Hillsboro Indians win district championship in extra innings
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — Though it took the Hillsboro Indians a little longer than they wanted to defeat the Unioto Shermans on Tuesday evening, the little extra wait was well worth snapping a nearly three-decade drought of being district champions.
There was a flair for the dramatic for the Indians in their Division II SE District Final game at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, as the game had numerous calls contested, a play in extra innings that would have ended the game was reversed, and then the big moment for the Indians as they won their first district championship since 1993 by a 6-5 score, moving on to the regional semifinals next week. (Editor's note: Originally, the school believed the last title was in 2002; however, there was an error in their records.)
If there ever was a game that could be described as a “rollercoaster of emotion,” or even “a game of inches,” well, the 2021 SE District Final game was that game, and for the Indians, they were the ones left hoisting the championship trophy to the cheers of their fans.
Hillsboro head coach Matt Garman spoke about the emotions of a game like the Indians had on Tuesday night.
“That game had a little bit of everything. It had great plays, not so great plays, hustle plays, grinder plays … you try to be even keel as the coach for your guys, but it is tough to do in a game like that with it being up and down so much,” Garman said. “I think the heart is still beating, so we’re good, and we are just happy to be district champions.
“We talk to the seniors and all the guys about leaving a legacy. You hope to leave a legacy of winning games and hope to do cool things like winning a district championship, but what is far more important is the freshmen are going to see how you carry yourself in practice. They are going to see the way you carry yourself off the field, and that’s the real legacy. These seniors do it and do it the right way, and the legacy they’ve left this year, and are continuing to leave, will last a long time. These guys are setting the sterling standard. This is a special group, and I don’t think they are going to be outdone anytime soon.”
Getting to extra innings was seven competitive innings between two teams who used stellar pitching to get to the eighth inning, and that is where the game came to a close, but it took the Indians breaking a 4-4 tied score to put their final stamp on the victory.
The top of the eighth is where the Indians regained the lead — as they led 4-1 earlier in the contest — when Nick Lewis forced a six-pitch walk. Lewis caused issues for the Shermans on the bases, taking advantage of a missed throw to first base on a pickoff attempt, allowing him to race to third base with one out. With Ryan Scott at the plate, the senior smashed a single to left field, scoring Lewis from third base and putting the Indians in front, 5-4.
Scott followed the hit by stealing second base, and Tanner Warner followed with a walk on four pitches. Humphries loaded the bases as he also drew a four-pitch walk. Scott scored the final run of the inning off a walk by Spencer Wyckoff on six pitches, taking ball four on a 3-2 count to give the Indians a 6-4 lead.
That final run proved to be of great importance, as things really heated up when Unioto (24-6) was at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With Brad Miller on the mound in relief of Scott, the senior recorded the first out on a fly ball to centerfield. Next came a walk, and a second out came on a pop up to the shortstop. A second base runner reached the bases on a ball hit to right field, giving the Shermans two runners on first and second with two outs.
Here is where the game got really interesting for both teams. On a 2-2 count, the Shermans sent the ball into centerfield, where two Hillsboro players dove for the baseball, and it seemed the Indians came up with the ball as the ball was held in the air. One umpire said the ball was caught, and another called the runner safe at first base, and runners went across the plate.
After a meeting among the umpire crew, the official call was the runner was safe at first, and there was no catch. The same call also allowed the runner at second base to score and another runner to reach second base.
As the Indians had to push a celebration from the original call on the field, the disappointment was short-lived for the Indians, who were the away team on the scoreboard. The ensuing at-bat saw Miller battle, but strike out the batter for the final out to win Hillsboro’s first district championship in 19 years.
“We break the game down into innings … we talk about winning the inning,” Garman said. “We don’t care if we are down or up. We try to shrink the game, we don’t worry about the seven-inning totality of the game, we just worry about ‘hey, it is the fourth inning, let’s win this inning,’” Garman said of losing the four-run lead. “Unfortunately, (Unioto) won some innings, and we weren’t able to win in normal fashion, but I told the guys in extra innings that ‘hey, baseball is fun, and we get to play a little extra baseball in a district championship game … what else can you ask for?’”
Hillsboro finished the game with eight hits and one error, while the Shermans totaled 11 hits and four errors.
The Indians initially took their first lead of the game in the top of the first with Scott reaching the bases on an infield error. Scott took second base on the same error and eventually scored on a groundout by Zach Humphries for a 1-0 lead. Scott was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs and three RBI, while Humphries went 1-for-3 with one RBI and two walks.
“Ryan is a special player, a five-tool player who can do everything,” Garman said. “He pitches well, defensively he’s rock solid, and offensively he’s great … he’s a phenomenal athlete. It is easy to coach a kid like that, and I know I’m biased, but I think he’s the best in our district. I can’t say enough about him.”
