Memorial's Matthew Fisher shuts out Southridge in regional. 'They were counting on me.'

JASPER, Ind. – Memorial coach Rip Collins never lost faith that his pitcher would be ready.

You wouldn’t have blamed him, though. His ace, the one committed to play in the Big Ten, didn’t practice all week. He couldn’t even hold a bat. Not the ideal scenario at the most important moment of the season thus far.

Not that you could tell from watching Matthew Fisher on Saturday.

The Memorial sophomore pitched a four-hit shutout in a 1-0 regional championship victory against No. 7 Southridge at Alvin C. Ruxer Field. It’s the first regional title for the program since 2016.

The Tigers can thank their star on the mound.

“Nothing is going to faze him,” said Collins. “He prepares as well as any kid I’ve ever coached. His competitiveness and work ethic (helped) to get where he is now. It seemed like a little setback to him.”

That “setback” happened Monday morning in his first swing of the sectional semifinal. Fisher knew something was off. It was painful enough not to play in the championship. It kept hurting throughout the week.

The sophomore suffered a sprain in between his thumb and index finger on his glove hand. Memorial (20-8) had to replace him in the lineup. Fisher refused to miss this game, though.

Considering the stage, it ranks among his best performances this season. The Indiana University commit struck out 10 against a lineup that pushed Southridge to an undefeated Pocket Athletic Conference title.

“I had to deliver,” said Fisher. “My team had faith in me to put me out there. They were counting on me. Tried to have confidence and do it for these guys.”

This is what he had done all season. Fisher came into the regional with a 1.28 ERA and a nearly 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. There are not many others statewide a team would rather have on the mound.

Every time the Raiders (22-6) threatened, Fisher answered. Runners on the corners in the fourth inning. Two more on base in the fifth. A leadoff single in the sixth. Each of them was left standing on the bases.

This is the true ace performance to signal Fisher has arrived. He only issued one walk. Remember, he's still in his sophomore season.

“I had confidence in my stuff and just had to execute,” Fisher said. “There’s a few I didn’t execute like I wanted to, but for the most part, did pretty well. (Southridge is) a great team. No doubt about it. A great win.”

The Tigers only collected five hits against Southridge starter Mick Uebelhor. They ran themselves into multiple outs on the base paths. The possibility of extra innings grew increasingly higher as the game went on.

All Memorial needed was one run, and it came in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out. Charlies Gries hit a ball up the middle that was stopped by shortstop Hudson Allen. While he flipped the ball to second for a potential force out, Will Pedtke raced home.

Memorial left two runners on in the sixth. It was also caught in a double play immediately after the lone run when one runner overpassed another followed by a rundown at third base.

“You have to give (Uebelhor) credit,” said Collins. “He’s an outstanding pitcher. Just a fight. It reminded me of Castle when it was Fisher against (Cameron) Tilly. Find a way to scratch a run however you can do it. Fortunately, we did.”

Memorial was also saved by its defense. Simon Schulz made an over-the-shoulder catch with a runner on in the sixth. The leadoff hitter in the seventh nearly reached base, but Charlie Gries flipped a ball to Fisher at first after deflected by Bailey Collins.

The Tigers struggled at times this season fielding the ball. Not in this game. Not with the season on the line. Collins spoke of going back to the basics and being “focused and locked in.”

“We found the right time to get hot,” said senior Caleb Ellspermann. “We were just really sharp. You just have confidence in your pitcher when you have Matthew on the mound. We’ve been getting to this mark my entire high school career. (This) is pretty special.”

Memorial plays the winner of No. 6 Silver Creek-Connersville in the semistate with the location to be announced. This round now requires two victories to reach Victory Field.

Even for a successful program, such a season hadn’t come easy in recent years. The Tigers have won five straight sectional titles. The previous four ended on regional weekend. Not since the Drew Ashley-led team in 2016 reached this level.

This group features the right mix of senior leadership and talent. Throw in a pitcher like Fisher and Memorial should like its odds no matter the opponent.

“It’s a great group in terms of knowing their roles,” said Collins. “We’ve had some guys step up. I’m just very proud of our seniors and this baseball team.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Indiana high school baseball: Evansville Memorial defeats Southridge