Warriors return favor with road sweep of Hillsboro
Sports reporter
You sweep me, I'll sweep you.
Nearly a month after the Hillsboro Trojans came into Marion and took two games from the Warriors, Marion traveled to Hillsboro Thursday and evened the playing field.
Calvin Jeffrey was 8-9 with two walks, and earned a win and a save on the mound, as the Marion High School defeated the Trojans 11-10 in nine innings, and 9-6.
The Warriors (6-12) trailed 10-6 in the top of seventh inning in game one.
Adam Maag led off the inning by flying out to left field, and it seemed the Trojans would easily take the victory.
But Marshall Ragland didn't think so.
The sophomore started the big inning with a double, and would later score on a two-out RBI-single from catcher Matt Sprowls.
Isaac Hett then delivered a single, and Jeffrey came to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs.
The senior didn't deliver anything dramatic, mainly because all four pitches thrown to him were in the dirt.
Zan Fine then came up with the bases loaded, as Hillsboro coach Phil Oelke counted with hard-throwing closer Daniel Jost.
Fine ripped a one-hopper to the left side that third baseman Jacob Fish dived to stop, but had no play, making the score 10-8 Hillsboro.
Brian Fruechting, who started the game on the mound and struggled to the tune of nine walks, made up for it at the plate.
He ripped a two-run single to the right side, tying the game that would eventually go into extra innings.
The Trojans had a leadoff runner on in the eighth, but Jeffrey worked out of it to give his team a chance to win.
In the top of the ninth, the senior started a rally with a single.
Fine then doubled, followed by another RBI-single from Fruechting.
Ragland was up with the bases loaded and just one out, but grounded into a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.
Jeffrey struck out the first two in the bottom of the ninth, but a fielding error off a Fish batted ball, kept the inning alive.
A single and some stolen bases put runners on second and third, but fittingly the final play ended with the ball in Jeffrey's hand with a 1-3 putout.
The senior was 4-5 with three doubles, four runs scored, and an RBI.
He also pitched three innings, allowing three hits, no runs, and struck out three, to earn the victory.
Fruechting was 2-6 with the three big RBIs, Sprowls had four hits, and Maag and Colton Olsen each had an RBI.
Game two featured some back-and-forth action with MHS leading 2-0, Hillsboro jumping ahead 3-2, and the Warriors claiming the lead for good in the fourth, 6-3.
MHS tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to eventually win 9-6.
Ragland earned the win by pitching five innings, and Jeffrey notched a save by pitching two scoreless innings.
He was perfect at the plate, going 4-4 with three runs and an RBI. He also was intentionally walked.
All but one started recorded a hit for Marion, while Sprowls and Mitch Cady each had two.
Hett chipped in with two RBIs, as did Maag, Fruechting, and Fine.
Marion 2-0, Lyons 8-5
The bats were quiet April 29 in a home doubleheader against Lyons.
The Warriors managed a total of nine hits and two runs in two losses to the Lions.
Lyons threw just two pitchers in the two games, and Maag, who was 2-3 in game one, recorded the team's only RBI of the night.
Jeffrey was 3-4 in game one, but 0-3 in game two, giving him a .625 (11-16) batting average for the week.
Fruechting and Corey Seacat each had a hit in game one.
The Warriors went only four batters past the minimum in game two, as Fine and Logan Richmond each recorded singles.
Ragland fared well on the mound, pitching seven innings, allowing six hits and five runs, while striking out three in the loss.
MHS played Sacred Heart Tuesday at home to wrap up the season.
Regional play begins next week at the Marion Baseball/Softball complex.
