Submitted storyThe Exchange Bank of Hills Town softball team spilt four recent games.Hills went 2-1 and place dsecond in the Lester, Iowa, tournament.Lester nipped Hills 3-0 in Border League play before the tournament.Ellsworth toppled Hills 14-9 in the title game of the Lester Tournament.Hills, which pounded out 18 hits in the contest, made a bid to erase an 8-0 deficit by scoring six runs in the fifth inning.Ellsworth, however, outscored Hills Town 6-3 the rest of the way to win by five.Tyson Metzger and Greg Van Wyhe registered three hits each and scored two runs each for Hills. B.J. Boom, Matt Metzger, Matt Boeve, Blake Wysong and Kurt Bly added two hits each for Hills, which stranded nine runners on base during the contest.Chuck Hoffman, the first of three pitchers to log some innings in the game, received the pitching loss.Hills advanced to the title game by besting Steen 12-3.After falling behind 3-0, Hills scored 13 unanswered runs to win the contest by 11.Van Wyhe led the charge by delivering two home runs during a three-hit, five-RBI effort.Wysong, who drove in three runs, and Rex Metzger also belted homers for Hills. Boom slapped three hits and scored twice.Boom delivered a two-run homer to highlight a four-run first inning during a 12-2 win over Hardwick in the tournament’s first round.Rex Metzger belted two home runs for the winners, while Matt and Cory Metzger added solo shots to the effort.Hoffman twirled a two-hitter to get the win against Hardwick.Lester blanked Hills 3-0 in league play.Dan Huisman pitched eight innings of eight-hit ball during a losing effort.Hills, which had six hits and drew three walks in the contest, stranded seven runners in scoring position during the game.Hills plays in Beaver Creek Friday.Who’s hot?Boom went 7-9, scored five runs and drove in four counters during the Lester Tournament.Van Wyhe went 8-9 with two homers, eight RBIs and scored four runs.Bly was 5-10 at the plate during last week’s four games.Who’s not hot?Hoffman was saddled with his first pitching loss of the season against Ellsworth, when he allowed six hits in two-plus innings. A three-run homer in the first inning was the key blow. Hoffman scored up first-inning runs in all three tournament games.
