both stranded.
At this point, the clouds were starting to roll in and swirl around southeastern Hamilton county. There hadn't been thunder or lightning, so play was still on.
Steven Curry flied out to center. Hunter Hardee drilled a grounder up the middle and into center, but was caught stealing on TJ Lindstrand's throw down to Dax McLochlin at second. Erik DeWael struck out on six pitches to end the third.
The light rain that started to fall in the 3rd became more of a downpour and both teams waited it out in the dugouts in hopes to finish this under the lights after the rain. But, play had been suspended until Friday afternoon.
Play continued at the top of the 4th and only lasted another inning and a half. The Royals were able to managed three more runs off Luke Porter to finish off this HCC game with a 6-1 win over the Millers in just 4.5 innings of play after it was called official.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Butler senior Rotnei Clarke: stellar leader, prolific shooter
Expectations grew higher and higher immediately following a somewhat down season where the Butler Bulldogs weren't a part of the NCAA Tournament in 2011-12, but participated in the College Basketball Invitational. That was quite a change from the previous two
seasons that they made consecutive unforgettable runs in the NCAA Tournament and played for the National Championship two years in a row.
The 2011-12 season was Rotnei Clarke's transfer year and was forced to sit out that season per NCAA rules. It was extremely tough for a competitor like Clarke. Starting in 91 of 92 games played in his first three collegiate seasons at Arkansas, he scored 1,306 points and averaged 14.2 points per game. He also became known as one of the more prolific three-point shooters in the nation.
Rotnei was the top freshman in the nation in three-point percentage, shooting 39.3%. Overall he averaged 12.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while making a remarkable 93.5% from free throw line. Clarke made an astounding 83 3-pointers, scored in double-figures in 22 games as a frosh and scored 17 points in his first game as a Razorback.
Heading into his sophomore season in Fayetteville, Rotnei was tabbed in the preseason as the number one shooter by foxsports.com. ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz named him the country's best shooter. He scored an Arkansas school record 51 points against Alcorn State and also ranked 9th in the NCAA in three-point field goals made per game (3.2) and 3-point % (42.7), all while leading Arkansas in scoring nine times and reaching scoring in double-digits 23 times.
As a junior, Clarke started every game for the Razorbacks. Averaging 15.2 per game, he shot 44% from outside-the-arc and 86% from the charity stripe and ended his time as a Razorback by being named to the 2nd team All-SEC.
With his competitive drive and will to win, Rotnei Clarke decided to transfer to from Arkansas to Butler University following his junior year in 2010-11. He was in pursuit to play and advance far in the NCAA Tournament, just as the Butler Bulldogs did during the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments. He would be required to sit out a year because of NCAA transfer rules.
On November 10, Clarke made his Butler regular season debut and did so in grand fashion with 21 points, including 8-16 from the floor, making 5 of 10 from three-point range in just 22 minutes. Just nine days later, Clarke's 20 points, but mainly his buzzer-beating three in the Maui Invitational opener to beat Marquette helped springboard Rotnei into the national spotlight, just where he wanted to be.
Clarke was cruising right along during his senior season of college basketball, his first at Butler, and then the unthinkable happened. In just his second Atlantic 10 game, Rotnei was limited to just 12 minutes in the Bulldogs' January 12 game at Dayton. With just about 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Clarke was dribbling toward the basket on a fast break and was fouled by a Dayton defender on his way up for a layup. The foul forced him into the basket support in an awkward way. He was carted off the court on a gurney and taken to Miami Valley Hospital and released later that evening.
The 6'0 sharp-shooter from Verdigris, Oklahoma would miss Butler's next three games against Richmond, #8 Gonzaga and at LaSalle. It was driving Clarke nuts to watch his teammates from the bench during those three games, especially their primetime home game against #8 Gonzaga on ESPN.
A lot was expected of Rotnei upon his arrival on the court in Indianapolis and he did what he could individually to help get Butler back to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 27-9 overall record,
It's unbelievable to imagine what the previous three seasons would have been like if Clarke would have been a Butler Bulldog from the start. To have been a part of the two National Runner-up teams in 2010 and 2011, he could have helped Butler to a national championship, possibly two. With Clarke in Indy, it's probably an assumption that Butler would have been in the NCAA Tournament and not trying to play for the CBI title in 2011-12.
Clarke had a handful of off games from a shooting standpoint in his senior and only season as a Butler Bulldog, but that's going to happen from here and there. Overall, Rotnei had a great senior year, scoring 559 points in his 33 games of action. He shot 41% overall (183-444) and also knocked down 115-282 (41%) from three-point land and an outstanding 88.6% (78-88) at the free throw stripe.
