Hillsboro Indians win Wildcats Wooden Bat Classic; defeat Whiteoak, Rock Hill
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Friday and Saturday were two very productive days for the Hillsboro Indians baseball team as they defeated the Jackson Ironmen in Frontier Athletic Conference play on Friday and then won twice Saturday to win the Wildcats Wooden Bat Classic by defeating Rock Hill and Whiteoak.
The Hillsboro Indians won the Wildcat Wooden Bat Classic Saturday by gaining a 3-1 victory over the host Whiteoak Wildcats.
“We were real aggressive on the base paths, but we usually are. It caught us a couple times, but we know more times than not it is going to pay off at this level,” HHS head coach Matt Garman said. “This game was two fantastic teams playing each other and was a great game to be a part of and to watch.
[[In-content Ad]]
“I know the kids had fun, and this is what baseball is supposed to be. When you have two great pitchers going, with guys making plays behind them, it makes the game quick, and it was a great game to be a part of.”
Both the Wildcats and Indians are having strong seasons, and it showed Saturday afternoon with the Indians having two runs in the top of the third, but the Wildcats were right there, answering with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
HHS added one insurance run in the top of the fourth to seal the win. HHS committed no errors and had six total hits for the game. The story for Whiteoak was they did have five hits, but the previously undefeated Wildcats committed an uncharacteristic four errors in their first loss of the season.
“We needed competition like we saw today,” WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. “Bethel-Tate was 9-0 and Hillsboro is a strong Division II school, and we knew we needed to play that type of competition. We did OK. We weren’t great, but we split, though we wanted to sweep. Against Hillsboro, it simply came down to the freebie war, and we lost it. It is a lesson learned, and we’ll learn from this and move on.”
Hillsboro’s two-run third inning was all compiled with two outs. Following the Indians recording outs in the first two at-bats in the top of the third, Ethan Humphries helped keep the inning alive with a seven-pitch walk. He took second on a passed ball and scored on a line drive single by Ethan Watson for the 1-0 lead.
Watson then stole second base and took third on a wild pitch, as Grant Crum kept the inning going by reaching first base on a dropped third strike via the aforementioned wild pitch. Watson scored the second run of the inning on an infield error for the 2-0 lead.
Whiteoak responded with one run in their half of the third, beginning with Traeten Hamilton reaching first base on a hit to left field with an 0-2 count. Zach Harless doubled with a hard hit ball to left field — on an 0-2 count — plating Hamilton.
The final run of the game came in the top of the fourth with Luke Magulac getting things rolling with a single past the third baseman with one out. Following an infield error, Magulac went from first to third, as the inning now had two outs. Magulac used aggressive base-running, and eventually he reached home on a passed ball, pushing the Indians’ lead to 3-1.
Hillsboro scattered out their hitting with six players each having one hit in the win. Those hits were by Watson (one run, one RBI), Jared Thompson, Magulac (one run), Priest, Brock Haines (one walk) and Humphries (one run, one walk). Crum was also hit by a pitch, while Humphries and Watson each finished with a steal.
Scott was the winning pitcher for the Indians, pitching a complete game of seven innings. With 94 pitches in the game, Scott allowed one run (earned) on five hits and one walk. Scott totaled eight strikeouts in the victory.
“What can you say about Ryan Scott?” He pitched excellent today and stepped up against a team that went to the state tournament last year, and he’s just a sophomore,” Garman said. “To throw the way he did today against an undefeated team shows what kind of a competitor he is. Every time he shows up to the field, he competes.
“We were talking about when we had some bullpen work going in the fifth inning, not just for pitch count, but he looked like he was getting tired. Then the sixth inning he came out, and Ryan had the best inning of the game. Then the seventh inning he looked even better, so he got stronger as the game went on. I can’t say enough — it was a phenomenal game by Ryan.”
Whiteoak’s Veidt also praised Scott for his outing.
“Their pitcher (Ryan) Scott pitched a great game,” he said. “He held us to a run, and not many people are going to do that, so congratulations and hats off to him.”
For the Wildcats, they totaled five hits in the loss, as Hamilton, Harless, Mason Lehr, Ty Large and Ryan Roberts each had one hit, including doubles by Harless and Roberts.
The loss on the mound was charged to Hamilton, who in five innings allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk. Hamilton finished the game with 89 pitches.
Harless went two innings of relief for Whiteoak. In those innings, he allowed no runs and no hits, walked one and finished with one strikeout.
- - -
At the Wildcats Wooden Bat Classic, the Hillsboro Indians played twice on the day as they won the tournament by defeating Rock Hill in the opening game at Shaffer Park, then traveling to Mowrystown to defeat the Whiteoak Wildcats.
In the first game on Saturday, the Indians won over Rock Hill by a score of 8-2, where the Indians were the away team on their home field, gaining eight hits and having one error. On the other side, Rock Hill had three hits and one error.
