by
Rich Torres
Hamilton County Reporter
By RICH TORRES
LAFAYETTE – There was no dogpile. Not this time.
As Cole Graverson induced a popup to left field for the final
out of the Class 4A Regional title game at Loeb Stadium, the
Hamilton Southeastern Royals celebrated, but they stood tall
doing it.
After claiming the program’s first regional championship since 2004, the
Royals rejoiced shoulder to shoulder and played the same way in all facets of the game to defeat Carroll 6-1 on Saturday night.
“This senior class has done a lot of firsts. The first (Hoosier Crossroads Conference) title. As a senior class, we hadn’t won a sectional while we’ve been in high school, and we did that,” HSE senior Cam Bolling said. “Winning regional is another step, but we have two more games.”
The Royals (21-8) are now one step closer to their goal of reaching Victory Field for a chance at a state title, and they did it was an array of dominant pitching and contagious hitting.
HSE outscored their sectional foes 15-1. At regional, they went higher, outproducing
both Fort Wayne South Side and Carroll 20-1.
In the morning semifinal, senior Michael Dillon pitched a five-inning nohitter to run-rule Fort Wayne South Side 14-0 while the offense logged 14 hits and eight extra-base hits.
Against Carroll, the bats stayed hot, churning out 10 hits with five extra-base knocks, including four doubles and a towering home run by senior Greyson Droste, an Akron recruit.
Droste finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. The first run driven in off his bat came in
the top of the first with a single to left field for a 1-0 lead. His next hit traveled well
beyond 321 feet over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season to put HSE
ahead 2-0.
“We’ve been attacking fastballs. Earlier in the year, we were watching more pitches
and we were being hesitant and getting two strikes a lot,” Droste said. “It’s hard to hit
with two strikes, so I think we’re doing a much better job with attacking.”
Bolling was on the attack all day, going 2-for-3 in both games with a pair of RBI in
each. He blasted solo home run in the semifinal and in the final, Bolling hit
consecutive doubles during HSE’s back-toback two-run innings in the fifth and sixth.
“Cam did phenomenal today. He did a really good job,” Droste said.
Anthony Eggers added an RBI bunt in the top of the fifth, and Cole DeWael
dropped in an RBI single into left field in the sixth.
HSE’s six runs were plenty for starter Tyler Schweitzer, who carried a shutout
until he was relieved in the bottom of the seventh for closer Cole Graverson.
“I was a little upset that I couldn’t finish it just because I finally found my pitches
and I was finding the zone, but Graverson came out there and he did what he does
best. He got the three outs,” Schweitzer said. “He gave up one run, but it’s only our
second one this postseason. We’ll take it.”
Schweitzer threw 82 pitches and struck out nine. Dillon had eight during his outing
in the morning. The tandem walked a combined three batters.
“We’re a family right now. We’re loving each other,” Schweitzer said.
“We’re all relaxed, and I think that’s what’s helping us win.”
Like siblings, they back each other. No more so than the pitchers.
Prior to the postseason, the Royals had six starters in the lineup hitting below .286
and the team’s batting average fell lower until they flipped the switch to win nine
straight games.
In the semifinal, the Royals had nine batters with at least one hit. DeWael went
2-for-4 with a double, Jack DeWolf was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double, Eggers
was 1-for-3 with two run, an RBI and a double. Brayton Harrison drove in a run,
and Droste had two RBI with a double. Jake Huston laced an two-run double during
HSE’s six-run top of the third against Fort Wayne South Side.
“The amount of strikeouts the pitchers have had in the earlier games, we feel
awfully confident with Michael and Schweitzer on the mound and Graverson. It’s
just all confidence,” Bolling said. “We’re playing our best baseball. It feels good.”
Schweitzer’s title game win improved his record to 8-2. Dillon is now 8-1.
“They hit me around a little bit today, which I was a little scared of but my
defense backed me up a lot,” Schweitzer said. “I’m really happy with them and how
they helped me out.”
Schweitzer allowed seven hits, but the Carroll Chargers stranded 10 runners after
losing in the regional final to a team from Fishers for a second straight postseason.
Now, the Royals are heading to semistate next.
“The kids are having fun and above all that’s what it should be,” HSE coach
Jeremey Sassanella said. “This is great for HSE.”