Those senior year totals bring Rotnei's four-year total at Arkansas (3) and Butler (1) to some pretty good numbers. In recent years, Arkansas hasn't been the basketball school that it once was and Clarke helped bring the Razorback roundball program back in the right direction before he made his exit to Indianapolis and Butler University.
Rotnei Clarke scored a team-high 24 points on 8-17 shooting (5-12 from three) and 3-3 free throws in his final collegiate game as the Butler Bulldogs were outlasted by Marquette in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament, 74-72 on March 23.
The Oklahoma state high school all-time leading scorer (3,758) wound up with 1,865 career points for an average of 14.9 points per game in 125 games, starting 124. He sank 385-935 (41.6) from three-point range and shot 598-1398 (42.7) overall from the floor. Rotnei has always been a great free throw shooter as well, making 280 of 322 career attempts for 86.9%.
seasons that they made consecutive unforgettable runs in the NCAA Tournament and played for the National Championship two years in a row.
The 2011-12 season was Rotnei Clarke's transfer year and was forced to sit out that season per NCAA rules. It was extremely tough for a competitor like Clarke. Starting in 91 of 92 games played in his first three collegiate seasons at Arkansas, he scored 1,306 points and averaged 14.2 points per game. He also became known as one of the more prolific three-point shooters in the nation.
Rotnei was the top freshman in the nation in three-point percentage, shooting 39.3%. Overall he averaged 12.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while making a remarkable 93.5% from free throw line. Clarke made an astounding 83 3-pointers, scored in double-figures in 22 games as a frosh and scored 17 points in his first game as a Razorback.
Heading into his sophomore season in Fayetteville, Rotnei was tabbed in the preseason as the number one shooter by foxsports.com. ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz named him the country's best shooter. He scored an Arkansas school record 51 points against Alcorn State and also ranked 9th in the NCAA in three-point field goals made per game (3.2) and 3-point % (42.7), all while leading Arkansas in scoring nine times and reaching scoring in double-digits 23 times.As a junior, Clarke started every game for the Razorbacks. Averaging 15.2 per game, he shot 44% from outside-the-arc and 86% from the charity stripe and ended his time as a Razorback by being named to the 2nd team All-SEC.
With his competitive drive and will to win, Rotnei Clarke decided to transfer to from Arkansas to Butler University following his junior year in 2010-11. He was in pursuit to play and advance far in the NCAA Tournament, just as the Butler Bulldogs did during the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments. He would be required to sit out a year because of NCAA transfer rules.
On November 10, Clarke made his Butler regular season debut and did so in grand fashion with 21 points, including 8-16 from the floor, making 5 of 10 from three-point range in just 22 minutes. Just nine days later, Clarke's 20 points, but mainly his buzzer-beating three in the Maui Invitational opener to beat Marquette helped springboard Rotnei into the national spotlight, just where he wanted to be.
Clarke was cruising right along during his senior season of college basketball, his first at Butler, and then the unthinkable happened. In just his second Atlantic 10 game, Rotnei was limited to just 12 minutes in the Bulldogs' January 12 game at Dayton. With just about 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Clarke was dribbling toward the basket on a fast break and was fouled by a Dayton defender on his way up for a layup. The foul forced him into the basket support in an awkward way. He was carted off the court on a gurney and taken to Miami Valley Hospital and released later that evening.
The 6'0 sharp-shooter from Verdigris, Oklahoma would miss Butler's next three games against Richmond, #8 Gonzaga and at LaSalle. It was driving Clarke nuts to watch his teammates from the bench during those three games, especially their primetime home game against #8 Gonzaga on ESPN.
A lot was expected of Rotnei upon his arrival on the court in Indianapolis and he did what he could individually to help get Butler back to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 27-9 overall record, It's unbelievable to imagine what the previous three seasons would have been like if Clarke would have been a Butler Bulldog from the start. To have been a part of the two National Runner-up teams in 2010 and 2011, he could have helped Butler to a national championship, possibly two. With Clarke in Indy, it's probably an assumption that Butler would have been in the NCAA Tournament and not trying to play for the CBI title in 2011-12.
Clarke had a handful of off games from a shooting standpoint in his senior and only season as a Butler Bulldog, but that's going to happen from here and there. Overall, Rotnei had a great senior year, scoring 559 points in his 33 games of action. He shot 41% overall (183-444) and also knocked down 115-282 (41%) from three-point land and an outstanding 88.6% (78-88) at the free throw stripe.
Those senior year totals bring Rotnei's four-year total at Arkansas (3) and Butler (1) to some pretty good numbers. In recent years, Arkansas hasn't been the basketball school that it once was and Clarke helped bring the Razorback roundball program back in the right direction before he made his exit to Indianapolis and Butler University.