“We played great, and I think Rock Hill ran out of pitching, but it was good for us because we got a lot of guys in and got guys reps,” Garman said. “That is always good to get some of the young guys in and some of the guys who aren’t starters … to cut their teeth a bit, and if we need them later in the season, they’ll have that experience.”
Hillsboro led 2-1 at the end of the first inning, and they followed that with a four-run second inning and two more runs in the top of the third to complete their scoring. Rock Hill added their final run in the bottom of the seventh.
Seven different players for the Indians had at least one hit, with Grant Crum going 2-for-2 with one run and three RBI.
Having one hit each were Ethan Watson (two runs, one RBI, one walk), Jared Thompson, Dylan Boone (two RBI, one walk), Luke Magulac (two RBI, one walk, a double), Ryan Scott (one walk, steal), Brock Haines (two walks) and Ryan Harless (two run, one walk).
The Indians also saw Cullen Barney force a walk, and Brock Haines had two walks. Also with two walks was Tanner Warner.
Ethan Watson was the winning pitcher, finishing with 61 pitches in four innings. Watson allowed one run (earned) on three hits and three walks. Watson also struck out four batters in the win.
Brad Miller pitched three innings of relief, In 39 pitches, Miller allowed one run on no hits and one walk. Miller ended his relief outing with four strikeouts.
- - -
Though the score didn’t look like it, the Indians and Ironmen went to extra innings on Friday night in their FAC showdown with the Indians securing a 10-2 victory over Jackson by having an eight-run top of the eighth inning to seal the victory.
The Indians, after scoring two runs in the top of the fifth, saw Jackson battle back to force extras with one run in their half of the fifth, as their first run was scored earlier in the bottom of the third.
For the game, the Indians totaled 14 hits against their conference counterpart, with Grant Crum being the hits leader on Friday, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. One of Crum’s hits was a double, and he was also hit by a pitch.
Having two hits apiece for the Indians were Ethan Watson (two runs, one RBI), Jared Thompson (one run, one RBI, a double, one walk), Ryan Scott (one run, one RBI, one walk) and Brock Haines (one run, one RBI, double).
The Indians had one hit each made by Dylan Boone (one run, two RBI), Luke Magulac and Brennen Priest (one run). Also for the Indians, Tanner Warner forced two walks, and Ethan Humphries collected one RBI.
Magulac was the winning pitcher for the Indians as he pitched six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks. Magulac struck out five batters and threw a total of 89 pitches.
Warner pitched in relief, where in two innings (18 pitches) he allowed no runs on one hit and had one strikeout.
The Hillsboro Indians won the Wildcat Wooden Bat Classic Saturday by gaining a 3-1 victory over the host Whiteoak Wildcats.
“We were real aggressive on the base paths, but we usually are. It caught us a couple times, but we know more times than not it is going to pay off at this level,” HHS head coach Matt Garman said. “This game was two fantastic teams playing each other and was a great game to be a part of and to watch.
[[In-content Ad]]
“I know the kids had fun, and this is what baseball is supposed to be. When you have two great pitchers going, with guys making plays behind them, it makes the game quick, and it was a great game to be a part of.”
Both the Wildcats and Indians are having strong seasons, and it showed Saturday afternoon with the Indians having two runs in the top of the third, but the Wildcats were right there, answering with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
HHS added one insurance run in the top of the fourth to seal the win. HHS committed no errors and had six total hits for the game. The story for Whiteoak was they did have five hits, but the previously undefeated Wildcats committed an uncharacteristic four errors in their first loss of the season.
“We needed competition like we saw today,” WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. “Bethel-Tate was 9-0 and Hillsboro is a strong Division II school, and we knew we needed to play that type of competition. We did OK. We weren’t great, but we split, though we wanted to sweep. Against Hillsboro, it simply came down to the freebie war, and we lost it. It is a lesson learned, and we’ll learn from this and move on.”
Hillsboro’s two-run third inning was all compiled with two outs. Following the Indians recording outs in the first two at-bats in the top of the third, Ethan Humphries helped keep the inning alive with a seven-pitch walk. He took second on a passed ball and scored on a line drive single by Ethan Watson for the 1-0 lead.
Watson then stole second base and took third on a wild pitch, as Grant Crum kept the inning going by reaching first base on a dropped third strike via the aforementioned wild pitch. Watson scored the second run of the inning on an infield error for the 2-0 lead.
Whiteoak responded with one run in their half of the third, beginning with Traeten Hamilton reaching first base on a hit to left field with an 0-2 count. Zach Harless doubled with a hard hit ball to left field — on an 0-2 count — plating Hamilton.
The final run of the game came in the top of the fourth with Luke Magulac getting things rolling with a single past the third baseman with one out. Following an infield error, Magulac went from first to third, as the inning now had two outs. Magulac used aggressive base-running, and eventually he reached home on a passed ball, pushing the Indians’ lead to 3-1.
