Hillsboro exploded in the fourth with 11 runs.
Four extra-base hits provided the fireworks: a one-out double with the bases loaded by Travis Riesen, and back-to-back triples to right field by Alfonse Klenda and Dustin Strunk.
Jake Liles connected on his first home run to cap the scoring, lifting a fly ball just over the 275-foot sign in straight-away left field.
The umpire initially signaled a ground-rule double, but Peabody?s left fielder shouted for the call to be changed.
?That was the team?s first home run of the season,? coach Tim Hein said. ?And that was Jake?s first homer ever.?
Isaac Leihy then drew a two-out walk, and Travis Riesen hammered a fly ball deep into the right-center gap. But Peabody center fielder Calvin Jeffrey made the catch on a dead sprint to end the inning.
Leihy pitched for Hillsboro and picked up the win in five innings.
In the second game, Post 366 took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Peabody tied it in the bottom half, and Hillsboro took a 4-1 lead in the third.
Both sides went in order in the fourth, but Hillsboro tallied 16 runs in the fifth to break the game open.
Tyler Ediger pitched all five innings to get the win for Post 366.
Chase County?Hillsboro scored four runs in the first two innings of Game 1 for ace pitcher Travis Riesen. But Riesen and an ineffective effort on defense could not keep Chase County off of the scoreboard.
Jake Liles came on in relief in the fourth inning, trailing 10-4.
Hillsboro sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth. Alfonse Klenda and Alex Nuss scored on a single to left by Tyler Ediger.
Later in the inning, facing the top of the order with two outs and the bases loaded, Chase County hurler Greg Davis notched a strikeout to end the threat.
Liles allowed three runs in three innings. Riesen allowed seven in four innings and took the loss.
In the second game, Daniel Jost pitched for Hillsboro. Chase County opened a 5-0 lead, and Daniel Berg came on in the third to relieve Jost.
The Post 366 offense came to life in the fourth. Jost was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.
Jake Liles drew a walk and Riesen smacked a run-scoring single.
Then Nuss connected on an 0-2 pitch to score Liles.
But Chase County pitcher Shawn Talkington composed himself and struck out three straight batters to end the inning.
The fifth inning followed a similar pattern, with Dustin Strunk drawing a leadoff walk. Jacob Edwards reached on an error, Jost walked and Liles was hit by a pitch.
Riesen cleared the bases with a single to make the score 7-6, and Nuss drew a walk behind him.
Both runners advanced on a passed ball, putting the tying run at third and the lead run at second with one out.
But the inning ended two strikeouts later, and Hillsboro remained a hit away from a tie game.
Talkington worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, and the game?s time limit expired before Post 366 could bat again.
Berg allowed two runs in four innings of work, and Jost absorbed the loss for Hillsboro.
?It was a real struggle,? coach Tim Hein said. ?We started the first game lethargic, and Chase County has a couple of very good pitchers.
?But it?s good to face a challenge like that,? he added.
?Facing good pitching helps make you a better group of hitters.?
Coming?Post 366 was scheduled to play home games on Tuesday against Herington and against Hesston on July 2.
The final road date of the season is June 28 at Moundridge.
All starts are slated for
6 p.m.
