Post 366 ousted at zone tourney years ago
Loses to Andover and Silver Lake
end Hillsboro season
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Even when the Hillsboro High School baseball team's state title hopes vanished May 30 at the state tournament, a few players' hopes of a state title weren't completely washed away.
Playing legion baseball over the summer, some members from the 2003 Trojan team had one last shot left at capturing a state crown.
But after dropping two games Sunday at the Ottawa zone tournament in cool triple-digit weather, that shot is now impossible for the Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 team.
Sadly end the chances of Dustin Jost, Steve Chisholm, Andy Brubacher, James Bina, Jerod Metcalf, Shawn Hughbanks, Graham Ratzlaff and Ben Walker ever winning a state title.
A 9-6 loss to Andover and a 13-11 foiling by Silver Lake put the finishing touches on the members from the 2003 Trojan team's careers.
Post 366 ends the season at 20-12 on the crest of a four-game slide.
Forget saving the best for last, 366's game diminished as the season wore on.
And it was the same bugs that plagued Hillsboro all season that were the culprits for doing in 366.
For the final time, missed opportunities, slumping hitting and ailing defense which backfired on 366.
Hillsboro took a 1-0 lead on Andover off Dustin Jost's RBI from a fielder's choice that bought Caleb Marsh enough time to steal home.
Andover came back quickly to tie in the bottom of the first with Metcalf surrendering an unearned run on a sacrifice RBI.
Andover pulled away in the bottom of the third with a three-run explosion off two hits, one a ground-rule double and an RBI single.
Hillsboro didn't stay down long, coming to life in top of the fourth with a two-out rally.
Marsh drove in Ben Walker and Jared Fish, cutting the lead to 4-3 on a two-run triple to right center field.
Metcalf drove in Marsh with a game tying single, one of six 366 hits.
While Hillsboro wouldn't stay down, neither did Andover, regaining the lead for good.
Down 5-4 and to its last three outs, Hillsboro's chances withered away in the bottom of the sixth.
Andover roughed up Metcalf, scoring on an beaned batter, a pair of singles and a two-run homer to make it a 9-4 game.
Shawn Hughbanks started a small seventh inning rally, scoring Jost on a run scoring single.
Chad Hughbanks and Chisholm got free passes to load up the bases for Walker and knocking out the Andover starter.
Reliever Aaron Pung beaned Walker to walk in 366's final run.
Chad Hughbanks made an attempt to score from third, but got nabbed at home plate to end the game.
Silver Lake
Post 366 was looking down the barrel of a gun against Silver Lake in the consolation bracket.
With a good sum of players off the 2003 Class 3A state runner-up team, Silver Lake took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with Jost giving up an RBI single.
Unlike it could do against Andover in Sunday's early game, 366 got off to a quick start with a four-run explosion.
Ratzlaff drove in a one-out double to score Metcalf and Shawn Hughbanks singled in Jost.
Brian Swenson capped Hillsboro's best inning off with a two-out two-run double.
But Silver Lake bettered Hillsboro's big first inning its next at bat, knocking Jost around for six runs.
Silver Lake's bats caught fire with Jost giving up a trio of deep blasts, going for five runs.
When Jost finally stopped the bleeding, 366 had been mortally wounded, down 7-4 to mark the end of a rough outing for Jost.
Shawn Hughbanks met the same fate Jost did in the second inning, the top of the third as he allowed a solo home run that doubled 366 over.
Regardless of whom coach Brady Marsh turned to, 366's pitching rotation couldn't stamp out Silver Lake's fire.
And Silver Lake struck again in the top of the fourth with two more runs scoring that made for a 10-4 incline.
Swenson cut the lead in half, driving in Ratzlaff with a one-out RBI single.
Chisholm kept the fourth inning rally going, scoring Shawn Hughbanks with a base hit to knock out starter Josh Maike.
Fireman Luke Perry could stop 366's rally, giving up a two-out two-run single to Fish to trim the lead to 10-8.
Caleb Marsh added to 366's fireworks with an RBI triple before Metcalf scored Caleb with the game-tying single.
Caleb took to the hill in the top of the seventh.
He too ran into a jam, giving up three consecutive singles, a throwing error and a sacrifice fly to again give Silver Lake 13-10 breathing room.
Then Hillsboro was down to its final three outs, staring death dead in the eye.
In one final attempt to stave off elimination and prolong the season, Ratzlaff was walked to lead off the inning.
Playing his best game of the season, Swenson's big day was soured as he grounded into a double play that closed the curtain on 366's season.
