Grace Swedarsky tosses no-hitter in sectional semis: 'The umpires are wowed. I am, too'

CARMEL — The celebration was pretty subdued considering the feat and stakes involved.

Grace Swedarsky had just thrown her first career no-hitter, striking out 17 batters (matches a career-high) and allowing only one base runner in Hamilton Southeastern's 2-0 win over Zionsville in the Class 4A Sectional 8 semifinal Tuesday night. But watch the sophomore ace in the moments immediately after Reese Garland threw across the diamond for the final out, and you'd think it was a regular season game … or maybe even just the end of an inning. Swedarsky calmly spun around and knocked gloves with her eight teammates as they exited the field, then lined up for the handshake line.

"I think we should have celebrated more," grinned Keira Lodes, who had two hits and an RBI.

"I'm just really excited, really happy," Swedarsky said. Asked if she noticed anything exceptional during warm-ups, she replied: "No, not really. I feel like I'm dialed in the majority of the time. I was seeing what worked and used it during the game."

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Is she always chill like that?

Yes, Lodes and catcher Alex Kiemeyer said in unison.

"Grace is never rattled," Lodes said. "It helps us out, too, because if she was super anxious and high-energy, we would feed off of it. But since she's so calm, it helps calm us down."

That's just who she is. She's always been like this, Kiemeyer continued, recalling Swedarsky's freshman debut last spring vs. Carmel. "I went up to her in the circle and said, 'Grace, you got this.' And she was like, 'Yeah, I know.'"

Though unassuming in her demeanor, Swedarsky is an assassin in the circle. She took the state by storm as a freshman (12-5, 1.35 ERA, 242 strikeouts) and — after spending the offseason focused on getting stronger and "trying to improve in the slightest ways — has maintained that momentum as a sophomore, nearly matching last year's win total with a similar ERA and 193 Ks entering Friday's sectional final vs. Noblesville.

What distinguishes Swedarsky? The movement on Swedarsky's pitches is unmatched, her teammates agreed. "All the time I have umpires who are like: 'I don't know how the ball is moving like that.' And 'Wow, that was amazing spin,'" Kiemeyer said. "It's an every-game occurrence. The umpires are wowed. And I am, too."

Kiemeyer was responsible for calling pitches Tuesday (her second time doing so) and though "just about everything" was working for Swedarsky, her screwball was particularly effective against the Zionsville hitters who were close to the plate. She got a pop out to start the game, then struck out the next seven hitters and 12 of the next 14.

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At one point an umpire asked Lodes if she ever got bored because no one ever hit the ball to her. "I was like, sometimes, yeah," she laughed.

"But Grace is very humble," the junior second baseman continued. "She's spectacular, but she's not loud about it. She's very down to earth. … (Her arrival as a freshman) was a blessing in disguise."

Leah Helton shines for Zionsville

Tuesday's semifinal was every bit the pitchers' duel we were promised. Swedarsky had her 17-strikeout no-hitter and her Zionsville counterpart, fellow sophomore Leah Helton, was no less brilliant, allowing only one earned run on four hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks.

The Royals' first run resulted from a two-out error, followed by an RBI single by Lodes in the second; the other was initiated by a Lani Wyrick single. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a groundout by Reese Garland.

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Helton, who finishes her second varsity season with a sub-2.00 ERA and over 100 strikeouts — both marked improvements from 2023.

The Eagles' 13 wins were their most since 2017 (18) and they graduate only one senior off this year's roster.

Zapp shines under the bright lights for Noblesville

Junior Delaney Rundle and freshman Izzy Zapp went a combined 8-for-9 with five runs for Rundle and six RBIs for Zapp as Noblesville eliminated Fishers, 18-5, in six innings.

The top two batters in Noblesville's lineup, Rundle and Zapp were unstoppable Tuesday, initiating rallies in each of the first four innings, then again in the sixth.

In addition to their offensive firestorm, NHS also picked up three RBIs from freshman Reese Newsom and junior Addi Emmerson, four hits and three runs from Nevaeh Nash, and two hits apiece from Newsom, Mack Harvey and Emmerson (one homer).

"That was probably our best hitting night of the year," Noblesville coach Deke Bullard said. "And it is not indicative of the talent they have on the other side. It was just one of those nights when the ball went our way. … We had a lot of breaks go our way and once that starts happening, it's pretty contagious."

Noblesville's top pitcher, Claire Cullen, is banged up, Bullard said, and was only able to pitch an inning, allowing two runs on one hit with four walks. She gave way to Lulu Van Beek, who was very good in her stead, allowing three unearned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts over five innings.

With regards to Zapp, though she has been in-and-out of the lineup since being called up to varsity a couple games into the season, Bullard said she's usually been consistent when called upon.

Tuesday's 5-for-6, six RBI, three-run performance was her best to date.

"We always wonder what happens when the lights come on and obviously, Zapp and Newsom, the lights don't scare them," Bullard said.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA softball: Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville reach to sectional final