By RYAN RICHTER

Staff writer

With weather playing perhaps the Trojan teams’ toughest opponent, Hillsboro’s baseball and softball teams picked up a pair of splits Thursday against Larned.

Both openers went bad for the Trojans, but both rebounded in the finales for wins.

Playing two days behind schedule due to inclement weather in as many games, the softball team suffered its first loss of the year with the Indians hanging on for a 12-8 win.

The Trojans ran their record to 3-1 in the nightcap in an abridged 16-1 blowout.

In baseball action, after dropping a heart-wrenching 13-10 decision in extra innings, the Trojans picked up their first win of the year, prevailing 5-4.

Friday’s weather forced the Trojans’ April 6 game at Hoisington to be pushed back a week to Friday, Hillsboro’s last action until April 20 at Pratt.

Baseball

The opener was a tough pill for Hillsboro to swallow, blowing an 8-0 lead through two-and-a-half innings.

Kaden Kleiner’s shutout through two innings started giving way in the third with Larned cutting the lead to 8-4.

But a crushing bottom of the seventh ruined the Trojans’ bid at a sweep with the Indians forcing extra innings with Jack Parks letting a 10-6 lead slip away on four runs for the loss.

Despite 14 hits, Hillsboro was out of ammunition when needed most, the Indians pushed the winning three runs across in the bottom of the eighth.

The Trojans were in danger of letting victory slip again in the nightcap, pulling to a 3-1 lead after the top of the third.

With the game knotted at 4-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Trojans pushed what proved to be the winning run across.

Caleb Potucek was awarded the win in relief.

Softball

The opener got off to a tough start for Cheyenne Bernhardt and the Trojans with Larned pulling in front after one inning, 2-0.

With the game locked at 2-2 heading into the fourth inning, Hillsboro took a 5-2 lead with Ava Weisbeck tripling.

The Trojans were out in front 6-2 heading into the sixth when the game malfunctioned with the Indians knotting it up at 6-6.

Clinging to an 8-6 lead after a two-run sixth, the Trojans’ perfect season ended with the Indians pushing six runs across in the seventh.

The quick start Hillsboro could’ve used in the opener arrived in the finale with the Trojans breaking the game wide open with a 7-run explosion.

The Indians had no answer for Taylor Helmer on the mound, with the Trojans’ senior tossing a three-hitter in the blowout and allowing a meager run.

With a 7-1 lead heading into the top of the second, another 7-run Trojan onslaught had Larned in grave danger of being done in three innings.

Hillsboro’s two runs in the third inning top of the third made for short work.