Rotnei Clarke scored a team-high 24 points on 8-17 shooting (5-12 from three) and 3-3 free throws in his final collegiate game as the Butler Bulldogs were outlasted by Marquette in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament, 74-72 on March 23.
The Oklahoma state high school all-time leading scorer (3,758) wound up with 1,865 career points for an average of 14.9 points per game in 125 games, starting 124. He sank 385-935 (41.6) from three-point range and shot 598-1398 (42.7) overall from the floor. Rotnei has always been a great free throw shooter as well, making 280 of 322 career attempts for 86.9%.
Monday, May 6, 2013
4A #16 Millers sweep HCC series with Avon
4A #16 Noblesville 4, Avon 1 (at Avon)
Dropping four of their last five games, the Noblesville Millers found themselves in a spot they might not have otherwise been in. Coming back from their spring break trip to Tennessee a month ago, NHS continued their winning by sweeping Fishers in an HCC doubleheader to open up conference play.
Things got a little shaky the next night. The White River Rivalry game at Carmel found the Millers on the bad end of a 10-6 loss, which the Greyhounds were able to score 4 runs each in the 3rd and 6th innings to keep the Oar. Splitting both the Brownsburg and Zionsville series put Noblesville in a spot of winning just 3 of 5 and averaging just five runs per game in those five.
Zach St. Pierre has had some struggles lately and was looking to get his focus back on the mound. A trip to Avon might have been exactly what the junior southpaw was looking for. The Millers had only managed one win in five against the likes of Brownsburg, Lafayette Jeff and Delphi before this series with the Orioles.
St. Pierre found his pitching groove again and it couldn't have happened at a better time of the season. In a complete game effort, Zach had 9 strikeouts in his 7 innings, allowing just five hits and one run. The win got ZSP over the hump and improved his record to 4-3.
Brian McLean, TJ Lindstrand and Nick Miller each tallied two hits at the plate. Vinny Essig had the only extra-base hit with a double, while Lindstrand (2), Luke Porter and St. Pierre drove in all four runs for the Millers.
4A #16 Noblesville 3, Avon 2 (at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Noblesville started this noon game on Saturday right where they left off the night before on Friday. It was time to make a statement and where better to do that than home at The Dunk.
Brian McLean walked on five pitches and wasted no time in making his way down to second base. Garrett Christman drove McLean in with an RBI-single for an early 1-0 Miller lead.
Vinny Essig legged out a one-out infield single and was able to get himself clear over to third with Avon pitcher Matt Moore overthrowing 1B Tasker Strobel. With a good jump, Essig trotted home on an RBI-groundout to first by Andrew Wilson to put NHS up 2-0.
The Millers were ready to tack on more in the 4th. Christman was hit by a Moore pitch and advanced to second just moments later on a balk by Moore. Lindstrand singled to shallow right center to give Noblesville runners at first and third. Essig produced again, dropping his own single to left, driving in Lindstrand for a 3-0 cushion.
Christman couldn't have been more dialed in and focused on the mound to get his team a win. GC allowed just three hits over the first six frames, striking out 4. His toughest task would be to seal the deal in the 7th. Dylan Jones knocked a leadoff double to get things started. Khristian Reynolds got on-base with an infield single for Orioles on first and third. DH Chandler Sanburn was hit in the back by a pitch to load the bases. Tasker Strobel hit a slow roller for an RBI-infield single to plate Reynolds. Pinch-hitter Brad McCaslin grounded out to first (St. Pierre to Christman) for out #2, but that got Sanburn home to cut the deficit to 3-2 Millers still in front. Avon's last resort was down to pinch-hitter Josh Ross, who lasted just four pitches, as Christman struck him out to end the game.
Noblesville (13-8, 7-5 HCC) completed the HCC series sweep over the Orioles (11-9, 4-8 HCC) with the 4-1 W on Friday night and Saturday's 3-2 nail-biter in Noblesville.
The Millers continue HCC play as they'll host the Hamilton Southeastern Royals (9-8, 5-7 HCC) on Tuesday in Noblesville at 6 p.m. and will complete the series of the rivalry at HSE on Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
Dropping four of their last five games, the Noblesville Millers found themselves in a spot they might not have otherwise been in. Coming back from their spring break trip to Tennessee a month ago, NHS continued their winning by sweeping Fishers in an HCC doubleheader to open up conference play.
Things got a little shaky the next night. The White River Rivalry game at Carmel found the Millers on the bad end of a 10-6 loss, which the Greyhounds were able to score 4 runs each in the 3rd and 6th innings to keep the Oar. Splitting both the Brownsburg and Zionsville series put Noblesville in a spot of winning just 3 of 5 and averaging just five runs per game in those five.
