HILLSDALE COUNTY — Baseball and softball action heated up for the first week of the spring sports season. While not every team managed to see the field before April 4, plenty of action happened around the area that caught our attention.
The biggest influx of wins this week came over in Hillsdale, where the Hornet varsity baseball team got off to a hot start with three wins. The week for Hillsdale started with a doubleheader against Quincy. Quincy took game one 8-6, but a couple fly outs fall for the Hornets and we could have been looking at an undefeated week.
The Hornets got back on track with 7-5 win in a short game two, ending after just three innings. Nonetheless, the Hornets built off of that to earn 13-3 and 17-1 victories over Vandercook Lake. The bats have heated up for the Hornets, which is a strong sign of things to come later this season.
This included a home run for senior shortstop Jace Lennox, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs (two steals) in the second game against Vandercook. This is the first recorded homer of the year for local baseball teams. Lennox went two-for-three with an RBI double and another three runs (five steals) in the first game against the Jayhawks.
Another senior having a strong start to the year is Anderson Hollaway, whose seven hits, including five doubles, leads the team stat lines. He has drove in three runs so far and scored six. He leads the team in on-base percentage (.769) and slugging percentage (1.200). He has stolen five bases. He earned his first win on the mound in the 17-1 win over the Jayhawks with just one hit given up while striking out eight batters. With a WHIP of .667 in the win, he was our choice pick for Week 1 Athlete of the Week.
Tydan Bible also earned a win on the mound, striking out six batters in game one against the Jayhawks and giving up just two earned runs. Senior Wyatt Whatola had three strikeouts in three innings pitched for Hillsdale in the shortened game against Quincy. Andrew Van Wormer is tied for the team lead with eight strikeouts himself. Tyan Duff has six hits and leads the team with six RBIs. Colton Wolf has 16 putouts in the field, and Noah Davis has 14.
We'll see how well the Hornets hold up against league competition on Tuesday, facing Onsted at home.
Hillsdale softball freshman puts in 24 strikeouts over 18 innings
The Hillsdale softball team looks to be a vastly improved squad from last year, and while they haven't recorded a win, their pitching numbers have been strong to start the year.
The most impressive numbers so far this season have come from newcomer Kherington Ladd. The freshman has pitched 18 1/3 innings so far in three appearances. The freshman is posting a 3.750 earned run average and a 1.768 WHIP to start the season, along with 24 strikeouts. This includes a ...
