Trojan magic runs out against Marion
Warriors end Hillsboro baseball season, 12-11
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
It ended like it started.
The young Trojans opened the 2004 season with a first game loss to the hosting Marion Warriors.
A hard month later, this time the setting Monday night at Lyons for the first round of the Lions' regional, the Warriors were able to defeat Hillsboro at a time when it counted most.
In April's finale against the Warriors, the Trojans rallied from a seven-run deficit to thwart a Marion sweep.
But the shoe was on the other foot this time, with the Warriors overcoming a huge lead to end Hillsboro's season with a 12-11 crusher.
In Trojan head coach Dustin McEwen's final game, they had to face the same Warrior pitcher who beat them in the first game, Jimmy Shipman.
McEwen ends his coaching career at Hillsboro with a rough 3-16 record in baseball.
Hillsboro learned plenty from the first game, though, wasting little time jumping on Shipman with Chad Hughbanks putting the Trojans on top, 1-0, with an RBI sacrifice.
Adam Scheele nailed a two-out triple before scoring on a miscued pick-off attempt.
The Trojans added one more in the top of the second to make it a 3-0 game with Fish scoring Jesse Boucher with a sacrifice fly.
Hillsboro, unlike the first game, continued roughing up Shipman, knocking him out in the fifth, after pushing the lead to 4-0 in the third on a Shipman balk.
Hughbanks' shut out gave way in the bottom of the third, surrendering an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-1.
Like the Warriors did in April's finale, the Trojans appeared to leave Marion with insurmountable odds to overcome, rallying for a four-run fourth.
Fish drove in an RBI single, and Tyler Goldsby scored two on a base hit before Michael Bookless capped off the inning's fireworks with an RBI single.
With the Trojans up with a 9-2 lead, the Warriors finally got to Hughbanks in the bottom of the fifth.
Clayton Chamberland went deep for a two-run blast to pull the Warriors with five.
Hughbanks got some revenge, making it 10-4 in the top of the sixth with an RBI double.
A costly seventh inning killed the Warriors a month earlier.
This time, it was the sixth that spelled disaster for the Trojans with the Warriors taking an 11-10 lead with a seven-run onslaught.
Hillsboro got one run back down to its last three outs.
Facing reliever Brandon Moss, Tyson Heidebrecht ended the Trojans' season with a walk-off single.
In his final appearance on the mound for Hillsboro, Moss suffered the defeat.
The rough 2004 season should be much better in 2005 with the majority of the Trojan nucleus returning.
Playing their final game Monday were Fish and Bookless.