Zach St. Pierre has had some struggles lately and was looking to get his focus back on the mound. A trip to Avon might have been exactly what the junior southpaw was looking for. The Millers had only managed one win in five against the likes of Brownsburg, Lafayette Jeff and Delphi before this series with the Orioles.
St. Pierre found his pitching groove again and it couldn't have happened at a better time of the season. In a complete game effort, Zach had 9 strikeouts in his 7 innings, allowing just five hits and one run. The win got ZSP over the hump and improved his record to 4-3.
Brian McLean, TJ Lindstrand and Nick Miller each tallied two hits at the plate. Vinny Essig had the only extra-base hit with a double, while Lindstrand (2), Luke Porter and St. Pierre drove in all four runs for the Millers.
4A #16 Noblesville 3, Avon 2 (at The Dunk, Noblesville)
Noblesville started this noon game on Saturday right where they left off the night before on Friday. It was time to make a statement and where better to do that than home at The Dunk.
Brian McLean walked on five pitches and wasted no time in making his way down to second base. Garrett Christman drove McLean in with an RBI-single for an early 1-0 Miller lead.
Vinny Essig legged out a one-out infield single and was able to get himself clear over to third with Avon pitcher Matt Moore overthrowing 1B Tasker Strobel. With a good jump, Essig trotted home on an RBI-groundout to first by Andrew Wilson to put NHS up 2-0.
The Millers were ready to tack on more in the 4th. Christman was hit by a Moore pitch and advanced to second just moments later on a balk by Moore. Lindstrand singled to shallow right center to give Noblesville runners at first and third. Essig produced again, dropping his own single to left, driving in Lindstrand for a 3-0 cushion.
Christman couldn't have been more dialed in and focused on the mound to get his team a win. GC allowed just three hits over the first six frames, striking out 4. His toughest task would be to seal the deal in the 7th. Dylan Jones knocked a leadoff double to get things started. Khristian Reynolds got on-base with an infield single for Orioles on first and third. DH Chandler Sanburn was hit in the back by a pitch to load the bases. Tasker Strobel hit a slow roller for an RBI-infield single to plate Reynolds. Pinch-hitter Brad McCaslin grounded out to first (St. Pierre to Christman) for out #2, but that got Sanburn home to cut the deficit to 3-2 Millers still in front. Avon's last resort was down to pinch-hitter Josh Ross, who lasted just four pitches, as Christman struck him out to end the game.
Noblesville (13-8, 7-5 HCC) completed the HCC series sweep over the Orioles (11-9, 4-8 HCC) with the 4-1 W on Friday night and Saturday's 3-2 nail-biter in Noblesville.
The Millers continue HCC play as they'll host the Hamilton Southeastern Royals (9-8, 5-7 HCC) on Tuesday in Noblesville at 6 p.m. and will complete the series of the rivalry at HSE on Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Millers drop 4 of 5 against Laf. Jeff, Delphi, McCutcheon
Lafayette Jeff 9, 4A #6 Noblesville 5 (The Dunk, Noblesville - 6 innings - rain)
Too much baseball has been postponed, delayed or canceled due to inclement weather in central Indiana. These two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals weren't going to let a little bit of rain stop them from playing some baseball on Tuesday at The Dunk in Noblesville. After just one batter in the top of the 7th, both umpires made the command decision to call the game when the rains came pouring down with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Brian McLean took and one out walk and stole second almost immediately. Garrett Christman followed walking with a full count. Luke Porter singled to drive home McLean for a 1-0 NHS lead. Trevor Salmon walked to get aboard, but he and Christman were left stranded with Vinny Essig lining out to the shortstop to end the first.
Peter Ripke led off the 2nd with a towering 1-1 fly ball to deep left, but with his back against the wall at the 360 feet sign, Andrew Wilson hauled in the catch before it could get over the wall.
Lafayette Jeff hadn't done much in the first two innings off Zach St. Pierre, so they were bound and determined to make some noise in the 3rd. Joe House sent a one-out single up the middle into center. Austin Albrecht walked just after. Bailey Perdue singled to left, scoring House for a 1-1 tie. After Keaton Hamilton walked to load the bases, Griff Clark got the easy pass to first, scoring Albrecht to give the Bronchos a 2-1 slim margin after two and a half.
TJ Lindstrand grounded out to Clark at short for the second straight at-bat. McLean dropped a "Texas leaguer" over the head of Ripke at third. B-Mac sprinted to second and then to third on two consecutive wild pitches by Broncho hurler Ethan Smith. Christman walked for a 2nd plate appearance in a row to give the Millers first and third. Head Coach Justin Keever made the offensive call from the dugout. McLean was headed home as soon as the ball hit the ball. Porter made contact, grounding out to third, but McLean was driven home for a second tie of the game at 2-2.
