Six-run seventh sends Trojans home
Hillsboro loses
five-run lead to
SE-Saline to fall, 9-8
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
When it comes to playing the Southeast of Saline Trojans in either baseball or softball, Hillsboro faithfuls have got to be wondering if its teams aren't cursed.
The Lady Trojans' softball team hasn't been able to lift the SES hex for four years straight, and the baseball team's luck hasn't been much better.
After dropping a crushing 9-8 game in the May 15 SES baseball regional final to the hosting Trojans, Hillsboro is now 1-2 against SES the last three years.
It was a heartbreaking loss indeed as the Trojans blew an 8-3 lead with SES coming back to win the game in the bottom of the seventh.
The Trojans' season comes to rest at 17-6, with their chances of returning to this weekend's Class 3A state baseball tournament down the drain.
It was deja vu all over again for Trojan coach Phil Oelke.
The last three years, SES has twice ended the Trojans' season one game short of reaching the state tournament.
"We played well," Oelke said. "Our hitting wasn't too bad and the kids came up big. It was a hard loss though. Some nights you're on, some you're not."
A gruesome ankle injury to starting pitcher Justin Hartman in the top of the first seemed to be a mental breakdown for SES, one that took five innings to recover from.
And Hillsboro had a 4-0 lead through five innings with Trojan ace Jerod Metcalf pitching a shutout.
Amidst setting a school-record for singles, doubles, triples, and RBIs, Dustin Jost added two RBIs in the top of the second, decking a two-out triple for the 2-0 lead.
Going two for four in the season finale, Jost had more heroics in store in the top of the fourth, tripling again to score the speedy Kris Jones.
In his final high school game, Layne Frick stretched Hillsboro's lead to 4-0 with an RBI single in the top of the fifth.
Metcalf was all used up by the sixth inning, where it slowly came unraveled on Hillsboro with Jost on the mound.
By the time SES woke up in the bottom of the sixth, the Trojans' had what would appear to be a comfortable 6-0 lead.
But a solo home run and a two-run double helped SES rough up Jost, chopping the lead in half, 6-3.
In hopes of hanging on to the lead, Oelke brought in Frick to try to save the game.
Jones smacked a two-out two-run double in the top of the seventh to help make the climb for SES seem impossible with the Trojans up, 8-3.
Much to the Trojans' chagrin, there was hope for SES with Frick running into a bind.
Three straight walks and SES again cut the lead in half, 8-4, with the winning run at the plate.
With no outs and the bases full, Frick gave up a two-run double that pulled SES to 8-7.
SES tied the game on a sacrifice fly by its leadoff hitter with the winning run still on board.
Jordan Dupes ended the Trojans' season, scoring an RBI single.
"I've got to give Southeast credit," a disappointed Oelke said. "They earned it and they deserved to win. They've got good solid hitters.
"I don't feel as gratified as what I did last year but I'm as proud of this team as any of the other four I've had. Being as young and inexperienced as what we were, going 17-6 in this league says a lot."
There should be plenty of reason to be optimistic about 2003 with only Frick and Ronn Coates graduating.
Lyons
Oelke stressed that the Trojans' bats would have to heat up if they were to go any further after the May 13 first round win over Hoisington.
The Trojans must have sensed that against Lyons in the semifinals.
Hillsboro amassed 19 hits to advance to the championship, coming from behind to survive the slugfest with the Lions, 16-12.
Jost went deep with a solo home run, going three for six, including a double.
Andy Brubacher was three for five with two RBIs.
Frick drove in three runs, and Graham Ratzlaff belted a bases-clearing triple to also finish with a trio of RBIs.
Frick went one and one-thirds inning, picking up the win on the mound.
