BERLIN Wednesday afternoon's match-up between two of the Inter-Valley Conference South Division baseball titans turned out to be the battle that was expected.
Host Hiland, came into the contest ranked No. 7 in Ohio in Division III, while Indian Valley was ranked No. 9 in Division II.
For the second time this year, Hiland beat Indian Valley in a one-run affair 7-6, the same score of the first contest. Hiland moves to 20-3 overall and 9-1 in the IVC. The Braves' second consecutive setback drops them to 13-3 and 6-2.
“That’s a very good team over there. Matter of fact, it’s a good program. They have been solid for a while. It’s the kind of win you want heading into post-season play this Saturday,” said Hiland head coach Chris Dages.
Not so much for IV.
“Today makes two losses in a row. Not the results you want to go into the tournament,” said Braves head coach Shannon McComb. “We still have a chance at a piece of the IVC title but some things have to go our way.”
However, the Hawks certainly weren't soaring in the early going. Indian Valley's first two batters reached base via walks. A bunt single by Dalton Burcher loaded the bases with nobody out.
A bloop RBI single by Colbey McBeth scored the first run. That was immediately followed by a shot to the fence by Karson Hartrick, driving in two more runs for a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded. Indian Valley then scored two more runs to cap off a five-run first inning.
Hiland's Andy Miller homered in the home half of the first inning to cut the lead to 5-1. Ryan Hershberger later scored on a passed ball to make the score 5-2 heading into the second inning, where neither team threatened to score.
The Braves went three-up and three-down in the third as well.
In the home half of the third, Hiland's Andy Miller led off the inning with a walk. Hershberger then lined a single to center. Cameron Miller's sacrifice bunt advanced both runners.
That’s when pitcher Cordell Miller helped his own cause with a mammoth three-run shot to left-center to tie the game at 5-5.
“Cordell didn’t have his best stuff today," Dages said. "He struggled in that first inning. We thought about pulling him, but we stuck with him and he settled down nicely after that first inning. It helps to be a great hitter like that, too, to help yourself out.”
Tyler Kline also added an RBI single in the third to put Hiland ahead for the first time at 6-5.
Cade Williams led off the fourth with a walk for Indian Valley. After advancing on the base path, he raced home on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Berger to tie the score at 6-6.
The Hawk half of the fourth started with an Andy Miller single -- his third hit of the game. Hershberger followed with his third hit -- a line-drive single to center. Cameron Miller then laid down his second sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners to second and third.
“It just goes to show the unselfish nature and depth of the team," Dages said. "We asked our clean-up hitter (Cam Miller) to bunt twice, because we know our five hitter can do the job.”
Right on cue Cordell Miller hit what turned out to be the game-winning RBI single to give the Hawks a 7-6 lead they didn’t relinquish.
Both teams combined to produce only one base-runner in swift moving fifth and sixth innings.
Indian Valley got two singles in the top of the seventh, putting Berger into scoring position but could not push him across.