By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth Patriots gained some revenge for an early-season baseball loss Monday in Hills.
Hosting Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster-Southwest Star Concept in a Red Rock Conference tilt, the Patriots were hungry for a victory after what happened during a meeting between the teams in Brewster April 9.
H-BC-E took an 18-12 lead into the bottom half of the seventh inning that day, but the hosts rallied to score seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to steal a 19-18 win.
There were no such late-inning heroics during Monday's game in Hills.
The game was tied at three after two innings of play before H-BC-E gained control of the contest by outscoring the visitors 4-2 the rest of the way while posting a 7-5 win.
The victory was H-BC-E's second straight, and it evened the Patriots' season and conference record at 3-3.
The Patriots host Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove today before playing road games in Pipestone tomorrow and Slayton Tuesday.
H-BC-E took control of the game by scoring three runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to open a 7-3 cushion.
Kevin Van Batavia tripled home a run, Justin Van Maanen slapped an RBI double and Darin DeBoer added an RBI single to H-BC-EÕs three-run rally in the fourth that gave it a 6-3 cushion.
Chris Tiesler tripled and scored when Zach Wysong capped a four-for-four day at the plate with an RBI single to make it a 7-3 game in the fifth.
SV-RL-B-SSC scored two times in the top of the sixth to trim the difference to two runs before being blanked in the seventh.
David Top, who had three hits for the winners, gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first.
SV-RL-B-SSC scored three times in the top of the second before the Patriots rallied to tie the game at three with two runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Lyle DeBoer chased home one run when a ball he put in play was booted by the SV-RL-B-SSC shortstop. Van Maanen, who also had three hits in the game, sent home the tying run with a fielder's choice.
Lyle DeBoer pitched all seven innings to pick up the win.