Late rally not enough; Indians ousted in districts

CHILLICOTHE — Hillsboro rallied with a valiant effort in the seventh inning, but errors and being unable to string consecutive hits together proved to be just too much to overcome Tuesday in a Division II SE District semifinal game.

The game saw the Tribe commit four errors, some of which led to runs, along with leaving nine runners on the bases, leading to a 4-3 semifinal loss to the Division II No. 10 state-ranked Gallia Academy Blue Devils at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.

"This loss really stings, since it means this is the last time I get to write this lineup down," Hillsboro head coach Tim Hunt said. "We have nine great seniors, and saying goodbye to them is tough.

"Unfortunately, baseball is a game that will break your heart, but it's a game that can give you some of the highest points of your life … (Tuesday) it broke our heart, but our guys will bounce back."

Gallia Academy (the No. 1 seed in the district) led after the bottom of the second inning with designated hitter Jimmy Clagg starting the inning with a double. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Drew Young and scored on an infield error with one out.

The Indians answered in the top of the third with Kyler White taking first base on a walk, and with two outs, Corey Walker walked, moving White to second base. A single to centerfield by Paul Snyder (on a 1-1 count) scored White, tying the score at one.

Then the bottom of the fourth happened … changing the entire landscape of the game.

Clagg opened the inning for the Blue Devils, who are 22-6 overall, with a walk, and moved to second on a five-pitch walk by Young. Both runners advanced a base on a throwing error in the infield. With one out, a fielder's choice by Gus Graham scored Clagg for a 2-1 lead.

The lead continued to grow for the Blue Devils with a squeeze bunt by Brandon Taylor, scoring a charging Young from third base. Following an infield base hit by Zach Thomas, Ty Warnimont singled in Graham with two outs for a 4-1 lead.

After more missed opportunities on the bases and in the field, the Indians had one last rally left in them for the '12 season, starting with an infield base hit by Chase Gilliland on a 1-1 count. White followed with a single to centerfield, and Brandon Wilson moved runners over on a ground out to first base.

Corey Walker batted in Gilliland on a ground out to second base, and with two outs, Snyder reached on an infield error on a high throw to first base, scoring White, making it a one-run game. The final out of the season came on a ground out to the shortstop, who threw the ball to first base, ending the season of the Indians.

HHS finished 1-1 in the postseason, as they defeated the Washington Blue Lions last week at Shaffer Park for a sectional title.

As for HHS failing to capitalize on missed opportunities, they left the bases loaded in the second, as the second out came on a failed squeeze opportunity, as the Indians were unable to get the bunt down, leaving the charging runner from third base with nowhere to go for the second out of the inning.

"We have been talking to the guys, especially the past two weeks, about bunting … today it was obvious we struggled with that," Hunt said. "We had some missed opportunities, and we didn't execute this time.

"When you have runners on base all game … against a great starter, we made him work and worked the count, but he kept us off-balanced. I liked our approach at the plate. (Tuesday) came down to a couple missed opportunities."

In the third, HHS left two runners on the bases, and in the third, Brandon Carter was left attending at first base as he took the bases by beating a throw to first on a dropped third strike.

"If we don't have mental miscues early, we could be talking about a different game," Hunt said.

In the sixth, HHS left two more runners on the bases with Snyder leading off the inning with a four-pitch walk, taking second on a passed ball. Again, Carter was left on the bases after he, for the second time, took third on a dropped third strike, hustling out the throw to first.

The loss was charged to Tyler Griego. The senior pitched five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, one hit batter and four walks. He struck out two.

"Tyler pitched a great game and should be proud of the way he pitched," Hunt said.

Walker pitched one inning in relief, allowing no runs on one hit, as his outs came via a fielder's choice at second and two pop ups hit to right field, caught by Trey Moberly.

The winning pitcher was No. 8 for Gallia Academy. He went all seven innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks, while striking out six.

Gaining the six hits for HHS were White, Walker, Snyder, Griego, Ty Crum and Gilliland. Drawing the walks were White, Walker, Snyder and Carter.

Gallia Academy totaled five hits with five different players gaining the hits.

Hunt spoke about the season in general.

"We really came together as a team the past two weeks, and we worked really hard in practice," he said. "Again, we are going to miss this senior class."

Gallia Academy will play in the district final on Thursday as they will take on Miami Trace. Miami Trace defeated Waverly, 3-2 in eight innings in the second game Tuesday at VA Memorial.

BOX SCORE
GA 010 300 0 — 4 5 1
HHS 001 000 2 — 3 6 4