Trojans rebound with win against Kingman

Ben Gardner?s three-run home run in the first inning of Game 2 set the tone for Hills?boro?s 13-4 win over Kingman and a split of a doubleheader in the Eagles? home park.

Enabled by 10 Trojan errors, Kingman claimed the first game, 9-3. All nine Eagle runs were unearned.

The Trojans rebounded from the loss to knock 12 hits in the second game, which was shortened to five innings because of impending bad weather. Their lead grew to as much as 13-1 after scoring five runs in both the third and fifth innings.

That was more than enough run support for starting pitcher Dylan Delk, who gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth with the aid of two errors by his teammates.

?It was a little bittersweet we ended the game the way we did because we looked real good until that last half inning,? coach Doug Dick said. ?I thought we played a real solid game all the way around. We needed that.?

Delk finished with a six-hitter; only one of Kingman?s runs were earned. The senior walked two and struck out two en route to his second win of the season.

In Game 1, Kingman broke a 1-1 pitching duel between Lyle Adelhardt and Hillsboro?s Kale Arnold with two runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth.

Arnold surrendered a run on two hits in the opening inning, then allowed only one more hit through the third inning. But two hits and three errors opened the gate for two runs in the fourth. Arnold, who threw five innings, allowed no earned runs on six hits while striking out seven Eagles and walking one.

Luke Moore came in to pitch the sixth, and surrendered Kingman?s final three runs on three hits and three more errors.

Hillsboro managed nine hits in the game, including two each by Arnold and Lucas Sinclair.

?I thought they were a little better than what I anticipated,? Dick said of Hillsboro?s first encounter with the Eagles. ?They were solid defensively. They didn?t commit any errors and their pitcher didn?t walk anybody, at least in the first game.

?Our starting pitching is starting to come around,? he added. ?That wasn?t the issue. The issue was our fielding and our hitting. We had a lot of one-hit innings (in Game 1).

?Even though we had some mental and physical mistakes that first game, I was pleased with the second game. We pulled it together pretty well.?

Coming?Hillsboro (2-2) was scheduled to play at Lyons Tues?day, then will host Halstead Friday at Memorial Field. Game time is 4:30 p.m.

More from Hillsboro Free Press
Wheat State League announces 2023 All-League Volleyball Team
Several Goessel High School athletes have been named to the Wheat State...
Read More