HILLSBORO: Lady Trojans topple Teutons
Despite looming dark clouds, Tuesday afternoon stayed dry enough for softball — and a sweep of the Inman Teutons.
The Hillsboro softball team handed Inman two losses in a row, defeating them 10-6, 7-3 at the Hillsboro Sports Complex.
In game one, Hillsboro started the first inning by going down in three straight but bounced back in the second to score three runs. Emily Ratzlaff, Laci Frantz, and April Funk all crossed the plate. That gave them a 3-0 lead.
Inman countered in the bottom of the second as three Teutons scored runs off of four hits to take a 4-3 lead.
But Hillsboro tied things up in the third. Danielle Goossen made it to first on a wild pitch, then was sent in by Laura Lindsay's RBI to tie up the game at 4-4.
Both teams were silent in the fourth, but the Lady Trojans started gaining momentum in the fifth. Goossen, Amy Duerksen, and Ratzlaff all scored to give Hillsboro a 7-4 lead.
And with three more in the sixth, Hillsboro had won the game 10-6.
Game two saw the Trojans jumping out to an early 5-0 lead in the first three innings before Inman could muster any scoring in the fourth. Hillsboro came home with a 7-3 win.
Lyons
The Trojans headed for Lyons on Saturday to make up a game originally scheduled for April 8.
The games proved well worth the wait for Hillsboro as the team trounced Lyons 10-9, 10-0.
Hillsboro got off to a bang in game No. 1. Centerfielder Funk stepped up to the plate and belted a home run, earning her team a quick 1-0 lead. Frantz and Duerksen hit singles to get on base before the inning closed.
The second inning proved to be the biggest of the evening for Hillsboro. Ratzlaff went to first after being hit by a pitch, then Nicole Streeter, Funk, Goossen, Lindsay, Frantz, and Duerksen followed. With all but Streeter and Duerksen scoring runs, Hillsboro was up 6-0.
Lyons battled back in the third, putting a run of its own on the board. Hillsboro countered, sending Ratzlaff and Streeter across the plate for an 8-1 lead.
Hillsboro went on to score runs in the fourth and the sixth while withstanding an eight-run barrage by the Lions in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. But the Trojans held on for the 10-9 win.
Lindsay was the pitcher of record, going seven innings and allowing nine runs, 16 hits, and one strikeout. The team had seven errors.
Things went a little more smoothly for the Trojans in game two. After going hitless in the first inning, Hillsboro opened up in the second to send in six runners. They sent in four more in the fourth to claim a 10-0 lead that Lyons could never answer. The game was called after the fifth by the ten-run rule.
Rookie pitcher Erin Wiebe had a strong outing for the Trojans, allowing no runs and five hits while striking out three. The team had no errors for this contest.
