Patience powers Zionsville past Noblesville in sectional baseball upset
· Yahoo Sports
NOBLESVILLE -- Every time the count ran full Thursday night, the Zionsville dugout erupted.
“Chalupa!”
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The chant echoed across the field as the Eagles dug in, worked counts and refused to let the pressure of win-or-go-home baseball speed them up. By the final out, Zionsville’s patience — and composure — had carried the Eagles into the sectional semifinal.
One week after falling to Noblesville in the regular season, Zionsville responded with a 7-4 victory in Thursday’s Class 4A Sectional 8 opener, ending the Millers’ six-game winning streak and advancing in one of the state’s toughest sectional brackets.
“Our game plan was you just gotta lock in, you gotta find your pitch and if not, then just let it go,” Zionsville head coach Jered Moore said. “We had to be patient and it paid off.”
The Eagles drew nine walks against Noblesville pitching and consistently forced the Millers into difficult counts. Blake Cope said Zionsville’s disciplined approach helped fuel the offense throughout the night.
“We were being patient out there, getting our pitch, being ready when we needed to pull the trigger,” Cope said.
Zionsville knew runs would not come easily against Noblesville ace Beckett Doane, the hard-throwing 6-foot-6 left-hander who entered as one of the state’s premier arms. Instead of chasing pitches early in counts, the Eagles stayed disciplined and waited for mistakes.
“They kept their composure, they didn’t let the moment get too big for them and they just grinded,” Moore said. “I felt like they competed every pitch.”
While the offense stayed patient, Zionsville’s pitching staff delivered in key moments.
Davis Moore opened on the mound before Ayden Keith entered in relief and helped steady the Eagles during one of the game’s biggest moments. With the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth inning, Keith escaped the jam and kept Noblesville from taking control.
“He’s got that little funky delivery and he’s hard to hit,” Moore said.
Keith finished with three innings pitched, allowing one earned run on three hits, while Moore struck out eight batters across four innings.
“I think it’s really important to hit your spots and know the situation, keep the things under control that you can, keep my composure and execute while trusting the guys behind me,” Keith said.
Tyler Hughes doubled and scored a run for Zionsville, while Brayden Ring reached base in all four of his plate appearances and drew three walks. Cope, Liam Salapka and Keene also recorded hits for the Eagles.
The loss marked the end of the season for Noblesville, which finished 19-10 after entering sectional play as one of the favorites in a loaded bracket.
“It was just kind of an atypical performance tonight,” Noblesville head coach Justin Keever said. “We didn’t play very well tonight, plain and simple.”
Still, Keever said one game does not erase what his team accomplished this spring.
“It doesn’t represent our season. One game doesn’t define who they are,” Keever said. “I’m really proud of this group, the way they evolved throughout the entire year.”
Keever also reflected on the impact of Noblesville’s senior class.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and get going again in August,” Keever said. “But I really want to celebrate what our seniors did this year in terms of how they represented the city, their school, this program and players past and present.”
With the win, Zionsville improved to 14-14 and advanced to face Hamilton Southeastern in Friday’s sectional semifinal.
“Readiness comes through preparation,” Cope said. “We need to be locked in tomorrow. Have a good time tonight, but when the clock hits tomorrow, we need to be ready.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA baseball: Zionsville moves past Noblesville in Class 4A Sectional 8