Staff writer
With the Central Kansas League title on the line Tuesday, Hillsboro did what it could to win, but fell short.
The Trojans entered their contest with Lyons needing to sweep the Lions to overtake them in the standings.
“These guys are the team to beat,” head coach Doug Dick said.
Hillsboro won the first game in dramatic fashion. Tied at 1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Justus Hilliard was up to bat with two outs and no runners on base.
Hilliard singled to center, and Lyons chose to walk Micah Allen afterward. Next up was Cody Delk, who hit a single and loaded the bases.
Second baseman Jordan Faul was the next batter, hitting a hard one-hop bounce back to the Lyons pitcher. The ball hit his glove but he could not secure it, allowing Faul to reach base and score Hilliard. Hillsboro won 2-1.
The second game was a back-and-forth affair, the teams trading the lead twice before the game finished. Lyons scored first in the opening inning for a 1-0 lead.
Hillsboro rebounded quickly in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs on RBIs from Faul, Austin Cross, and David Dick.
In the second inning, the first three Trojans reached base, twice on errors. They were unable to capitalize, though, after each one either was picked off at first base or caught stealing second.
The Lions scored twice more in the top of the fourth inning, tying the game 3-3. Hillsboro was unable to stop the Lyons rally in the next innings, as they took a 5-3 lead by the top of the seventh inning.
The Trojans lost by the same score, ending their hopes for a league title. They will begin regional competition Monday.
Halstead
Dick said both games at Halstead were rough games for the Trojans. Despite Cross striking out more than 10 batters in the first game, Dick said the team gave up many runs en route to a 12-10 victory.
In the second game, the team never recovered from a bad start, losing 10-2.