Trojans sweep first opponent of season
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Lugging a 1-9 record, the greenhorn Trojans have been defeated about every way it's possible in baseball. Blown out, blown leads, nipped — name it, it's happened to Hillsboro this season.
Coming off back-to-back thrashings by MCAA heavyweights Collegiate and Nickerson, the season hit rock bottom April 16 when the Trojans were swept at Halstead.
The Trojans (3-9) had to have April 27 circled on their calendar: the date they would get the chance to prove their earlier shortcomings against the first-year Dragons were a fluke.
Hillsboro nearly let its bid to return Halstead's favor slip away, leaving the door open for the Dragons to thwart a sweep in the nightcap.
With the tying run at second base and the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs, Chad Hughbanks preserved a sweep, striking out Halstead's last hope, Chris Bronson.
Since coming from behind for their first win of the season 25 days earlier at Marion, Hillsboro got its first sweep of the year, 13-3 and 14-13.
"We went into that game not knowing what to expect," Trojan coach Dustin McEwen said of his team's first go-round with the Dragons. "We had lost a few games and didn't have much confidence in ourselves and we came in and just didn't play well.
"Tonight, Halstead helped us out by making a lot of errors that we took advantage of. I think we're taking to heart what we're doing in practice."
Halstead gave the Trojans a four-run lift with Hillsboro ripping off its runs.
The Dragons stymied a shutout, putting three runs up against Trojan starter Brandon Moss to cut the lead to 6-3. Moss went four innings for his first victory of the season.
Up 7-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Trojans' offense broke the game wide open with a six-run flurry.
Jared Fish and Tyler Goldsby supplied Hillsboro with four RBIs on back-to-back two-run singles.
Going 3-for-4 in the opener, Adam Scheele kept the Trojan rally going, singling in the 12th run.
Michael Bookless capped off Hillsboro's five-inning win with another single for the 13-3 final.
Fish was 2-for-4, joining Goldsby, Scheele, and Bookless with two RBIs a piece.
The nightcap nearly got away from Scheele. He walked the first two Dragons before Omar Hassan made it a 3-0 game heading into the bottom of the first.
But Scheele made up for his rough inning and a third on the mound, breaking up the shutout with a first inning RBI double.
Even with the score 3-1 closing out the first, the Trojans began bleeding profusely again as Scheele gave up one more run to put Hughbanks in deep water.
Hughbanks inherited a pair of runners, surrendering an RBI single before a pair of costly errors gave Halstead a 6-1 lead.
On a night nearly as abundant with errors as scoring, Hillsboro again pulled within four runs, 6-2, with Halstead having a throwing error at second base in the bottom of the second.
Hughbanks retired the Dragons in order the third inning before Hillsboro had its second of three explosive innings of the day.
Bookless cut the lead in two, ripping an RBI triple to score Scheele. Hughbanks followed up with an RBI single and the bases were loaded with Trojans.
Troy Frick put Hillsboro over the hill with a two-out base-clearing double for a 7-6 lead.
Fish put the icing on the five-run third inning with a run-scoring single to swell the Trojan lead to 8-6.
Hillsboro has had its share of problems protecting leads, though, and the Trojans would have several near-death experiences before the game was over.
One came in the top of the fifth with the tying run at second and one out for the Dragons.
Hughbanks escaped the inning with minimal damage done, surrendering a sacrifice for an 8-7 lead.
Through five innings, Goldsby was the lone Trojan not to reach base.
That all changed for the better as he pushed Hillsboro's lead to 10-7 with a two-out bases-loaded single.
No matter what the Trojans did, they couldn't quite slam the door on Halstead.
After two run scoring singles and a wild throw to first, the Dragons were again breathing down the Trojans' necks, 10-10.
Aaron Stepanek and Frick singled in runs the bottom of the sixth to go along with a pair of Dragon throwing miscues.
Hillsboro almost gave it all back in the heart-stopping seventh inning.
Hughbanks gave up a pair of consecutive doubles, one a two-run, and Halstead again came within two runs of overtaking the Trojans and nobody out.
While going 3-for-4 offensively, Hughbanks was awarded the win on the mound.
Hillsboro faces its third and final juggernaut opponent Friday when it travels to Mt. Hope for a double dip with 2003 Class 4A runner-up Haven at 4:30 p.m.
The Trojans return home Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. meeting with the Lyons Lions.
