HILLSBORO: Baseball squad sweeps opener against Marion
Hillsboro baseball team off to 2-0 start with sweep of Marion Warriors, 9-2, 3-0
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Luckily for Trojan baseball coach Phil Oelke, he's had a whole week to try to tune up his team's hitting before Friday's game against Canton-Galva.
Instead of giving the Trojans one day to try to stoke up their hitting, Mother Nature gave them five.
Chilly temperatures postponed April 8's game between the hosting Trojans and eighth-ranked Lyons to May 10.
Heading into Friday's season-opener against visiting Marion, Oelke was leery of the Trojans' neighbors to the east.
After all, Hillsboro had to dig down deep in last season's opener against the Warriors to outlast them 4-2.
Marion then went on to qualify for the state tournament, where it gave the eventual state champion Baxter Springs Lions all they wanted.
Mix that in with the Warriors' hotshot pitcher Mitch Enos and Hillsboro could have had its hands full.
Despite the Trojans sweeping the season-opener from Marion, the respective 9-2 and 3-0 scores don't tell how close the games really were.
Blame that in part to Hillsboro's sub-par hitting.
"We're not hitting the ball incredibly well," Oelke said. "I expected us not to hit well against Enos, but I was a little disappointed with our performance at the plate in the first game.
"We got a little too relaxed and didn't get aggressive enough."
Hitting .327 won't be enough to get the job done against the likes of Haven, Lyons, Nickerson, or Collegiate.
The Trojans got off to a quick start in both games, outscoring Marion in the bottom of the first inning, 4-0.
James Bina and Shawn Hughbanks cranked out run- scoring singles to take a 2-0 lead over the Warriors.
The Warriors fought back against pitcher Dustin Jost, scoring on a sacrifice bunt to slice the lead in half to close out the top half of the third.
Warrior pitcher Jimmy Shipman ran into a jam in the bottom of the third, where the game slipped out of Marion's grasp.
With the bases loaded, Hughbanks was walked to spark a six-hit five-run eruption.
RBI singles from the trio of Kris Jones, Ben Walker, and Steve Chisholm left the Warriors in a 7-1 bind heading into the fourth inning.
Chisholm closed out the game on the mound, throwing two and a third innings and holding the Warriors scoreless for one.
The lone hit Chisholm surrendered was an RBI single to Shipman that cut the lead to 7-2.
Marion gave up the final two runs in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of errors that allowed Chisholm and Andy Brubacher to score.
Jost tossed a respectable first game of the season, firing a one-hitter and punching out eight Warriors for his first win of the year.
The Warriors had numerous opportunities to get runs in the pitcher's duel finale between Jared Metcalf and Enos.
The best Marion could muster were leadoff singles in the first and third innings.
Metcalf threw a five-hitter for the win, three hits of which the Warriors left stranded in scoring position.
Bina continued his first-inning heroics decking a two-run single to score Jost and give the Trojans a 2-0 bulge against Enos.
After Jost's RBI single made for the final in the bottom of the second, Enos showed why he's a pitcher that Oelke is leery of, limiting the Trojans to a pair of hits the rest of the way.
Both hits came in the bottom of the third, one a stand-up double from Hughbanks.
"I know our hitting is going to come around," Oelke said. "Our pitching was solid tonight, all three pitchers threw real well and defensively, we only had one error. When was the last time that happened in two games?
"It was almost a total opposite of what I thought would happen. I was sure we'd have some defensive errors and I was pretty sure we'd hit the ball. It actually ended up being the opposite, which I'll take.
"Three runs, if we play well defensively and if Metcalf and the guys can throw strikes, should win ball games anyhow."
On deck for the Trojans Friday are the Canton-Galva Eagles before traveling Tuesday to Haven to face the dangerous Wildcats.
Both games are slated for 4:30 p.m.