Hillsboro raised their lead to 2-0 in the second inning with Coltin Hunter (1-for-4, one run) leading off with a base hit on a line drive to centerfield. Brayden Kisling (1-for-4, one run, one RBI) took three bases in the next at-bat, scoring Hunter for a two-run lead. The Indians added two more runs in the top of the fourth, where Scott singled with two outs, scoring Kisling and Corbin Adams for a 4-0 advantage. Adams was 2-for-4 with one run.
Unioto scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth and tied the score with two runs in the sixth inning and one run in the seventh to force extra innings.
As good as the Indians were on the bases and at the plate, their pitching was strong, with Scott having the no-decision after 6.2 innings in the start. Scott finished allowing four earned runs on nine hits and no walks, throwing 120 pitches and striking out eight.
“Ryan and Tanner have a little competition going with each other that when one has a good outing, the other wants to have a better outing. They elevate each other’s game, and they are great friends, but that competition has made our team so much better,” Garman said. “Really, with this whole senior group, they are all good friends, they all get along, and we are here to do this together. The competition in practice, where you try to one-up everybody else, has made us tough.”
Miller was the winning pitcher, going 1.1 innings in relief. Miller threw 36 pitches, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk. Miller finished with one strikeout.
“We know we have Brad and can bring him in at any moment,” Garman said. “We have tons of confidence in him, and he’s tough to hit, threw well for us and got the outs we needed in a high-leverage moment. He did his job. When everybody does their job, you win games.”
The win improves the Indians to 23-6 overall, as this was their fourth win this postseason as they’ve also defeated Marietta (6-0), Jackson (1-0) and Sheridan (2-0). This was also Hillsboro’s 12th consecutive win, dating back to April 30.
Hillsboro will face the winner of the East 2 District, as Dresden Tri-Valley faces St. Clairsville on Wednesday, May 26 at 5 p.m. The regional semifinal game for HHS will be played on Thursday, June 3 at Teays Valley High School with a start time of 5 p.m.
“I could not be more proud of the way these guys refuse to let what has happened affect what’s going to happen,” Garman said of his team and their fight. “That’s good or bad. If we have a good inning, we don’t let it affect our mentality and how we approach the next inning. If we have a bad inning, we don’t let it affect us either. That was us to a T (Tuesday).
“There were tons of great things and tons of bad things that happened, but they just kept locking in and doing the next thing right. It was unbelievable, and I’m so proud of their performance.”
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There was a flair for the dramatic for the Indians in their Division II SE District Final game at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, as the game had numerous calls contested, a play in extra innings that would have ended the game was reversed, and then the big moment for the Indians as they won their first district championship since 1993 by a 6-5 score, moving on to the regional semifinals next week. (Editor's note: Originally, the school believed the last title was in 2002; however, there was an error in their records.)
If there ever was a game that could be described as a “rollercoaster of emotion,” or even “a game of inches,” well, the 2021 SE District Final game was that game, and for the Indians, they were the ones left hoisting the championship trophy to the cheers of their fans.
Hillsboro head coach Matt Garman spoke about the emotions of a game like the Indians had on Tuesday night.
“That game had a little bit of everything. It had great plays, not so great plays, hustle plays, grinder plays … you try to be even keel as the coach for your guys, but it is tough to do in a game like that with it being up and down so much,” Garman said. “I think the heart is still beating, so we’re good, and we are just happy to be district champions.
“We talk to the seniors and all the guys about leaving a legacy. You hope to leave a legacy of winning games and hope to do cool things like winning a district championship, but what is far more important is the freshmen are going to see how you carry yourself in practice. They are going to see the way you carry yourself off the field, and that’s the real legacy. These seniors do it and do it the right way, and the legacy they’ve left this year, and are continuing to leave, will last a long time. These guys are setting the sterling standard. This is a special group, and I don’t think they are going to be outdone anytime soon.”
Getting to extra innings was seven competitive innings between two teams who used stellar pitching to get to the eighth inning, and that is where the game came to a close, but it took the Indians breaking a 4-4 tied score to put their final stamp on the victory.
The top of the eighth is where the Indians regained the lead — as they led 4-1 earlier in the contest — when Nick Lewis forced a six-pitch walk. Lewis caused issues for the Shermans on the bases, taking advantage of a missed throw to first base on a pickoff attempt, allowing him to race to third base with one out. With Ryan Scott at the plate, the senior smashed a single to left field, scoring Lewis from third base and putting the Indians in front, 5-4.
Scott followed the hit by stealing second base, and Tanner Warner followed with a walk on four pitches. Humphries loaded the bases as he also drew a four-pitch walk. Scott scored the final run of the inning off a walk by Spencer Wyckoff on six pitches, taking ball four on a 3-2 count to give the Indians a 6-4 lead.
