INDIANAPOLIS – Victory Field, the home park of the International League's Indianapolis Indians, hosted a high school doubleheader for the tenth consecutive year   Friday night.  The 2018 Victory Field Classic saw Lawrence Central and Lawrence North meet in the first contest, with Noblesville taking on Carmel in the nightcap. 

Victory Field also hosts this year's Indianapolis City and Marion County High School Championships on May 14, as well as this year’s IHSAA state finals, June 15-16. 

Friday’s action began under clear skies with temperatures in the mid-60s. 

LAWRENCE NORTH 4, LAWRENCE CENTRAL 0:  Garrett Burhenn struck out 13 batters in a complete-game, two-hit victory that stretched the Wildcats' win streak to seven games.  The senior right-hander allowed one walk and didn't give up a hit through the first five and one-third innings. 

“I'm not real happy about those two hits – 1-and-2 count, 0-and-2 count,” deadpanned Lawrence North coach Richard Winzenread.  “I will say this: he's had about ten days off, so we've just been doing some simulated game in bullpens.  I wasn't sure what we'd get tonight.  He's had five starts and five gems.  That walk tonight was only his second. I think he's got 58 strikeouts now. He's lightin' it up.” 

The Wildcats (10-3), designated as the visiting team, immediately went to work with a two-run first inning.  Maalik Houston led off with an infield hit and took second on a throwing error.  One out later, Houston went to third when Burhenn walked and ball four skipped past the LC catcher.  Taezion Jennings ran for Burhenn and stole second.  Both runners came in on Cole Sherman's line single to center. 

LN nicked Bears senior righty Zach Magee for two more in the fourth.  Nick Taylor started the frame with a walk and stole second.  Magee fanned the next batter, Spencer Price, but LC catcher Drew Prather couldn't hold on to the ball.  Prather's throw to first sailed wild, and Price was safe at first while Taylor flew home.  Price took third on Gavin Reetz's double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Riley Hargis, giving LN a 4-0 advantage. 

LC (6-8) broke up the no-hitter in the sixth.  After a one-out walk to Allan Augustus, Zach Lane singled to center for the Bears' first hit.  Burhenn ended the threat by retiring the next two batters. 

Lawrence Central managed a unique double play in the top of the seventh.  LN's Taezion Jennings pinch-hit for Riley Hargis and beat out an infield hit.  After Jennings took second on a balk, Maalik Houston grounded to shortstop Zach Lane.  When Lane fired the ball to third, Jennings found himself in a rundown.  LC third baseman Dawson Gabe ran down Jennings and Houston tried to advance on the play.  Gabe then fired toward second, where first baseman Oliver Harshman tagged out Houston to complete the double play. 

The game ended on another rarity – a twin killing on an interference call.  With a runner on first and two out, the next LN batter grounded to LN first baseman Spencer Price, who threw to second for the force.  There was no relay, but the umpires called the batter-runner out on an interference call at second. 

“I didn't see it,” Coach Winzenread confessed.  “I was just happy we got an out.  I turned to get a drink, and I heard people yelling, 'They called interference!'  I still don't know what happened.  I have no idea.  I'm just happy we got a win.” 

Burhenn was unaware that he’d taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning.  “I didn’t know,” he said.  

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Ohio State commit had never previously pitched at Victory Field.  “It's my first time,” Burhenn said.  “It was pretty exciting.  I was throwing a fastball-change-up mix, and working my curveball in there – change-ups to most of the lefties.” 

NOBLESVILLE 4, CARMEL 3:  Scoring twice in the second and adding another pair in the fifth, the Millers held the Greyhounds to just two hits but barely managed to hang on for their third consecutive win.        

Noblesville (8-8) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on designated hitter Reese Sharp’s fourth home run of the season.  Jacob Thieman worked Carmel starter Drew Olson for a one-out walk.  Sharp, the next batter, took Olson's first delivery for a ball and then slammed the next pitch over the left field fence for a mammoth 360-foot homer.  

“I’ve never been more excited to hit a ball in my life,” said Sharp, a junior who is committed to Indiana University.  “It was a fastball, right down the middle.  I never hit a ball harder.”    

The Millers added another pair in their half of the fifth.  Olson drilled Tyler Owens and Mark Goudy to put runners at first and second with two out.  When DJ Owens lifted a fly ball down the left field line that dropped for a single, both runners raced home to give Noblesville a 4-0 advantage.  Drew Harding relieved Olson and got the third out. 

Meanwhile, Millers starter Clay Holzworth breezed through the first five innings.  The junior right-hander allowed one hit while fanning six.  

Carmel (3-10) solved Holzworth in the top of the sixth.  Jared Greene and JD Rogers opened the inning with back-to-back walks.  That ended Holzworth's night and Kade Gorman came in from the bullpen.  Gorman walked Alex Brooks and hit Will Richter to force in a run.  Carmel narrowed the gap to 4-2 when Jack VanRemortel drew a base on balls that plated Rogers. 

Gorman fanned the next batter for the first out and got out of the fix on a grounder that second baseman DJ Owens turned into a double play. 

With one gone in the top of the seventh, Greyhounds’ eight-hole hitter Luke Barnes slashed a double to left-center.  When Jared Greene’s grounder went through the Noblesville second baseman’s legs for an error, Barnes scored and the Millers’ lead dwindled to one run. 

JD Rogers followed with a deep fly ball toward the right field line.  Bryce Randolph raced over and made the catch for the second out.  Gorman whiffed the next batter to seal the victory. 

“Reese gave us a big jump with that two-run blast to left,” said Noblesville skipper Justin Keever.  “Clay was rolling through and probably got a little tired.  Gorman is usually pretty steady, and he had a hard time trying to find the strike zone.  We got that big double play, though.  We got a great turn by our middle to get out of that jam.  

“To our guys’ credit, they got a couple of two-out RBIs to get us up 4-0.  We got two great plays by Bryce Randolph tonight – that one there in the seventh brought him down near the line.  It was a good win for our guys.” 

Pete Cava is the author of “Tales From the Cubs Dugout” and “Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players:  A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014.”