Post 366 tumbles against Newton years ago
Newton bats heat up in 11-9, 6-2 sweep
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the best thing the Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 baseball team can hope for is finding some consistency hitting.
One game, Post 366 can roll up a season-high 24 hits.
The next one, it's like they're swinging at BBs.
Friday in Hillsboro against Newton, it was a matter of getting outslugged and Post 366 failing to make the plays it needed to win the games.
Newton's bats caught fire as it gave Post 366 a wake-up call before this weekend's Ottawa zone, dropping 11-9 and 6-2 bombs on Hillsboro.
Hillsboro limps into the end of the regular season with a 19-8 record after being swept by Newton.
So far this year, the majority of 366's losses have come as the result of one bad inning.
This time though, it was rather two instead of one against a team coach Brady Marsh rated as one of the top three Hillsboro has faced.
Newton wasted little time roughing up Hillsboro starter Caleb Marsh in the opener as he surrendered a pair of two run homers in the top half of the first.
Hillsboro battled back all night, it just didn't have the strength to keep its head above water.
Fresh off a hitting slump, Dustin Jost stayed hot, going deep with a one-out two-run blast to chop Newton's lead in half.
Marsh held Newton both hitless and scoreless as 366 rallied for four runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead.
Steve Chisholm lined an RBI single to score Shawn Hughbanks, who got a free pass.
Ben Walker drove in a game-tying single on a bunt.
A sacrifice bunt by Bryan Swenson made it a 5-4 game before Jost put the finishing touches on the big second inning with a two-out double.
Then came another fatal inning that has done its share of haunting 366 throughout the season.
Newton drove in five runs off five hits to regain the lead, 9-6, including a two-run double.
Hillsboro again mounted a comeback, tying the game, 9-9, with a three-run third inning.
But after that, Newton's pitching staff stifled 366 to one hit, a Hughbanks' single in the bottom of the fourth.
Waiting six innings before finally getting runs on the board is a little long unless it's a defensive battle.
Jerod Metcalf held Newton scoreless through four innings before giving up four runs off three hits, including an RBI double.
Hillsboro was held hitless through three innings, and even off three hits, Hillsboro couldn't bring any runners around.
Post 366 cut the lead in half the bottom of the sixth off Bina's solo blast and Chisholm's run scoring single to score Graham Ratzlaff.
But Newton added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh with a run scoring single and double.
Down to their final three outs, 366 had some life left as Newton issued three free passes and load the bases with two away.
Newton escaped danger, fanning Bina and handing Metcalf the loss by doubling Hillsboro's six hits.
Post 366 ended the regular season Wednesday night in a rematch against hosting Newton. Results of Wednesday's action were unavailable at press time.
Hillsboro opens the second round of the double-elimination Ottawa zone Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Saturday's Chapman-Andover game.
Both host Ottawa and second-seeded 366 receive first-round byes.
If 366 prevails against either Chapman or Andover, they face the winner of Sunday's Ottawa-El Dorado-Silver Lake game Monday at 6 p.m.
Should 366 fall, they face the loser Sunday of the El Dorado-Silver Lake meeting at 6:30 p.m.
El Dorado
Post 366 got one final tuneup Tuesday night in Hillsboro against a team they could possibly face this weekend, El Dorado.
In the first meeting between the two in early June at the Augusta tournament, it took an eight inning rally for 366 to top El Dorado.
On Tuesday, it took another eight inning five-run rally for 366 to outlast their adversary, 12-11 after being down by as many as 11-3.