That final run proved to be of great importance, as things really heated up when Unioto (24-6) was at the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With Brad Miller on the mound in relief of Scott, the senior recorded the first out on a fly ball to centerfield. Next came a walk, and a second out came on a pop up to the shortstop. A second base runner reached the bases on a ball hit to right field, giving the Shermans two runners on first and second with two outs.
Here is where the game got really interesting for both teams. On a 2-2 count, the Shermans sent the ball into centerfield, where two Hillsboro players dove for the baseball, and it seemed the Indians came up with the ball as the ball was held in the air. One umpire said the ball was caught, and another called the runner safe at first base, and runners went across the plate.
After a meeting among the umpire crew, the official call was the runner was safe at first, and there was no catch. The same call also allowed the runner at second base to score and another runner to reach second base.
As the Indians had to push a celebration from the original call on the field, the disappointment was short-lived for the Indians, who were the away team on the scoreboard. The ensuing at-bat saw Miller battle, but strike out the batter for the final out to win Hillsboro’s first district championship in 19 years.
“We break the game down into innings … we talk about winning the inning,” Garman said. “We don’t care if we are down or up. We try to shrink the game, we don’t worry about the seven-inning totality of the game, we just worry about ‘hey, it is the fourth inning, let’s win this inning,’” Garman said of losing the four-run lead. “Unfortunately, (Unioto) won some innings, and we weren’t able to win in normal fashion, but I told the guys in extra innings that ‘hey, baseball is fun, and we get to play a little extra baseball in a district championship game … what else can you ask for?’”
Hillsboro finished the game with eight hits and one error, while the Shermans totaled 11 hits and four errors.
The Indians initially took their first lead of the game in the top of the first with Scott reaching the bases on an infield error. Scott took second base on the same error and eventually scored on a groundout by Zach Humphries for a 1-0 lead. Scott was 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs and three RBI, while Humphries went 1-for-3 with one RBI and two walks.
“Ryan is a special player, a five-tool player who can do everything,” Garman said. “He pitches well, defensively he’s rock solid, and offensively he’s great … he’s a phenomenal athlete. It is easy to coach a kid like that, and I know I’m biased, but I think he’s the best in our district. I can’t say enough about him.”
Hillsboro raised their lead to 2-0 in the second inning with Coltin Hunter (1-for-4, one run) leading off with a base hit on a line drive to centerfield. Brayden Kisling (1-for-4, one run, one RBI) took three bases in the next at-bat, scoring Hunter for a two-run lead. The Indians added two more runs in the top of the fourth, where Scott singled with two outs, scoring Kisling and Corbin Adams for a 4-0 advantage. Adams was 2-for-4 with one run.
Unioto scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth and tied the score with two runs in the sixth inning and one run in the seventh to force extra innings.
As good as the Indians were on the bases and at the plate, their pitching was strong, with Scott having the no-decision after 6.2 innings in the start. Scott finished allowing four earned runs on nine hits and no walks, throwing 120 pitches and striking out eight.
“Ryan and Tanner have a little competition going with each other that when one has a good outing, the other wants to have a better outing. They elevate each other’s game, and they are great friends, but that competition has made our team so much better,” Garman said. “Really, with this whole senior group, they are all good friends, they all get along, and we are here to do this together. The competition in practice, where you try to one-up everybody else, has made us tough.”
Miller was the winning pitcher, going 1.1 innings in relief. Miller threw 36 pitches, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk. Miller finished with one strikeout.
“We know we have Brad and can bring him in at any moment,” Garman said. “We have tons of confidence in him, and he’s tough to hit, threw well for us and got the outs we needed in a high-leverage moment. He did his job. When everybody does their job, you win games.”
The win improves the Indians to 23-6 overall, as this was their fourth win this postseason as they’ve also defeated Marietta (6-0), Jackson (1-0) and Sheridan (2-0). This was also Hillsboro’s 12th consecutive win, dating back to April 30.
Hillsboro will face the winner of the East 2 District, as Dresden Tri-Valley faces St. Clairsville on Wednesday, May 26 at 5 p.m. The regional semifinal game for HHS will be played on Thursday, June 3 at Teays Valley High School with a start time of 5 p.m.
“I could not be more proud of the way these guys refuse to let what has happened affect what’s going to happen,” Garman said of his team and their fight. “That’s good or bad. If we have a good inning, we don’t let it affect our mentality and how we approach the next inning. If we have a bad inning, we don’t let it affect us either. That was us to a T (Tuesday).
“There were tons of great things and tons of bad things that happened, but they just kept locking in and doing the next thing right. It was unbelievable, and I’m so proud of their performance.”
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