Daniel Nelson continued Lafayette Jeff's work on Zach St. Pierre in the 4th. Singling to left, he was joined on the base path by House and the was all the Bronchos saw of St. Pierre. Drew McLochlin came out of the Noblesville bullpen to relieve ZSP. On his second pitch, McLochlin hit Austin Albrecht with a pitch to load the bases. Perdue was walked on four straight pitches to allow Nelson to trot home for a 3-2 Jeff advantage.
Usually it's a basketball game where you have to count lead changes and ties.
Noblesville led off the bottom of the 4th with a Nick Miller single up the middle into center field. With the outfield shifting left, it gave Andrew Wilson some room down the right field line. Unfortunately, Bailey Perdue had enough room to chase down Wilson's fly ball in foul territory and made a terrific diving catch for the first out. Easton Brock walked and Lindstrand hit a short choppy grounder to catch the Jeff infield off guard for an infield single, loading the bases. Two batters later, Garrett Christman belted a low liner up the middle to drive in both Miller and Brock for a 4-3 NHS lead. Following Christman's two-run single, Porter drove Lindstrand in with a single to left and a 5-3 cushion for the Millers.
Lafayette Jeff's hitters really got to McLochlin in the 5th. Peter Ripke walked on five pitches. Two hitters later, Reid Pittard singled to left center to plate Ripke, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Pittard headed down to 2nd on a passed ball. Ethan Smith and Daniel Nelson both walked to load the bags. With Joe House striking out, it looked like freshman reliever Cory Conway came on to save the night for the Millers. Not the case. Albrecht dropped in a two-run single into shallow left center to score Pittard and Smith for a 6-5 Bronchos overtaking.
The visitors from Lafayette wouldn't relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.
Peter Ripke came on in the 5th and 6th in relief and couldn't have been more dialed in on the mound, despite the misting rain starting to fall harder. He allowed just two hits and one walk in his two innings of work to shut down the Noblesville offense.
Broncho bats were out to make a statement. Ripke walked and quickly stole second. Pittard reached on an error by second baseman Vinny Essig, scoring Ripke. Two wild pitches in a row by Conway get Pittard to 3rd and Ethan Smith (walked) to second. Daniel Nelson put this game to bed with a two-run single to give Lafayette Jeff the final score of 9-5, shortened to a 6-inning game because of the absolute downpour that arrived at The Dunk in the top of the 7th.
Albrecht, Perdue and Nelson all had two RBIs a piece, while Ripke and Pittard scored twice to lead the Bronchos.
Noblesville was led at the plate by Luke Porter with a 3-4 performance with 3 RBIs. Garrett Christman walked 3 times, but also had a two-run single to his credit.
Lafayette Jeff 6, 4A #6 Noblesville 1 (Loeb Stadium, Lafayette)
Luke Porter had the lone RBI for Noblesville and Trevor Salmon struggled on the mound as the diamond Millers fell at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette to the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos, 6-1.
The host Bronchos used a 5-run fourth inning to ease past Noblesville and secure the HCC series sweep.
Griff Clark was on the mound and pitched a dandy. He helped his own cause by smacking a home run off Salmon, while Austin Albrecht and Bailey Perdue also drove in runs to keep the Miller offense at a minimum.
2A #4 Delphi 7, 4A #6 Noblesville 2 (at Delphi)
The Millers knew they had their work cut out for them as they hit the road and headed northwest near Lafayette to face the 2A #4 Delphi Oracles. A Saturday night affair under the lights between two great baseball schools and it couldn't get any better.
Delphi took very little time to show the Millers that nothing was easy on the road.
The Oracles jumped out 1-0 in the first and planned on not looking back from there. Holding Noblesville scoreless through the top of the first and second, Delphi put six more runs on the board in the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead through two innings.
Luke Porter and TJ Lindstrand both had RBI-doubles in the top of the third to put both Miller runs on the board to break up the shutout.
Zach St. Pierre got roughed up by the Oracles' bats in his two innings. ZSP was responsible for all 7 runs (6 earned) that Delphi scored, while giving up 5 hits. Will Plumer, Drew McLochlin and Cory Conway combined for four innings of work out of the bullpen for Noblesville, only allowing two hits by Delphi over the final four innings.
4A #16 Noblesville 9, 4A #7 McCutcheon 8 (at Lafayette)
It was a high scoring Monday night in Lafayette for the Millers and Mavericks as they lit up the scoreboard in their Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchup at McCutcheon. Noblesville came away victorious with a big 9-8 road win.
