Late-game forfeit raises Legion record to 11-1

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
In the end, it was an appropriate way to end an odd evening of Sunday baseball.

Hillsboro Post 366 defeated Marion Babe Ruth by forfeit with a 4-4 score when Marion lost its ninth player by ejection in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The win gave Hillsboro (11-1) a sweep of a doubleheader that technically it already had won before the first pitch was ever thrown.

When the two teams arrived in Marion, the home squad was one player short of the required nine. That resulted in an official forfeit, but Robert Verbic, who hails from Marion but came ready to play for Post 366, switched uniforms so the two games could be played.

Both contests turned out to be extremely competitive, but the evening came to a weird end when Marion’s Tyson Heidebrecht, trying to score the winning run in the nightcap, barreled into catcher Kris Jones, who was waiting with the ball at home plate.

Jones hung on to the ball, Heidebrecht was called out-and then was ejected by the umpire for his overly aggressive play. That dropped the home team below the required nine players again, forcing the end of the contest.

The second game was a back-and-forth contest that featured four lead changes before Marion tied the score 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Mitch Enos singled to right, advanced to second when right fielder Brandon Moss misplayed the ball, stole third, and then scored on a wild pitch by starter Todd Stahlecker.

Marion looked as if it might break the game open, loading the bases with one out when Stahlecker gave up a single to Jason Matz and walked Steven Shiplet and Tyler Richmond.

But Steven Chisholm came in to relieve Stahlecker, struck out Heidebrecht and then threw out Matz as he tried to steal home.

Neither team could score the rest of the way, but Marion threatened in the bottom of the eighth when Heidebrecht led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a single by Russ Rhodes.

When Cody Chiles flied out to Jared Fish in right field, Heidebrecht tagged up and headed home, but Fish fired a perfect strike to Jones at the plate to beat Heidebrecht by a couple of steps.

Chisholm pitched 31/3 innings of strong relief to earn his fourth win of the season against no losses. The lanky right-hander struck out five and gave up only one hit.

In opening the game, Jones took the mound and locked horns with Marion ace Enos. Hillsboro took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Fish reached on an error and scored on singles by Shawn Hughbanks and Curtis Gutsch.

No one scored again until the top of the third, when Hillsboro touched Enos for three more runs. With one out, Fish again reached on an error, then scored on singles by Hughbanks and Jones. Hughbanks scored when catcher Chiles threw past the third baseman on a steal attempt. Gutsch followed with a single to score Jones.

Hillsboro bumped the lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning with the help of two more Marion errors, but Marion began to battle back.

In the bottom of the inning, the home team scored twice on an error and three hits, including an RBI single by Enos and an RBI double by Clayton Chamberland.

Marion scored one more time in the sixth before Gutsch relieved Jones with two outs and shut the door the rest of the way.

In addition to picking up his first save of the season, Gutsch led the offensive attack with three hits in four at-bats and drove in two runs.

Jones gave up only one earned run on five hits and five walks in 52/3 innings, raising his season record to 2-0.

Lindsborg

A four-run first inning propelled Hillsboro Post 366 to an 11-3 run-rule win over Lindsborg Thursday at Tabor Field.

Hillsboro won the first game, 7-1, behind a combined three-hitter by pitchers Steven Chisholm and Jerod Metcalf.

In the nightcap, Kris Jones’ bloop single to center scored Jared Fish and Robert Verbic, who both had singled, for the first two runs in the opening inning. Jones scored on a single by Graham Ratzlaff, who, in turn, scored later on a single by Chisholm for the 4-0 lead.

Hillsboro picked up two more runs in the second on a leadoff double by Dustin Jost, who stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Jared Fish, who walked in the inning, scored later on a ground out by Ratzlaff.

When Chisholm tripled and scored on a single by Caleb Marsh in the third inning, Hillsboro went into cruise control with a 7-1 lead.

No one scored again until Lindsborg pulled to within 7-3 in the fifth against Marsh, who had relieved starter Robert Verbic to start the fourth inning.

But when Marsh loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth, Jerod Metcalf came in, allowed Marsh’s two runs to score on a wild pitch and a ground out, then retired the side with no further damage.

Hillsboro came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Marsh and Jost hit back-to-back doubles to start the inning. Shawn Hughbanks added an RBI triple.

Verbic upped his record to 3-0 with the win, allowing only two hits and walking no one in three innings of work. Lindsborg’s only run against him was unearned.

In the first game, Chisholm improved to 3-0 as well with a strong performance through four innings.

Nursing a 3-0 lead in the fifth, though, Chisholm gave up a hit, plunked two batters and walked a third to give Lindsborg its only run of the game.

Metcalf relieved Chisholm with one out and the bases loaded, striking out Lindsborg’s Tyler Looney and getting Kelly Smith to ground out to end the threat. Metcalf then shut out Lindsborg over the last two innings to secure the win for the home team.

Meanwhile, Hillsboro struggled for offense early in the contest, but managed single scores in the first, third and fourth innings.

After Lindsborg made its charge in the top of the fifth, though, Post 366 awoke with three runs in the bottom of the inning on three hits to take control of the game. Lindsborg helped the cause with three errors.

Ben Walker had his best offensive game of the season with three hits in three at bats. He scored twice.

Coming-Hillsboro was schedule for a doubleheader against Buhler yesterday and is scheduled to play one nine-inning game at home tonight against Council Grove, beginning at 6 p.m. That latter game had been scheduled as a twinbill June 25 but was postponed because Council Grove was short on players.

Monday, Hillsboro is scheduled to play Andover at Tabor Field. The doubleheader should begin at 6 p.m.

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