INDIANAPOLIS — They answer to the nickname Red Devils. But Pike could just as easily go by the “Speed Demons.”

Using its vaunted running game, Class 4A No. 22-ranked Pike ran to an 8-6 non-conference high school baseball victory against 2A’s Speedway Friday, April 20 at Pike’s Hildebrand Field.

Red Devils teams of 1967 and 1968 were saluted before the game.

The current Pike crew stole five bases — two for senior James Quarles and one each for seniors Jordan Garrett and Anthony Caldwell and junior Jakob Rotvold — while improving to 9-1 on the 2018 season.

“It gets into pitcher’s heads when we run,” said Red Devils coach Todd Webster. “You see them varying their look. We get guys behind in counts. We get guys on the base paths and it’s havoc.

“Teams know that we’re going to run.”

Right-hander Quarles (6 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts) made his first mound start of the campaign and was the winning pitcher.

“What a big outing,” said Webster, whose team will host a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference doubleheader against Warren Central Saturday, April 21. “He’s a real good long tosser and a center fielder with a rocket arm. Even though he hasn’t had a lot of starts, his arm was built up.

“He was ready for that load.”

After his 114-pitch outing, Quarles was relieved by left-hander Damon Cox (1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts) faced four batters and earned the save.

Speedway (6-4) used five pitchers —junior right-hander Cole Petraits, sophomore right-hander Tahj Borom, junior left-hander Jeffrey Bryant, lefty Aidan Bishop and sophomore righty Brandon Willoughby.

Borom (1 inning, 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout) absorbed the loss. Willoughby (1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts) retired three of the four batters he faced.

The Sparkplugs scored two runs in the sixth inning against Quarles to cut the gap to 8-6.

“I like the way we competed,” said Speedway coach Marcus McCormick. “We had a chance there where the wheels could have fallen off. We gathered ourselves.

“We made the plays in the field and kept it close. That’s a real good baseball team over there. They are going to win a lot of games in a very good conference. That fact that we were able to come back and go nose-to-nose with them was a good thing.”

Junior Devon Valentine walked with the bases loaded to force in sophomore Brady Pennington (who walked).

Willoughby’s fielder’s choice drove in junior Devin Anderson (who was hit by a pitch).

Speedway used three different pitchers in the fifth — Borom, Bryant and Bishop— as Pike sent 10 batters to the plate and racked five runs for an 8-4 lead.

Cox walked and Caldwell singled to left against Borom.

Bryant (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts) took the mound and gave up a single to center by senior K.J. Allender that drove in Cox.

Rotvold then drew a walk and Bryant was relieved by Bishop (innings, runs, hits, walks, strikeouts).

Allender and Rotvold eventually both scored on Bishop wild pitches.

Quarles smacked a two-out single to center that drove in junior Kellen Spence (who walked) with the Devils’ eighth run.

The Sparkplugs collected two runs in the fourth against Quarles for a 4-3 edge.

Borom got on base with an infield single, stole both second and third and scored on a Quarles balk.

Senior Peyton Hartman walked, stole second, moved to third on the balk and scored on a wild pitch.

Pike tallied one run in the third off Petraits to take a 3-2 lead.

Quarles walked, stole second base and scored on Caldwell’s single to right field.

Devon Valentine socked a one-out double down the left field line in the Speedway second, but was left stranded there.

With Petraits (3 innings, 3 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts) pitching, Pike produced two unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning for a 2-2 tie.

Caldwell drew a bases-load walk to plate Garrett (who led off the frame by walking).

Rotvold’s two-out single to left field drove in Quarles (on base by Pike error).

The Pike rally ended with the bases loaded.

Speedway jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Devon Valentine led off with an infield single and scored on junior Quentin Keller’s triple to right field. Keller trotted home on a Quarles wild pitch.

The Sparkplugs left the bases loaded when Quarles fanned two of the last three batters in the inning.

SHOWCASES

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Improve My Profile with HS Game Video	IN	06/03	Indiana
2018 Summer Trials	IN	06/05	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
2018 Top Prospect Games	IN	06/12	Purdue University - West Lafayette, IN
Future Prospects Showcase & Educational Camp	IN	06/26	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
Mid-Summer Open, Fort Wayne	IN	07/10	Carroll High School - Fort Wayne, IN
PBR ProCase - Midwest	IN	07/10	Silver Cross Field - Joliet, IL
Mid-Summer Open, Region	IN	07/17	Hobart High School
2018 Underclass Games (Invite Only)	IN	07/24	Indiana University - Bloomington, IN
Prospect Games at Notre Dame	IN	07/24	University of Notre Dame - Notre Dame, IN
2018 PBR Future Games (Indiana Invite Only)	IN	08/01	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
PBR Junior Future Games (Invite Only)	NATIONAL	08/02	Grand Park - Westfield, IN
GPA Games	IN	08/12	Lee Pfund Stadium - Carol Stream, IL