A dozen suits Hiland baseball just fine in regional victories

Zeroes.

Zeroes are shaped like doughnuts, and zeroes are what Hiland pitching posted in its pair of regional victories in the Division VI Lancaster baseball tournament versus Waterford and Mechanicsburg.

A dozen.

That is the number the Hawks poured across the plate in each of their two victories, showcasing depth up and down the lineup as Hiland hammered its way back to its fourth consecutive state tournament appearance.

It was a show of power in all phases of the game, and Hiland skipper Chris Dages said it is a testament to how hard this group has worked to put itself in position to win a state-record fourth title.

“Our preparation pretty much starts at the end of our spring season,” Dages said. “After the end of last season, it wasn’t a week before the guys were asking to get after it. It’s summer ball and all the work we put in during the winter, both pitching and hitting. It’s prepared us because these guys see what it takes, and these guys have put in the time to make themselves into the team they are today.”

With the pair of wins, Hiland improved to 24-4 on the campaign.

The Waterford game was basically signed, sealed and delivered in the second inning when the Hawks plated five unearned runs on three costly Waterford errors. Gerut Monigold delivered the key blow, a two-run double.

A six-run fifth that saw the Hawks crank out five hits allowed Hiland’s faithful to get out of Dodge early. Once again Gerut Monigold delivered the big blow, spanking a two-run triple. Griffin Monigold also drove in a pair on a wild play that saw him eventually race around the diamond on a throwing error.

The Hawks totaled 11 hits, with Gerut Monigold going 4-for-4 with a triple, two doubles and five RBI. Christian Mullet added a pair of hits and scored twice from the lead-off spot.

Andre Yoder went the distance, allowing only two hits through the five-inning game, striking out and walking a pair while improving his record to 6-0.

Waterford bowed out at 20-10 on the season.

The Mechanicsburg game took a bit longer and was more methodical for Hiland, but the result was the same.

With the game scoreless in the top of the third, Christian Mullet raced home for the game’s first run from first base on an errant throw to second. Grady Monigold’s RBI groundout scored Gerut Monigold for a 2-0 lead.

With southpaw Michael Miller cruising on the mound, the Hawks posted a pair of runs in the fourth inning and then went to work late with the bats.

The fifth saw Andre Yoder deliver a single with Jonah Yoder aboard, and Logan Yoder uncorked a long home run over the wall in left to put this game out of reach.

The Hawks weren’t done, and after drawing a walk and advancing to second, Isaiah Wagler raced home from there on a passed ball to make it 8-0. Walks continued the big inning, which saw Griffin Monigold deliver an RBI single to make it 9-0.

Miller slammed the door in the bottom of the fifth, aided by a sensational play again by Logan Yoder, and Hiland went back to work to end this one early.

Andre Yoder and Logan Yoder both singled, and with two outs Mullet walked to load the bases and Gerut Monigold put a gold star on the game by driving a three-run triple to center. Damon Troyer finished off the game with a perfect final inning on the mound, sending Hiland back to state.

Miller went five innings, allowing just two hits, striking out eight and walking one in a mound gem. He improved to 7-0 on the season.

Hiland had 12 hits, with Logan Yoder smacking the key three-run home run and adding a single and two runs. Jonah Yoder delivered three hits, and Andre Yoder racked up two hits and three runs.

Making the school’s first-ever regional appearance, Mechanicsburg finished its season at 22-4.

Dages talked about his team’s defense in glowing terms, acknowledging it is an area where he always feels his team has an advantage. It certainly showed up in these two contests, where Hiland took full advantage of every opponents’ miscue.

As always, the tradition following a regional victory is a stop at Texas Roadhouse on the way home. That is something Dages said the players talk about a lot.

“They get excited about that,” Dages said. “It’s part of the motivation and tradition we’ve been fortunate enough to build. They have a lot of fun celebrating.”

However, celebration was almost absent following the Mechanicsburg victory.

“It’s always a goal to win regionals, and we won’t ever take that for granted, but that isn’t the ultimate goal,” Dages said. “That’s just a step along the journey; it’s not our goal. That hasn’t changed for this program, even before this run.”

Three straight state titles will attest to that.