Finishing the regular season 17-2, the Hillsboro Post 366 senior Babe Ruth team will enter the District 6 tournament on a nine-game winning streak.
Hillsboro wrapped up its regular season, sweeping Chapman, 10-2 and 11-9, in Hillsboro June 29, and Marion, 19-12 and 11-9, in Marion Thursday.
Facing an 11-8 deficit heading into the final inning at Marion, Post 366 scored 11 runs in the top of the seventh and held Marion to one run in the bottom of the seventh to secure a Game 1 victory.
Matt Hiebert started the rally, getting hit by a pitch to get on base. He scored later, sparking a streak in which Hillsboro scored 11 of 13 batters to take a 19-11 advantage.
Marion?s Wil Case scored in the bottom of the seventh on a David Helmer single. The game ended with the next two batters as Heath Hill struck out and Cole Lewman grounded out to third.
In Game 2, Hillsboro relied again on a multiple run in the top of the seventh to beat the Warriors.
Holding a narrow 7-6 lead entering the final inning, Hillsboro received runs from Rustyn Kerbs, Ben Gardner, Derk Kelsey, and Devin Funk to take an 11-6 advantage.
Marion scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh with Matt Sprowls, Evan Slater and Jacob Harper crossing home plate.
The two wins Thursday completed a Babe Ruth season sweep over Marion for Hillsboro. The intra-county rivals squared off June 22 in Hillsboro with Post 366 winning, 16-4 and 4-3.
Chapman?Hillsboro started the week with a sweep of Chapman. The first contest only took five innings as Hillsboro?s bats came alive in the third, fourth and fifth innings to run-rule Chapman.
Post 366?s biggest inning was the third, in which they rattled off five runs. Luke Moore, Jacob Fish, Rustyn Kerbs, Ben Gardner and Tyler Ediger all scored in the big inning.
Kerbs and Gardner scored again in the fourth. Cole Svoboda rounded out the scoring in the fifth.
Moore pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out four.
Game 2 was a different ball game. Chapman opened with a three-run inning.
Hillsboro answered, scoring its first two batters, Fish and Funk, in the bottom of the first.
Scoring four runs in the bottom of the second, Hillsboro took a 6-3 advantage on a three-run triple by Gardner, who was driven home by an Ediger double.
Post 366 extended its lead to 9-4 in the bottom of the third, on runs from Matt Biehler, Svoboda and Matt Martin.
Chapman scored three times, but Hillsboro answered with two scores by Svoboda and Kerbs. Chapman scored s run in the sixth and seventh, to round out the scoring.
Coming?Post 366 enters the District 6 tournament as the No.1 seed and will play the winner of Salina LDA and Chase County at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Lyons.
The championship rounds of the double-elimination tournament are scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., if needed. Loser-bracket games are slated for Saturday.
Hillsboro swept Chase County in the regular season and was 3-1 against Salina LDA.
Marion will be the No. 3 seed in the District 4 tournament and will participate in the opening round Thursday against Abilene in Lyons. The winner will advance to play Inman Friday at 6 p.m.
Championship rounds are scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., if needed.
