Staff writer
The Hillsboro High School baseball team seemed poised for a regional title showdown with Little River Tuesday during its game against Inman, but it was not meant to be.
The game started in the Teutons’ favor as they scored two runs in the top of the first inning. The Trojans quickly rebounded, though, tying the score with RBIs from Jordan Faul and Jakob Hanschu.
At the plate next with two outs, Dylan Nelson hit a ground ball to second base, but the infielder was unable to handle the ball and Hillsboro took a 3-2 lead at the end of the inning.
After the first inning, Hillsboro starting pitcher Jordan Faul kept Inman batters off balance, only allowing one more run in the fifth inning before a substitution in the sixth. Faul threw 110 pitches, with seven strikeouts.
In the meantime, Inman pitchers struggled to stop Hillsboro’s batters, substituting pitchers three times before the final inning.
In the third inning, Jakob Hanschu hit a single over the second baseman’s outreached glove, scoring Austin Cross. In the fourth, it was Cross scoring a runner with a single to left field. Hanschu brought in another run in the inning for a 6-2 Trojan lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Micah Allen hit a double, giving Hillsboro a 7-3 lead, which they carried to the seventh inning.
Inman came back, though, scoring five runs and taking an 8-7 lead in the seventh inning. The Trojans would not be able to answer in the bottom of the inning, their season ending with the game.