NOBLESVILLE – The Class 4A No. 14 Noblesville Millers had to wait nearly three hours to open their postseason at Donald J. Dunker Field on Wednesday night, but the delay did nothing to cool them off.

Riding an eight-game winning streak entering the Sectional 8 quarterfinals, the host Millers found some clutch two-out hitting late and senior reliever Kade Gorman slammed the door as Noblesville beat Westfield 5-3.

The Millers’ ninth consecutive victory moves them into the Sectional 8 semifinals on Memorial Day when they face Hamilton Southeastern (13-15) at 10 a.m. Top-ranked Fishers (23-7) will play North Central (13-8) in the second semifinal at 12:30 p.m. The championship is set for 7 p.m.

The Millers (20-10) and rival Westfield (11-15) were originally scheduled to take field at 7 p.m. in the second of two quarterfinals games at “The Dunk” on Wednesday, but an eight-inning thriller between Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel that last 3 hours and 16 minutes pushed their start time back to almost 10 p.m.

“It wasn’t the circumstances that you’d like, but it was the same for both teams. You just have to find a way to get yourself refocused and ready to go,” Noblesville head coach Justin Keever said. “And we get to play on this gorgeous field.”

For the Millers, there’s no place like home this season where they are now 11-5 and have won six straight.

During the regular season, Noblesville beat Westfield two out of three to win their Hoosier Crossroads Conference series, but the fourth meeting required some late-inning heroics.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Millers fell behind 2-1 in the bottom of the second and once they pulled ahead 3-2 in the third, the Shamrocks answered to tie the game 3-3.

Westfield deadlocked the score twice and jumped out in front 2-1 behind a two-out solo home run by Logan McClurg in the bottom of the second. McClurg’s longball was his team-leading fourth of the season.

A two-out RBI walk with the bases loaded by Westfield’s Trey Anderson in the bottom of the first knotted the score 1-1. Sophomore Bryce Dorton blasted a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the third before Noblesville seized the lead for good in the top of the fifth.

“We knew we had our hands full, and in a game like that and a team like that, we just gave too many extra outs,” Westfield head coach Ryan Bunnell said. “We were lucky we made some big plays to keep it as close as it was. But ultimately when you give that many freebies, it catches up to you.”

The Millers plated their first run on a wild pitch that was called for a third strike, scoring senior Tyler Owens, a Northwood recruit, from third base.

Owens, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, reached base with a leadoff single before advancing with a stolen base and an error.

The Shamrocks were charged with their second error in the top of the third, but D.J. Owens came through before the mishap, driving in two runs with a double. D.J. Owens finished 2-for-4.

The Millers put together a three-hit top of the fifth to surge ahead as Jacob Thieman brought home Mark Goudy (IU-Kokomo commit) on a fielder’s choice and Bryce Randolph capped the two-run frame with an RBI single.

“Bryce Randolph’s two-out RBI-single was a big one for us,” Keever said. “The kids put the bats together, and good things usually happen.”

Gorman, a Goshen commit, did his best to silence the Shamrocks’ bats.

Relieving starter Ryan Plummer in the bottom of the fourth, Gorman surrendered one hit and struck out three through four innings.

Plummer went three innings with two strikeouts, two walks and four hits allowed. Gorman retired the first five batters he faced and the final seven.

“He was money tonight,” Keever said. “He’s been great for us all season, and he came in and got the job done for us.”

Gorman improved his record to 4-1 and settled in to induce five pop ups and four ground outs. Westfield left five runners on base in the game, including three in the bottom of the first.

The Shamrocks had five hits total, while the Millers posted seven.

“I feel like when moments get big, we really bear down and come alive as a team,” Gorman said. “We like the big pressure, all the fans and the crowd. That really motivates us to get the job done.”

The Millers are now two wins away from a potential 15^th sectional title in program history and first since 2014. Noblesville beat Hamilton Southeastern twice during their three-game HCC series earlier this month.

The Royals finished 4-13 in the HCC for sixth overall, while the Millers were third in the final standings at 10-7.

“We’re just on fire. We have the juice. The bats are coming alive. Guys are fielding the ball. We’re coming together at the perfect time right now. It’s fun to watch,” Gorman said. “HSE, they have some good pitching, but I think we can get to them. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. Stay hot.”

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