Fishers High School

The Fishers Tigers Varsity Baseball Team (8-9/4-3) traded early punches against #15 Southeastern Royals before taking the lead 2-1 in the 3rd and landing the knockout punch in the 5th for a 4-1 Mudsock Victory. The win was the 6th straight Mudsock Win over Southeastern, the 8th in the last 9 seasons, and the 12th overall in the 18-year history of the Mudsock Trophy. Starting pitcher Hayden Werner looked like he was going to cruise through the top of the 1st, but the Royals rallied with 2 outs to load the bases and eventually scored 1 run. Werner left the bases loaded, and the Tigers headed into the bottom of the 1st down 1-0. The Tigers quickly answered back to even the score at 1. Owen Lukac singled with 1 out and advanced to 3rd on Carter Strole’s double down the right field line. David Pina executed perfectly with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs by scoring Lukac on an RBI ground out. In the 3rd, Lukac once again singled with 1 out. This time Lukac advanced to 3rd on a passed ball and a pitcher’s balk. Now it was Strole’s turn to execute with a runner at 3rd and less than 2 outs. Strole scored Lukac on an RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield. The Tigers delivered the knockout punch with 2 outs in the 5th. Up 2-1, Vincent Pecoraro extended the 5th inning with a single to center. Lukac followed with his 3rd hit of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Strole landed the big blow driving the first pitch he saw into the right centerfield gap to score Pecoraro from 2nd and Lukac from 1st and give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. Werner (1-0) earned the victory on the mound. He settled down after giving up the run in the first to retire 7 of the final 9 batters he faced. Werner pitched 3 innings and allowed 1 earned run on 2 hits, while striking out 1. Austin Conley earned his first save of the season pitching the final 4 scoreless innings. Conley allowed 2 hits and struck out 3. He finished the game with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 1 out but induced a popup and fly ball to seal the victory. Offensively, the Tigers were led by Strole’s 2-2, 2 doubles, 1 sacrifice fly, and 3 RBI. Lukac also led the Tigers offensive with his 3-3 night and 3 runs scored. Pecoraro, Henry Cherry, and Andrew Baldini each had singles, and Pina contributed an RBI. The Tigers return to action Friday night when they travel to Southeastern for Game 2 of the HCC Series. First pitch is scheduled for 6pm.