Legion Post 366 struggles continue on the field

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TOM STOPPEL
Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 dropped a pair of baseball games to McPherson Thursday night in Hillsboro by scores of 16-2 and 13-7.

In the opener, starter Derek Hamm (1-2) absorbed the loss.

Hamm escaped the first two innings unscathed, but in the third, McPherson roughed up Post 366 for seven runs.

Hillsboro committed two errors in the inning in addition to McPherson’s three base hits and two walks.

McPherson added nine runs in the fourth inning on four walks, three hit batters and only three base hits.

Hillsboro broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jared Fish drew a one-out walk and Chad Hughbanks followed with a single. Consecutive errors allowed two runs to score before Troy Frick walked to load the bases.

But McPherson recorded the final two outs of the inning to snuff out the rally and end the game at 16-2 in the run-rule shortened contest.

Hughbanks’ single was the only base hit Post 366 could muster in the game.

“Our biggest problem is just getting the same people to the games on a regular basis,” manager Lyman Adams said. “We’re struggling with continuity and our pitching.

“We’ve been susceptible to the big innings and we need to be able to make the plays to not allow those innings,” he added.
“We need to figure out how to stop those runs, and that will come with better defense and better pitching.”

In Game 2, Michael Bookless (0-3) got the start and took the loss for Hillsboro.

After Bookless worked a scoreless first inning, Hillsboro came out swinging and jumped to a 4-0 lead.

Tyler Goldsby walked and Hughbanks reached on an error, and then Dustin Burnett doubled both runners home to put Hillsboro on top 2-0.

One out later, Bookless was hit by a pitch and Frick drew a walk to load the bases.

Alex Nuss grounded out to drive home one run and a wild pitch allowed the fourth run of the inning to score.

The lead was short-lived, however. McPherson answered with eight runs in its next at-bat on six hits, one walk, one hit batter and an error.

Trailing 8-4, Hillsboro countered with a run in the second as Justin Moore led off with a double and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Goldsby to cut the lead to 8-5.

McPherson added two runs on two hits in the third inning to lead 10-5 before Hillsboro scored in the fourth.

Daniel Berg was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make the score 10-6.

McPherson went up 11-6 in the fifth before Hillsboro cut the lead to 11-7 in the bottom of the inning when Hamm singled with one out and scored on a single by Frick.

McPherson added a pair of runs in the seventh inning and Hillsboro couldn’t respond, losing 13-7 to drop to 2-11 for the season.

Hillsboro had five hits in the loss.

Adams hopes to ready his team for zone play, which will begin in mid-July.

“A lot will depend on who’s here for zone and who isn’t,” Adams said. “Hopefully, we can gain some continuity and get ourselves focused on what we need to do to be successful in zone play.

“We can still salvage a good season if we’ll just start playing ball.”

Lyons-Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 mounted a late comeback at Lyons last Tuesday, but a slow start doomed them to a 9-6 loss in a single nine-inning game.

Starting pitcher Chad Hughbanks got off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first inning as Hillsboro fell behind 5-0.

Hughbanks walked the lead-off hitter, then allowed a single before Tyler Viramontez unloaded a home run over the left-center field fence.

A double and three consecutive singles accounted for Lyon’s next two runs.

Lyons added two more runs in the second inning on two Hillsboro errors, a hit batter and one-base hit for a 7-0 lead.

Hillsboro broke into the scoring column in the fourth inning after Hughbanks singled to lead off the inning and stole second base. Clayton Garnica beat out an infield single to put runner on the corners before Alex Nuss drove Hughbanks home with a single.

Manager Lyman Adams replaced Hughbanks with Garnica to begin the fifth inning, but the Hillsboro defense didn’t undermine his efforts.

A lead-off single and a wild pitch moved the runner to second, but catcher Tyler Goldsby’s errant throw moved the runner to third and an overthrow of third base allowed the runner to score for an 8-1 Lyons lead.

Hillsboro was still trailing by seven runs heading into the seventh inning when Alfonse Klenda led off with a single and moved to third on a Goldsby single.

Klenda scored one out later when Jared Fish grounded to cut the lead to 8-2.

After Garnica worked a perfect seventh, Hillsboro went back to work in the top of the eighth.

Kyle Jilka reached on an error and Garnica singled before Daniel Berg reached on a fielder’s choice, erasing Garnica from the base paths.

One out later, Jilka scored on a Klenda single and Berg crossed home plate on an overthrow.

Hillsboro left the bases loaded to end the inning, trailing 8-4.

A pair of walks, a botched pick-off rundown and a Hillsboro error handed Lyons an additional run in the eighth to put the home team ahead, 9-4.

In the ninth, Jilka doubled with one out and Garnica scratched out an infield hit. When Garnica was picked off first base, Jilka raced home and scored when Lyons pitcher Brian Ludwig couldn’t hold on to the relay throw at the plate.

A fielding error by Lyons allowed Garnica to score from third with Hillsboro’s sixth run of the game.

With two runners on base, Ludwig got Klenda and Justin Moore to strike out as each represented the game-tying run to end the contest at 9-6.

Hughbanks (0-2) took the loss, allowing 11 hits in four innings while hitting one and striking out three.

With the loss, Hillsboro fell to 2-9 for the season.

Coming-Hillsboro was scheduled to host McPherson Tuesday. Herington is scheduled to come to Memorial Field on Thursday.

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