Five different Miller hitters had RBIs. TJ Lindstrand stroked a pair of doubles, driving in a run. Adnrew Wilson and Luke Porter were also able to drive in a run each. There were two difference makers on offense for the Millers. Nick Miller and Vinny Essig were both able to hit two-run home runs, giving NHS the offensive push for the victory at McCutcheon, 9-8.
The pitching duo of Garrett Christman (3.1 inn.) and Drew McLochlin (3.2 inn.) put together a good night on the mound for Noblesville. Christman was tabbed for the win and McLochlin the save.
4A #7 McCutcheon 4, 4A #16 Noblesville 2
It's a tough task to sweep the two-game series in the HCC, let alone do it two days in a row. This was what the Noblesville Millers had in front of them and it wouldn't be easy.
The Mavericks made the Tuesday trip to Noblesville with one thing in mind...to split this series with the Millers, no matter what it took to do it.
Trevor Salmon took the hill for NHS and was looking to work the corners and keep McCutcheon from getting on base as much as he possibly could.
Walking leadoff hitter Braden Giroux, Salmon found himself pitching from behind right away. Dylan Kiracofe popped out to Zach St. Pierre at first for out #1. Quickly after in a bang-bang play, Salmon covered first and got the toss from St. Pierre to double Giroux up at first for two rapid outs. Logan Sowers was then worked into a 2-2 count by the southpaw Salmon, but took a pitch stomach high and sent it sailing over the left field fence for a solo home run and an early 1-0 McCutcheon lead.
The Millers couldn't muscle a whole lot of anything together offensively against the fastball throwing Jordan Young. Going 1-2-3 in each of the first five innings, Young seemed to be cruising right along.
Salmon was able to settle himself down mentally throughout the second through fifth innings, allowing six hits, striking out 6, while the Mavericks stranded 6 on the basepath during that span.
Before the 6th, Noblesville was only able to get one hit off of Young before they finally got their wakeup call at the plate.
Salmon took a 2-2 Young pitch over 2B Caleb Jordy's head and into left field with one out. Zach St. Pierre followed him with a 1-2 single into right center. Back to the top of the order, Brian McLean sent a single of his own to left, driving in both Matt Swearingen (pinch-runner for Salmon) and St. Pierre for a 2-1 overtaking through 6.
You never know when it's a good time to let a starter go the distance or if you should pull him after six innings of up-and-down calls by the umpires and a mix of plate appearances by the opponents. Noblesville head coach Justin Keever decided to stay with his crafty lefty and it honestly wasn't a bad move.
The top of the 7th started off well for Trevor by forcing pinch-hitter Hank Gray to fly out to left. Catcher Mason Bruce hit a grounder to Luke Porter down at 3rd, but Porter committed an error, allowing Bruce aboard. Giroux struck out for two outs and it looked like the Millers were in complete control from there. Not the case. Salmon walked Kiracofe on four straight pitches, giving McCutcheon two runners on with two outs. Sowers' bat had just about been silenced since his first inning HR and he was having no more of that. The Mavs' #3 hitter sent a long double to deep right center on one hop, scoring both Bruce and Giroux to grab the lead 3-2. Sowers was able to make it home himself on a throwing error on the relay from the outfield and McCutcheon now lead 4-2.
Noblesville had one final chance in the last of the 7th. With Porter striking out looking to lead off, it didn't look promising. Lindstrand was hit in the back by a pitch and almost immediately stole second while Vinny Essig was at-bat. Vinny got a little anxious and popped out to 3B Andrew Roginski for the second out. Andrew Wilson provided a little spark with a single to left. The Millers' rally fell short with two runners in scoring position as pitcher Trevor Salmon grounded out to third on the next pitch.
Two fielding errors in the final two innings came back to haunt the Millers and gave McCutcheon a 4-2 win and the two HCC rivals split their series
The loss kept Noblesville on a slight downward tilt with losses in 4 of their last five.
Too much baseball has been postponed, delayed or canceled due to inclement weather in central Indiana. These two Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals weren't going to let a little bit of rain stop them from playing some baseball on Tuesday at The Dunk in Noblesville. After just one batter in the top of the 7th, both umpires made the command decision to call the game when the rains came pouring down with no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Brian McLean took and one out walk and stole second almost immediately. Garrett Christman followed walking with a full count. Luke Porter singled to drive home McLean for a 1-0 NHS lead. Trevor Salmon walked to get aboard, but he and Christman were left stranded with Vinny Essig lining out to the shortstop to end the first.
Peter Ripke led off the 2nd with a towering 1-1 fly ball to deep left, but with his back against the wall at the 360 feet sign, Andrew Wilson hauled in the catch before it could get over the wall.
