The Hamilton Southeastern Royals will venture away from home to challenge the Lawrence North Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Hamilton Southeastern will be strutting in after a victory while Lawrence North will be coming in after a loss.
Hamilton Southeastern barely beat Bloomington North the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Royals were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Cougars on Saturday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Royals considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Tyler Sarver
| 04/05/25 vs Halls | 4 |
| 04/23/25 @ Avon | 2 |
| 05/03/25 @ Bloomington North | 1 |
Tyler Sarver tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. He has become a key player for Hamilton Southeastern: the team is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-11 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Hamilton Southeastern let Maddux Bach and Clark Bucher run wild. Bach got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs, while Bucher went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Bach is becoming a predictor of Hamilton Southeastern's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 5-12 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Kian Kelly, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lawrence North fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Fishers on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 10-5 to the Tigers. The Wildcats' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Carter Nahre was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 7.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off ten hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Hayden Herendeen made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Nate Turner also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
The win made it two in a row for Hamilton Southeastern and bumps their season record up to 8-12. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Lawrence North, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.
Hamilton Southeastern came up short against Lawrence North when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 8-4. Can the Royals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
