Hillsboro JV Baseball defeated arch rival Festus in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday April 22nd & 23rd. The Hawks fell behind early in the first game, but thanks to a bat-around second inning, were able to bring down the Tigers 10-6. The following day at Festus, Hillsboro stopped a late inning comeback attempt to win the game 11-5.
Kyle Turman started on the mound for the Hawks. He allowed six runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out six and walking one. Stephen Reynolds came in to close the game in the seventh and allowed just one hit while striking out one.
Hillsboro fell behind in the first inning when the Tigers reached base with four consecutive hits, but Turman settled in and got out of the inning with only one run allowed. Hillsboro was held quiet in their half inning. As they so often do, a leadoff walk came back to bite the Hawks in the top of the second when a triple scored the baserunner. Hillsboro was facing a 3-0 deficit when they entered the bottom of the inning, but instead of rolling over, they got to work, capitalized on Festus’ mistakes and broke the game wide open.
Reynolds led off the inning with a single, and Canyon Stout was given a free pass with a walk. Thomas Foerster and Kobe Stacey were both hit by pitches which both scored Reynolds and loaded the bases up for Jaxon Day. Day started a parade of singles with a ball up the middle. Christian Groner, Jaxin Patterson, and Ethan Prasuhn all laced singles to keep the runs coming in, and when the inning was over, the Hawks held a 6-3 lead.
Turman was the picture of efficiency for the next three innings, sitting Festus down in order as soon as they came up. Hillsboro was not done scoring however. Day and Patterson were hit by pitches and Reynolds drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. All it took for Stout to earn two RBIs was to send a single up the left field line. This brought the score to 8-3.
The Hawks earned two more runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to singles from Stout, Peyton Willeford, and Stacey. Hillsboro entered the top of the seventh up 10-3. The Tigers made a comeback attempt, but Reynolds was able to get the final three outs and Hillsboro won 10-6.
Blake Larson was given the ball the next day. He gave up two runs on three hits over three innings, fanning four batters. Willeford and Elliot Puhse came out of the bullpen in relief.
Hillsboro started the game with back-to-back singles from Day and Groner in the top of the first. Patterson drew a walk and the Hawks capitalized on a wild pitch and a productive ground out from Reynolds to score two runs.
Festus tied the game by taking advantage of a leadoff walk and a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the second, but the Hawks answered in the top of the third with a single from Groner, another walk from Patterson and back-to-back errors on balls hit by Reynolds and Stout. By the end of the top of the third, Hillsboro was up 6-2.
Festus got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third, but the Hawks kept piling on runs of their own. Groner reached base in the top of the fourth on a dropped third strike and Patterson stroked a single to the left side. Prasuhn reached base on an error and Stout hit a single to drive in a couple more runs. When the dust settled, Hillsboro led 10-3.
The Tigers chipped away at that lead a little more but the Hawks went on to score one more of their own in the top of the seventh when Groner reached base on an error and Prasuhn drove him in with a double. Hillsboro went on to win 11-5 to complete the sweep of Festus.
Not a bad couple of days for the JV Hawks who just keep on cruising.
