HILLSBORO — The Hillsboro Indians varsity Baseball team claimed it’s first league title in the Frontier Athletic Conference on Monday when they beat the McClain Tigers 8-0 at Shaffer Park in Hillsboro to finish 8-2 in FAC and edge out the Miami Trace Panthers, who finished league play 7-3, by one game.
Luke Magulac got the start for the Indians on the mound and pitched seven strong innings against the Tigers as he allowed only one hit on the day, struck out seven batters and walked one while throwing more than 70 percent of his pitches for strikes.
“We really put in the work all year. I’m just proud of my teammates and coach Garman and coach Richards pushing us all year long,” said Hillsboro Senior Ethan Humphries. “I’m just happy we are FAC champs this year.”
Jared Thompson and Dylan Boone led the Indians with two hits each and Boone had two RBI and scored one run while Thompson crossed the plate twice for the Indians.
Ethan Watson, Grant Crum, Ryan Scott, Magulac, Brock Haines and Humphrises each had one hit against the Tigers.
Scott was tops in RBI for the Indians with three in the game and Haines had two for Hillsboro while Magulac accounted for the other RBI.
Mason Ratcliff got the start for the Tigers and pitched one and one-third innings while allowing eight hits and eight runs while taking the loss in the game.
Sam Faulconer relieved Ratcliff in the bottom of the second inning and pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one.
Austin Booth had the lone hit on the night for McClain while John Salyers earned a walk in the first inning to account for the base runners in the game for the Tigers.
Hillsboro scored five runs in the first inning and three in the second to build an 8-0 lead that it would not relinquish.
Hillsboro Head Coach Matt Garman talked about the Indians winning the FAC championship and what it means to him and the program as a whole.
“I feel so fortunate to be here and be coaching this team. I feel so proud of these guys. In the stands tonight we had a couple guys who graduated that first year I was here. Hunter Chain and Cayse Cameron, they came back to support us and it really all started with them,” said Garman. “I mean this has been a few years in the making. This senior group, when they were freshmen, from then until now I have never seen a group of guys work as hard as they have.”
“I feel so fortunate that we had that group of seniors that first year I was here. They bought into everything that we were selling, were great leaders, got us started off on the right foot. That next group last year with Peyton Bell, Kelton Anderson, Justin Scott and Mason Stanley they took it an ran with it. Then these guys are seeing that commitment and that leadership and that mentality pay off,” Garman said. “It’s really a win for all of those guys that have graduated the last couple of years with us. Like I said I just feel so proud of these guys and so fortunate to be where I am.”
Ryan Applegate is the Sports Editor for The Times-Gazette. Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.
