NOBLESVILLE — Hamilton Southeastern pitcher Spencer Mohr displays an unflappable confidence every time he steps on the mound.
Standing 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, the junior doesn’t have the look of a typical Hoosier Crossroads Conference starter. His fastball isn’t overpowering, and he’s not trying to strike out every batter he faces. He relies on pitchability to get outs.
He changes locations and mixes speeds of his pitches, keeping batters off balance while limiting hard hit balls. During Thursday’s Sectional 8 opening round game against Carmel, Mohr stymied the Greyhounds offense, leading the Royals to a 7-1 win.
The Royals (20-9) will face Zionsville (14-14) today at 5:30 p.m.
“I’ve been coaching Spence since he was 13 years old,” HSE coach Kory Seitz said. “I’ve been watching him in moments like this. Even though it’s not that high pressure, I’ve had all the trust in the world that he can get out of jams and minimize damage in situations like that.
Mohr did not allow an earned run on six hits and four walks, striking out one over 6⅔ innings. Carmel left nine runners on base. Chase Bradle recorded the final out of the game.
“He lets the ball get put in play. We’re not walking three or four guys. He’s going to be in the zone.”
Carmel put two runners on base with two outs in the first and second innings. Mohr forced a weak ground out to end the first inning and recorded his lone strikeout to get out of the jam in the second.
Third baseman Parker O’Steen nearly got the Royals out of a base-loaded jam in the fifth. The senior snagged a pop fly and doubled off the runner at second, but Jackson Treadway followed with an RBI single plating Max Walkey for the Greyhounds’ lone run.
“I have a lot of faith in the defense,” Mohr said. “I trust the guys behind me, and I think that’s a really important part to pitching. I think that’s why our team has so much success.”
Bradle led HSE’s offense with two hits and two RBIs. Jackson Bixler had one hit and two RBIs. Cy Cole had three hits, two runs scored and one RBI. Kian Kelly added two hits, one RBI and scored once.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: “He can get out of jams”: Spencer Mohr leads HSE to sectional win over Carmel
Reporting by Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
