Hillsboro legion team falls to Peabody, 16-8 years ago
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 team was eliminated from Hillsboro's District 4 Senior Babe Ruth Tournament falling to the Peabody Warriors, 16-8.
After suffering a 7-1 loss the night before against a good Moundridge team, 366 took on the Warriors — a team they were well acquainted with.
366 starting pitcher Clayton Garnica handed out four free passes to help the Warriors jump out to an early lead.
Before it was all over, Peabody had gone through three 366 pitchers to roll to a 16-8 victory and eliminate Hillsboro (12-13).
Anything that could have gone wrong not just for Garnica, but Hillsboro in general, did, with Garnica chucking the bases with no outs.
The few times he got ahead in the count, he would slip away before Aaron Burnett cleared the bases with a three-run triple.
Burnett would score on a wild pitch to leave 366 in a 4-0 hole off a sole hit.
That hole was one Hillsboro never got out of with the Warriors coming up with a way to put runs on the board any time it looked like 366 would come back.
Burnett won the 'WOW' award, inflicting woe on Hillsboro by driving in a game-high seven RBIs.
Adam Scheele brought 366 within three with an RBI double off starter Todd Woodruff to close out the eternal first inning.
Garnica's biggest break came in the second inning, holding the Warriors scoreless despite leaving the bases loaded.
Still, Peabody put up two more runs in the top of the third with a two-run single and an RBI sacrifice to stretch the lead to 7-1.
Hillsboro makes some noise
The most noise Hillsboro ever made offensively came in the bottom half of the third with Chad Hughbanks leading off with a base hit off the Warriors' top player and game MVP, Bryan Swenson.
Justin Moore drove him in before Alex Nuss drove in two with a stand-up double to deep left, again pulling 366 to within three at 7-4.
Burnett struck again in the top half of the fourth, pushing the 366 deficit to 8-4 with a double that barely missed going over the fence.
Peabody got a fielder's choice and an RBI single to knock out Garnica, who had issued eight walks, gave up seven hits, and five earned runs to take the loss.
Daniel Jost got out of the inning with no damage done, but Hillsboro was again trailing by six.
Once again, 366 got back with three with Hughbanks driving in a run with a single.
Scheele drove in a run off a one-out bases-loaded single before Swenson walked Alfonse Klenda to still give 366 hope, down 10-7.
Reliever Jake Liles held the Warriors scoreless in the fifth, but Swenson did the same to Hillsboro.
Already taking in water, the ship finally capsized on 366 and Liles in the sixth.
Back-to-back singles stretched to lead to five before a costly two-run error doubled 366 over at 14-7 with only one out.
Unfittingly, it was Swenson who turned out the lights, scoring two on a two-out triple to cap off the five-hit outburst leaving 366 in dire straits, 16-7.
Down to its last three outs, Hillsboro would have to something huge to happen to stay alive.
Aaron Stepanek started the comeback attempt, cutting the lead in half with an RBI single.
Hughbanks was Hillsboro's last hope with the bases loaded and down to its final out.
The season stayed alive with Hughbanks advancing to first on a walk to leave it up to Moore.
The mountain was just too high for 366 with Moore going down swinging.
The players that have recently graduated high school, Hughbanks, Scheele, Moore, and Garnica may be over the age limit of 18 by next summer.