Lafayette Jeff hadn't done much in the first two innings off Zach St. Pierre, so they were bound and determined to make some noise in the 3rd. Joe House sent a one-out single up the middle into center. Austin Albrecht walked just after. Bailey Perdue singled to left, scoring House for a 1-1 tie. After Keaton Hamilton walked to load the bases, Griff Clark got the easy pass to first, scoring Albrecht to give the Bronchos a 2-1 slim margin after two and a half.
TJ Lindstrand grounded out to Clark at short for the second straight at-bat. McLean dropped a "Texas leaguer" over the head of Ripke at third. B-Mac sprinted to second and then to third on two consecutive wild pitches by Broncho hurler Ethan Smith. Christman walked for a 2nd plate appearance in a row to give the Millers first and third. Head Coach Justin Keever made the offensive call from the dugout. McLean was headed home as soon as the ball hit the ball. Porter made contact, grounding out to third, but McLean was driven home for a second tie of the game at 2-2.
Daniel Nelson continued Lafayette Jeff's work on Zach St. Pierre in the 4th. Singling to left, he was joined on the base path by House and the was all the Bronchos saw of St. Pierre. Drew McLochlin came out of the Noblesville bullpen to relieve ZSP. On his second pitch, McLochlin hit Austin Albrecht with a pitch to load the bases. Perdue was walked on four straight pitches to allow Nelson to trot home for a 3-2 Jeff advantage.
Usually it's a basketball game where you have to count lead changes and ties.
Noblesville led off the bottom of the 4th with a Nick Miller single up the middle into center field. With the outfield shifting left, it gave Andrew Wilson some room down the right field line. Unfortunately, Bailey Perdue had enough room to chase down Wilson's fly ball in foul territory and made a terrific diving catch for the first out. Easton Brock walked and Lindstrand hit a short choppy grounder to catch the Jeff infield off guard for an infield single, loading the bases. Two batters later, Garrett Christman belted a low liner up the middle to drive in both Miller and Brock for a 4-3 NHS lead. Following Christman's two-run single, Porter drove Lindstrand in with a single to left and a 5-3 cushion for the Millers.
Lafayette Jeff's hitters really got to McLochlin in the 5th. Peter Ripke walked on five pitches. Two hitters later, Reid Pittard singled to left center to plate Ripke, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Pittard headed down to 2nd on a passed ball. Ethan Smith and Daniel Nelson both walked to load the bags. With Joe House striking out, it looked like freshman reliever Cory Conway came on to save the night for the Millers. Not the case. Albrecht dropped in a two-run single into shallow left center to score Pittard and Smith for a 6-5 Bronchos overtaking.
The visitors from Lafayette wouldn't relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.
Peter Ripke came on in the 5th and 6th in relief and couldn't have been more dialed in on the mound, despite the misting rain starting to fall harder. He allowed just two hits and one walk in his two innings of work to shut down the Noblesville offense.
Broncho bats were out to make a statement. Ripke walked and quickly stole second. Pittard reached on an error by second baseman Vinny Essig, scoring Ripke. Two wild pitches in a row by Conway get Pittard to 3rd and Ethan Smith (walked) to second. Daniel Nelson put this game to bed with a two-run single to give Lafayette Jeff the final score of 9-5, shortened to a 6-inning game because of the absolute downpour that arrived at The Dunk in the top of the 7th.
Albrecht, Perdue and Nelson all had two RBIs a piece, while Ripke and Pittard scored twice to lead the Bronchos.
Noblesville was led at the plate by Luke Porter with a 3-4 performance with 3 RBIs. Garrett Christman walked 3 times, but also had a two-run single to his credit.
Lafayette Jeff 6, 4A #6 Noblesville 1 (Loeb Stadium, Lafayette)
Luke Porter had the lone RBI for Noblesville and Trevor Salmon struggled on the mound as the diamond Millers fell at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette to the Lafayette Jeff Bronchos, 6-1.
The host Bronchos used a 5-run fourth inning to ease past Noblesville and secure the HCC series sweep.
Griff Clark was on the mound and pitched a dandy. He helped his own cause by smacking a home run off Salmon, while Austin Albrecht and Bailey Perdue also drove in runs to keep the Miller offense at a minimum.
2A #4 Delphi 7, 4A #6 Noblesville 2 (at Delphi)
The Millers knew they had their work cut out for them as they hit the road and headed northwest near Lafayette to face the 2A #4 Delphi Oracles. A Saturday night affair under the lights between two great baseball schools and it couldn't get any better.
Delphi took very little time to show the Millers that nothing was easy on the road.
The Oracles jumped out 1-0 in the first and planned on not looking back from there. Holding Noblesville scoreless through the top of the first and second, Delphi put six more runs on the board in the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead through two innings.
