Legion Post 366 misses chances against Mac years ago
Shorthanded Hillsboro team falls to McPherson, 8-2
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Dustin Jost was in the field.
Bad part about it was it wasn't the field the Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 team could've used him in Tuesday night against the visiting McPherson-AAA team.
One of 366's best all-around players, Jost was one of the few 366 players that were absent as was Chad Hughbanks.
Still, Post 366 coach Brady Marsh wasn't about to use that as an excuse why McPherson hit his team with a hard 8-2 shot in the arm.
"We didn't play good at all," a discouraged Marsh said. "We're a lot better team than they way we played tonight, capable of beating a team like that."
Spending spring of 2003 as an assistant with the Bluejays, Marsh won't forget what happens when 10 runners are stranded on base in one game with seven left in scoring position.
That was one of the two biggest problems for the Bluejays all year.
The bad memories of the Bluejays' season came back to haunt Marsh again Tuesday night with 366 failing to capitalize on golden opportunities to manufacture runs.
As ugly a game as 366 has played all year, the 366 pitching rotation of Jerod Metcalf, Steve Chisholm and closer Bryan Swenson held McPherson to four hits.
McPherson's four hits were half as many as what 366 had.
Eight runs off four hits means walks and errors and the two did a number on 366.
One of Hillsboro's seven errors for the game helped McPherson jump on top of Metcalf, 1-0, closing out the top half of the first.
Hillsboro knotted the game after one inning with Chisholm scoring Shawn Hughbanks on a fielder's choice.
That was all the scoring McPherson allowed from 366 until Metcalf's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
Over the next five innings, the wheels slowly began to fall off for 366 piece by piece.
Hillsboro fell behind 3-1 after two with Metcalf surrendering a two-out two-run double.
McPherson, aided by a trio of 366 miscues, stole another run in the top of the fifth with a run scoring after 366's center-fielder bobbled a routine pop-fly.
Up 4-1, McPherson added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth with Chisholm overthrowing home plate in back-to-back attempts with two outs and bases loaded.
Trailing 6-1, Hillsboro had a great chance to get right back in the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Andy Brubacher led off with a stand-up double to set the table for Metcalf's single.
But with one out and the bases loaded, the potential tying run, Ryan Swenson, grounded into a double play, and McPherson was out of the inning with minimal damage inflicted.
The bottom of the seventh again showed small signs of hope with Jared Fish leading off with a base-hit.
Fish got hung up at third to join the other six 366 base runners left in scoring position.
McPherson swiped another run in the eighth off a fielder's choice before they finally knocked Chisholm out after giving up a run-scoring double.
Down to its final out, Hillsboro again had the bases loaded.
The chance for a rally never took off with Metcalf going down swinging.
The 8-5 Post 366 team hosts Osage City tonight at Tabor Field in a 6 p.m. start.
The good news for Hillsboro is that it will get another shot at McPherson at its hosting tournament over the 4th of July weekend.
