Hillsboro’s baseball team enjoyed its most competitive week of the season. The Trojans lost a pair of 4-2 games at Kingman on Friday after a doubleheader sweep of Lyons on Tuesday.
In the opener at Kingman, Hillsboro ended a scoreless game by scoring a run in the top of the fifth inning behind the pitching of senior Braden Vogt.
Bryant Young and Kaden Kleiner managed consecutive singles, Tyson Reimer sacrificed the runners to second and third and then Young scored on a sacrifice fly by Vogt.
But the Eagles rallied in the bottom of the inning for three runs on a walk, two singles, an error in the outfield, another single and a steal of home.
After Kingman added a fourth run in the sixth inning, Hillsboro scored again. Kleiner singled with one out and eventually crossed the plate on a two-out single by Vogt.
Vogt pitched 52⁄3 innings, striking out seven Eagles but also surrendering all four runs. Kleiner went 3-for-4 at the plate.
In Game 2, Kingman rallied from a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Hillsboro had taken a 2-0 lead on a leadoff walk by Ben Koop and back-to-back doubles with two outs by Kleiner and Reimer.
Kingman responded with one run in the home half of the inning off starter Avery Unruh. Kingman then broke loose for three more runs, fueled by a double off Unruh and then a hit batter and three walks issued by Jorge Hanschu, who came in to relieve Unruh.
Lyons—Hillsboro achieved its first doubleheader sweep of the season, posting 4-2 and 9-3 wins over the hometown team April 25.
The Trojans broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning in Game 1. With one out, Bryant Young drew a walk and Kaden Kleiner followed with an infield single. Chance Elliott, pinch-running for Young, scored on an infield single by Tyson Reimer.
Reimer was picked off first base, but Braden Vogt chased Kleiner home with a triple to left field.
Brooks Gardner, who came in to relieve starter Jaxton Tracy, hit a pair of Lyons batters. With two runners on base, Avery Unruh came in to relieve Gardner. He coaxed a fly out to right for the second out, then fielding a ground-ball out to secure the victory.
In Game 2, a five-run fourth inning carried Hillsboro to a 9-3 victory.
Lyons had staked a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off starting pitcher Kaden Kleiner.
In the top of the fourth, Jacob Funk singled in one run, and Jorge Hanschu tripled, scoring Funk. Ben Koop drove in the third run with a single and Bryant Young doubled, driving in two more runs.
Lyons countered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Kleiner shut down the Lions the rest of the way. Hillsboro scored three more times in sixth inning and added a final run in the seventh for the 9-3 margin.
Kleiner went the distance, scattering eight hits. He struck out seven Lions and did not surrender a walk.
Coming—Hillsboro was to host Halstead on Tuesday at Memorial Field, then will play at Remington on Friday. Games begin at 4 p.m.
