Hillsboro High School seniors Jenesa and Jessica Klose signed letters of intent to play softball at Tabor College next spring. The twins have formed the battery for HHS softball for the past three seasons, with Jenesa on the mound and Jessica behind the plate. Seated on either side of them are their parents, Kim and Kathy Koop (left) and Mike and Donna Klose. Standing behind them are Will Enger, TC assistant coach, Jill Hein, HHS assistant coach, Stephanie Sinclair, HHS head coach, and John Bassett, TC head coach.
After being shut out twice by Kansas Wesleyan March 31 in Hillsboro, the Tabor College baseball team went 2-3 last week, scoring 22 runs in five games.
Tabor hammered Manhattan Christian 10-0 April 2, then dropped the first game of a doubleheader 3-2 against Central Christian on their home field Friday. The second game went to Tabor 7-5 as pitcher Dustin Dick improved his record to 2-0.
At Bethany on Saturday, the Swedes hammered Tabor 11-1 in the opener. The second game was considerably more competitive on account of high quality pitching, but marginal defense teamed up with anemic offense to spoil Andrew Cook’s solid outing in a 6-2 loss.
“Defense and protecting the baseball has been a recurring theme for us,” coach Chad Newhard said.
Cook held Bethany to two earned runs, but was scratched for four unearned markers thanks to three Bluejay errors.
Designated hitter Clayton Kessler recorded two of Tabor’s five hits in the contest.
Coming—Tabor (5-9) has a doubleheader at Sterling slated for Wednesday and a twinbill on the road Saturday at Friends. Tabor hosts Ottawa Tuesday.
“Right now, one game separates third from seventh in our conference,” Newhard said. “We’re still very much in control of our postseason destiny.”
T.J. Jackson cleans 295 pounds while Mike McNatt spots during the Tabor College football team’s ninth annual Spring Challenge. The fundraising event, held March 26-27, pits the returning Bluejays in a friendly competition against one another in five events: 40-yard dash, 1-mile run, bench press, squat and clean lifts. Jackson’s clean was a personal best, and the senior earned a 20/20 score in the event. He posted an aggregate score of 95 out of 100 possible points. Fellow seniors Kyle Basinger, Seth Mills and Lance Stubbs each met the 20-point benchmark in four events to record aggregate scores in the 90-plus range. Demetrius Cox put up a 60/60 score in the three weightlifting events, but was held out of the running events because of his involvement with the track team. Mario Nava, the "Pride of Peabody," scored 55 points in three events and Hillsboro’s Michael Suderman recorded one of the team’s two 100-point scores. The funds raised will help the team purchase new uniforms.
Hillsboro’s young baseball team started its season with an unexpected 6-4 win over Wichita Collegiate on Friday at Memorial Field.
Collegiate came back to win the nightcap, 13-5.
The difference between the two games was pitching. In the opener, junior left-hander Isaac Leihy (1-0) went the complete seven innings for the Trojans, scattering nine hits, walking only two while striking out six.
In Game 2, a cadre of four Trojans hurlers combined to allow one fewer hit than Leihy, but walked 18 batters, including 10 by starter Jacob Edwards (0-1) through 11⁄3 innings.
