By Fred Kroner
Heritage couldn’t hold onto a 6-2 second-inning lead and suffered a 9-6 loss to Villa Grove in a Class 1A baseball regional tournament quarterfinal game on the Blue Devils’ field.
Every player in the Hawks’ lineup either had a hit, scored a run or drove in a run in the season-finale.
The hits were from the bats of Robert Holloman, Joey Markstahler, Zaien Smith and Rylan White.
Haiden Davis, Julliyan Gray, Anthony Happ, Holloman, Destin Nickle and Smith all scored one run apiece.
Driving in runs were Davis, Brennon Struck and White.
Gray (2-4), the lone Heritage pitcher, worked all seven innings. He walked six and struck out six.
For the season, Gray was the team’s workhorse. He led the team in strikeouts (59), innings pitched (34 2/3) and had the best strikeouts-to-walks ratio (2.6 strikeouts for every walk).
Teammates who also averaged more than one strikeout per inning were Holloman and Lucas Miller.
Happ was the Hawks’ most-used pitcher, appearing in 12 games.
Nine squad members stole bases this season, led by Holloman (12) and White (eight). Nickle had the most extra-base hits (three). Smith led in runs scored (12). Holloman had the most hits (!2) and Gray delivered the most RBI (10).
Heritage ends the season with a 2-20 overall record.
