Post 366 loses third double-header years ago
Hard times continue
for Hillsboro American Legion team
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 baseball coach Lyman Adams is dying for some good news these days.
It's been a little hard to come by lately, especially after his team lost its second straight doubleheader Thursday night to visiting Herington.
If that's not bad enough, Adams has likely lost Dustin Jost for the rest of the season.
Steve Chisholm's schedule cuts in on Tuesday and Thursday night games, and Shawn Hughbanks was shaken up Thursday night making a diving catch in center field.
It got worse yet, with several of 366's key players missing in action.
Herington proved the first sweep was indeed no fluke, easily handling Hillsboro, 7-2 and 18-4.
With several players absent, 366 was pretty thin in numbers on the pitching mound.
That's not what you want to see when three out of the first four innings against Herington have been a nightmare.
One of the first to vouch to admit Herington was capable of blowing the game open early could be starter Jimmy Shipman.
He held Herington scoreless in the first and second innings, before giving up the go-ahead run in the top of the third on an RBI sacrifice.
In the meantime, Herington kept 366's bats on ice, limiting them to a mere three hits.
Down 1-0, Shipman had the dam burst in top of the fifth as Herington took a 5-0 lead capped off with a Casey Schlesner two-run double.
Hillsboro cut into the lead in its half of the fifth with Tyler Goldsby scoring a run on a sacrifice followed by Justin Moore's ground-rule double.
Herington swiped a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth for the victory and handed Shipman the loss.
Seldom-used Clayton Garnica got a wake-up call in the nightcap, giving up seven runs in the top half of the first.
Hillsboro staved off being run ruled all night, but striking distance was never within its range.
By the time Adam Scheele scored 366's first run in the bottom of the fourth with a stand-up double, they were in jeopardy of being done early, in a 10-1 bind.
The best offense 366 could mount came in the bottom of the sixth, ripping off three runs to pull to 11-4.
Entering the game in the top of the fifth, reliever Matt Brown got his turn at having the lid come off in the top of the seventh with Herington rallying for a seven-run eruption.
As for Adams, his good news might be that 2-6 366 won't see Herington anymore this season and Tuesday night's opponent, hosting Galva is a winnable game.
Post 366 returns to action tonight when they host Newton in a 6:30 p.m. start.
