It’s been a challenging seasoning for the Hillsboro Varsity Baseball team. The Hawks, who haven’t been hitting, found themselves down by 10 runs twice last week in losing efforts before picking up a victory in the last game of the week. With the bats not firing, and the pitching unable to keep them in many games, it’s felt like a long season.
On Monday, May 9th, the Hawks were hammered by powerhouse Parkway West in game one of the week. The Longhorns unloaded nine runs in the third inning, which pushed them past the 10-run differential to engage the mercy rule. Despite a mini two-run rally in the fifth, the Hillsboro bats didn’t do enough.
The lone bright spot for the team was Austin Romaine who had two hits, including a double and an RBI. The only other contributors were Andrew Brody and Keynen Drury whom each had one hit and an RBI.
The next day, Central handed Hillsboro another 10-run loss after battering the pitching for five runs in the first inning and then sealing the deal with a six-run shelling in the sixth. The bats were no better for the Hawks who tallied only three hits. Two of those hits, and both runs, came off the bat of Brody, who homered in the first inning.
Finally, on Wednesday, May 11th, Hillsboro turned it around at least somewhat, with a win over the also struggling Jefferson Blue Jays. Somehow, on only four hits, the Hawks managed to score four runs in the 4-1 victory.
Searching for a hero, today’s success can be attributed to Thomas Foerster who roped a three-run bases-clearing double in the sixth inning to seal the fate of the Blue Jays. Responsible for the other RBI was Cohen Linder who pushed a run across with a hard-hit ground out.
The pitching was the best it had been all week, allowing only one run on two hits, but with only two strikeouts. Gavin Hite went the middle three innings to pick up the win, before handing in over to Zach Reynolds who shut it down for the final two.
Even though the first two games were not what Hillsboro had mapped out, ending the week on a win is always an encouraging first step to build upon, and that next step happens to be the district tournament. The 7-14 Hawks will have to reassess their strategy if they hope to make a run at the championship, but if the bats start showing what they are capable of, anything is possible.
