FISHERS — Against the defending Class 4A state champions, Greenfield-Central got plenty of runners on base, it just didn’t get enough across the plate.
The Cougars dropped to 3-4 on the season, leaving 13 runners on base in a 10-5 loss to Fishers (4-5) at Tigers Field.
The bases were left loaded three times, including their final at-bat.
“The seventh inning was kind of the story of the night,” Cougars head coach Mark Vail said. “We had opportunities. We just couldn’t cash it in. It’s something we just have to keep working on. We’re going to get there.”
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Greenfield-Central had a productive second inning, scoring four times to take a 5-4 lead, but it was also a big inning that could have been bigger.
Three of the runs came across before anyone was retired. Fishers’ starter Drew Louden threw four wild pitches in the inning, hit two batters and walked one. The only hit off Louden in the frame was a single to left field from Mason Bussel.
Brady Mundell singled off reliever Mason Sweeney to tie the game, 4-4, with still no outs and the bases loaded. Carson Gibson scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Atwood to give the Cougars the lead, but no other runners were able to come across.
“We need to focus on hitting the ball hard and be more aggressive,” senior right fielder Blake Wilson said of the team’s troubles of leaving runners on base. “We’ve been struggling getting into deep counts, rather than being aggressive early on in the count.”
After two innings, the teams had combined for 11 runners left on base. The Cougars had a one-run lead, but left the bases loaded in each of their first two plate appearances.
It was going to be a matter of which team would be able to break through first. In the fourth inning, the Tigers were that team.
Tied 5-5, the hosts had four hits in the fourth, leading to four runs and a 9-5 lead.
No opposing hitter was more dangerous to the Cougars than Fishers’ leadoff hitter Nick Lukac. He had four hits in his first four at-bats — three were doubles and the other was a triple. His third-inning triple, with two outs, tied the game, 5-5.
His RBI double in the fourth also came with two outs. It gave the home team a comfortable 9-5 advantage.
After the second inning, Greenfield-Central’s best chances came in the fourth and seventh innings.
In the fourth with two outs, Bradley McDowell was hit by a pitch. He went to second on an errant pick-off throw and stole third base. Jacob Hauser walked and stole second, but a strikeout ended the inning.
In the seventh, Owen Thresh led off with a walk. Gavin Atwood followed with a single. The next two hitters were retired prior to Gibson being hit by pitch. Adam Hutchison lined hard to the outfield for the final out of the game.
The Cougars had five hits, led by Wilson with two, drew eight walks and were hit by pitch five times. They also struck out 11 times, six coming with runners in scoring position.
“I think we were a little bit more aggressive at the plate early on, but overall throughout the game we needed to be a lot more aggressive,” Wilson added. “We need to fix that, for sure.”
The Cougars next opportunity will be Friday with a 5:30 p.m. Hoosier Heritage Conference doubleheader at Delta. They are games five and six of a stretch of nine straight road games. They travel to Yorktown April 19 for another HHC twinbill, visit Knightstown on April 25 before hosting New Palestine for a league doubleheader on April 26.
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Fishers 10, Greenfield-Central 5
Greenfield-Central (3-4);140;000;0;—;5;5;0
Fishers (4-5);401;410;X;—;10;13;1
WP: Mason Sweeney. LP: Jacob Hauser.
HR: None. 3B: FHS – Nick Lukac. 2B: FHS – Lukac (3) RBI: FHS – Lukac 2, Daniel Owens 2, Kiel Brenczewski, Kaid Muth, Dominic Oliverio, Grant Whetsel; G-CHS – Bradley McDowell, Brady Mundell, Nick Atwood.
Notable: G-CHS – Blake Wilson 2-3 2 R.
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