Hamilton Southeastern and Pendleton Heights are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Royals will head out on the road to take on the Arabians at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hamilton Southeastern will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Hamilton Southeastern is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Fishers, who was ranked 25th at the time (Hamilton Southeastern was ranked seventh). The Royals put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 7-1 victory on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Royals, who have now won eight games by six runs or more so far this season.
Kaleah McCarter
| 04/28/26 vs Fishers | 6 |
| 04/25/26 vs Seymour | 5 |
| 05/12/25 vs Anderson | 5 |
| 04/23/26 @ Lawrence North | 4 |
| 04/01/25 @ Greenfield-Central | 4 |
Kaleah McCarter was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaycee McCarter, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Addy Richmond was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Hamilton Southeastern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Pendleton Heights hadn't done well against Noblesville recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Arabians came out on top in a nail-biter against the Millers, sneaking past 16-14.
Avry Miller was incredible, going 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Fox, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Hamilton Southeastern's record is now 12-3. As for Pendleton Heights, their record now sits at 8-10.
Pendleton Heights' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hamilton Southeastern has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Pendleton Heights, though, as they've been averaging 11.2 hits. Given Hamilton Southeastern's sizable advantage in that area, the Arabians will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hamilton Southeastern was able to grind out a solid win over Pendleton Heights in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Royals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
