One down, two to go for Trojan baseball
Trojans' baseball team passes first test
of postseason, crushing Hoisington 11-2
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
If the Trojans can call Monday's game against the visiting Hoisington Cardinals a good display of hitting, they could be headed for trouble.
The good news for Trojan coach Phil Oelke and his team is that they've got the easiest step out of the way as they thumped the Cardinals, 11-2.
Now for the bad.
The road to the Southeast of Saline Regional Championship becomes a minefield if the Trojans are to make another trip to the Class 3A State baseball tournament.
"We're going to have to hit the ball a lot better than we hit it tonight," Oelke said. "We had some situations where we went hit and run, and that was when it seemed like we hit the hardest."
Other than giving up a two-run round tripper to the Cardinals' Steve Eurich in the top of the fifth, Jerod Metcalf was as good as gold for the Trojans on the mound, firing a five-hitter.
"Our pitchers looked good tonight," Oelke said. "Jerod gave up that one homer, but for the most part, he did a really good job."
Hillsboro was able to overcome a slow start, going hitless until Graham Ratzlaff's lead-off single in the bottom of the third.
Three batters later, Andy Brubacher gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead with a two-run bases loaded single off Cardinals' starter Randy Cornwell.
Going two for three for the day, Metcalf stretched the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single.
The Cardinals hung around for two innings, but Hillsboro's half of the third helped send Hoisington an eviction notice from Tabor Field.
James Bina kept the pivotal third inning alive, nailing an RBI double for the 4-0 lead.
Shawn Hughbanks continued to batter Cornwell, pushing the lead to 5-0 with a single before reliever Brad Boor came in with two outs and the bases full of Trojans.
Boor's luck still wasn't much better, and the same could be said about the Cardinals' fielding.
The Trojans hung 11 runs on the Cardinals, but they had lots of help from six Hoisington mistakes.
The first of six was one that capped off the Trojans' explosive third with an error at shortstop. That gave Hillsboro a commanding 6-0 lead.
Metcalf's shutout vaporized in the fifth as Eurich took a 2-0 pitch deep to center field.
That was proven in the bottom half of the fifth when Kris Jones scored Hillsboro's seventh run on a shallow double that barely cleared the infield.
What could have been a pop fly for the Cardinals' third out of the inning instead dropped dead in the middle of three Hoisington fielders, allowing the speedy Jones to take an extra base.
Metcalf picked up his second and final hit and RBI in the bottom of the sixth, a single that sparked another big inning for the Trojans.
Hoisington spotted the Trojans another unearned run, the ninth, with a passed ball at home plate that marked the ending of Boor.
Hughbanks and Brubacher also tied Metcalf with a team-high two RBIs and Hughbanks' second, a sacrifice fly, gave Hillsboro 10-2 breathing room.
Jones finished belting his second of two doubles for the 11th and final run.
Layne Frick closed the game up on the mound in the seventh, allowing one hit and giving Metcalf his ninth win of the season.
"The kids came out loose today, which I thought was good," said Oelke. "I think the last few times we've had big games, we've come on the field real, real tight, and we've struggled all the way around.
"Coming out loose tonight really helped us out quite a bit."
Hillsboro faced Lyons yesterday at 1 p.m. in the semifinal round of the Southeast of Saline regional at Gypsum.
Results of Wednesday's action were unavailable at press time.
Inman
The season has changed to spring, but the Trojans closed out the regular season with a pair of football score-like wins May 7 at Inman.
The Trojans cut the Teutons down to size, winning the early game 29-2 and 19-3 in the nightcap.
Hughbanks fired a two-hitter in the opener through three innings and picked up the win.
Dustin Jost went three for five, driving in a game-high five RBIs, including a pair of doubles.
The trio of Hughbanks, Bina, and Ratzlaff added to the Teutons' sorrows, each with a trio of RBIs and Hughbanks went 5 for 6.
Inman couldn't survive the first inning of either game, getting outscored 11-0.
Jost, Bina, and Hughbanks each went deep with a home run, and Jost and Bina each finished with four RBIs with Hughbanks driving in three.
Metcalf and Jost each went two innings on the mound, leaving Steve Chisholm to close it up in the short five innings. Metcalf remained unbeaten on the regular season at 8-0.