Luke Porter and TJ Lindstrand both had RBI-doubles in the top of the third to put both Miller runs on the board to break up the shutout.
Zach St. Pierre got roughed up by the Oracles' bats in his two innings. ZSP was responsible for all 7 runs (6 earned) that Delphi scored, while giving up 5 hits. Will Plumer, Drew McLochlin and Cory Conway combined for four innings of work out of the bullpen for Noblesville, only allowing two hits by Delphi over the final four innings.
4A #16 Noblesville 9, 4A #7 McCutcheon 8 (at Lafayette)
It was a high scoring Monday night in Lafayette for the Millers and Mavericks as they lit up the scoreboard in their Hoosier Crossroads Conference matchup at McCutcheon. Noblesville came away victorious with a big 9-8 road win.
Five different Miller hitters had RBIs. TJ Lindstrand stroked a pair of doubles, driving in a run. Adnrew Wilson and Luke Porter were also able to drive in a run each. There were two difference makers on offense for the Millers. Nick Miller and Vinny Essig were both able to hit two-run home runs, giving NHS the offensive push for the victory at McCutcheon, 9-8.
The pitching duo of Garrett Christman (3.1 inn.) and Drew McLochlin (3.2 inn.) put together a good night on the mound for Noblesville. Christman was tabbed for the win and McLochlin the save.
4A #7 McCutcheon 4, 4A #16 Noblesville 2
It's a tough task to sweep the two-game series in the HCC, let alone do it two days in a row. This was what the Noblesville Millers had in front of them and it wouldn't be easy.
The Mavericks made the Tuesday trip to Noblesville with one thing in mind...to split this series with the Millers, no matter what it took to do it.
Trevor Salmon took the hill for NHS and was looking to work the corners and keep McCutcheon from getting on base as much as he possibly could.
Walking leadoff hitter Braden Giroux, Salmon found himself pitching from behind right away. Dylan Kiracofe popped out to Zach St. Pierre at first for out #1. Quickly after in a bang-bang play, Salmon covered first and got the toss from St. Pierre to double Giroux up at first for two rapid outs. Logan Sowers was then worked into a 2-2 count by the southpaw Salmon, but took a pitch stomach high and sent it sailing over the left field fence for a solo home run and an early 1-0 McCutcheon lead.
The Millers couldn't muscle a whole lot of anything together offensively against the fastball throwing Jordan Young. Going 1-2-3 in each of the first five innings, Young seemed to be cruising right along.
Salmon was able to settle himself down mentally throughout the second through fifth innings, allowing six hits, striking out 6, while the Mavericks stranded 6 on the basepath during that span.
Before the 6th, Noblesville was only able to get one hit off of Young before they finally got their wakeup call at the plate.
Salmon took a 2-2 Young pitch over 2B Caleb Jordy's head and into left field with one out. Zach St. Pierre followed him with a 1-2 single into right center. Back to the top of the order, Brian McLean sent a single of his own to left, driving in both Matt Swearingen (pinch-runner for Salmon) and St. Pierre for a 2-1 overtaking through 6.
You never know when it's a good time to let a starter go the distance or if you should pull him after six innings of up-and-down calls by the umpires and a mix of plate appearances by the opponents. Noblesville head coach Justin Keever decided to stay with his crafty lefty and it honestly wasn't a bad move.
The top of the 7th started off well for Trevor by forcing pinch-hitter Hank Gray to fly out to left. Catcher Mason Bruce hit a grounder to Luke Porter down at 3rd, but Porter committed an error, allowing Bruce aboard. Giroux struck out for two outs and it looked like the Millers were in complete control from there. Not the case. Salmon walked Kiracofe on four straight pitches, giving McCutcheon two runners on with two outs. Sowers' bat had just about been silenced since his first inning HR and he was having no more of that. The Mavs' #3 hitter sent a long double to deep right center on one hop, scoring both Bruce and Giroux to grab the lead 3-2. Sowers was able to make it home himself on a throwing error on the relay from the outfield and McCutcheon now lead 4-2.
Noblesville had one final chance in the last of the 7th. With Porter striking out looking to lead off, it didn't look promising. Lindstrand was hit in the back by a pitch and almost immediately stole second while Vinny Essig was at-bat. Vinny got a little anxious and popped out to 3B Andrew Roginski for the second out. Andrew Wilson provided a little spark with a single to left. The Millers' rally fell short with two runners in scoring position as pitcher Trevor Salmon grounded out to third on the next pitch.
Two fielding errors in the final two innings came back to haunt the Millers and gave McCutcheon a 4-2 win and the two HCC rivals split their series
The loss kept Noblesville on a slight downward tilt with losses in 4 of their last five.
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