Hillsboro scattered out their hitting with six players each having one hit in the win. Those hits were by Watson (one run, one RBI), Jared Thompson, Magulac (one run), Priest, Brock Haines (one walk) and Humphries (one run, one walk). Crum was also hit by a pitch, while Humphries and Watson each finished with a steal.
Scott was the winning pitcher for the Indians, pitching a complete game of seven innings. With 94 pitches in the game, Scott allowed one run (earned) on five hits and one walk. Scott totaled eight strikeouts in the victory.
“What can you say about Ryan Scott?” He pitched excellent today and stepped up against a team that went to the state tournament last year, and he’s just a sophomore,” Garman said. “To throw the way he did today against an undefeated team shows what kind of a competitor he is. Every time he shows up to the field, he competes.
“We were talking about when we had some bullpen work going in the fifth inning, not just for pitch count, but he looked like he was getting tired. Then the sixth inning he came out, and Ryan had the best inning of the game. Then the seventh inning he looked even better, so he got stronger as the game went on. I can’t say enough — it was a phenomenal game by Ryan.”
Whiteoak’s Veidt also praised Scott for his outing.
“Their pitcher (Ryan) Scott pitched a great game,” he said. “He held us to a run, and not many people are going to do that, so congratulations and hats off to him.”
For the Wildcats, they totaled five hits in the loss, as Hamilton, Harless, Mason Lehr, Ty Large and Ryan Roberts each had one hit, including doubles by Harless and Roberts.
The loss on the mound was charged to Hamilton, who in five innings allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk. Hamilton finished the game with 89 pitches.
Harless went two innings of relief for Whiteoak. In those innings, he allowed no runs and no hits, walked one and finished with one strikeout.
- - -
At the Wildcats Wooden Bat Classic, the Hillsboro Indians played twice on the day as they won the tournament by defeating Rock Hill in the opening game at Shaffer Park, then traveling to Mowrystown to defeat the Whiteoak Wildcats.
In the first game on Saturday, the Indians won over Rock Hill by a score of 8-2, where the Indians were the away team on their home field, gaining eight hits and having one error. On the other side, Rock Hill had three hits and one error.
“We played great, and I think Rock Hill ran out of pitching, but it was good for us because we got a lot of guys in and got guys reps,” Garman said. “That is always good to get some of the young guys in and some of the guys who aren’t starters … to cut their teeth a bit, and if we need them later in the season, they’ll have that experience.”
Hillsboro led 2-1 at the end of the first inning, and they followed that with a four-run second inning and two more runs in the top of the third to complete their scoring. Rock Hill added their final run in the bottom of the seventh.
Seven different players for the Indians had at least one hit, with Grant Crum going 2-for-2 with one run and three RBI.
Having one hit each were Ethan Watson (two runs, one RBI, one walk), Jared Thompson, Dylan Boone (two RBI, one walk), Luke Magulac (two RBI, one walk, a double), Ryan Scott (one walk, steal), Brock Haines (two walks) and Ryan Harless (two run, one walk).
The Indians also saw Cullen Barney force a walk, and Brock Haines had two walks. Also with two walks was Tanner Warner.
Ethan Watson was the winning pitcher, finishing with 61 pitches in four innings. Watson allowed one run (earned) on three hits and three walks. Watson also struck out four batters in the win.
Brad Miller pitched three innings of relief, In 39 pitches, Miller allowed one run on no hits and one walk. Miller ended his relief outing with four strikeouts.
- - -
Though the score didn’t look like it, the Indians and Ironmen went to extra innings on Friday night in their FAC showdown with the Indians securing a 10-2 victory over Jackson by having an eight-run top of the eighth inning to seal the victory.
The Indians, after scoring two runs in the top of the fifth, saw Jackson battle back to force extras with one run in their half of the fifth, as their first run was scored earlier in the bottom of the third.
For the game, the Indians totaled 14 hits against their conference counterpart, with Grant Crum being the hits leader on Friday, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. One of Crum’s hits was a double, and he was also hit by a pitch.
Having two hits apiece for the Indians were Ethan Watson (two runs, one RBI), Jared Thompson (one run, one RBI, a double, one walk), Ryan Scott (one run, one RBI, one walk) and Brock Haines (one run, one RBI, double).
The Indians had one hit each made by Dylan Boone (one run, two RBI), Luke Magulac and Brennen Priest (one run). Also for the Indians, Tanner Warner forced two walks, and Ethan Humphries collected one RBI.
Magulac was the winning pitcher for the Indians as he pitched six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and four walks. Magulac struck out five batters and threw a total of 89 pitches.
Warner pitched in relief, where in two innings (18 pitches) he allowed no runs on one hit and had one strikeout.