Hills Thunder players are (back row, left) Scott Harnack, Derek Sammons, Chad Rauk, Wade Jellema, Matt Funke, (front row) Justin Van Maanen, Chris Harnack, Cade Lange, Matt Wingate, Eric Harnack and Jared Lange. Players not pictured are Justin Decker, Curt Bly, Chris Putnam and Rod Scholten.
By John Rittenhouse
The Hills Thunder won its first game of the Gopher League Playoffs before being eliminated from the event with a pair of weekend losses.
Hills got off to a good start by nipping Pipestone 5-3 in Pipestone Wednesday, July 17, to open the event.
A 17-1 loss to Hadley in Pipestone Friday followed by a 9-3 home loss to Heron Lake Sunday ended Hills' 4-15 campaign.
The Thunder never trailed during the July 17 game in Pipestone.
Matt Funke, who had three hits against the A's, singled and scored when Wade Jellema singled in the top of the second to give the Thunder a 1-0 lead.
The score was 2-0 when Funke doubled and scored on Chad Rauk's sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, but Pipestone battled back to knot the score with a two-run fifth inning.
Hills regained the lead at 4-2 in the sixth.
Funke doubled and Derek Sammons was hit by a pitch to set the table in the sixth. Funke scored when Rauk singled. A fielder's choice by Chris Harnack plated Sammons.
Pipestone climbed to within one run (4-3) of the Thunder by scoring once in the bottom of the sixth.
Cade Lange reached base on a fielder's choice and scored on a passed ball to cap the scoring for Hills in the seventh.
Matt Wingate tossed all nine innings to record the win. He allowed six hits, three runs and three walks while fanning six batters.
Rauk, Jarud Lang and Scott Harnack slapped two hits each.
Hadley sent the Thunder to the loser's bracket of the tournament with a 17-1 win over Hills in Pipestone Friday.
The Buttermakers scored 11 runs in the first three innings of the game and coasted to a 16-run victory.
Hills did get on the scoreboard when Eric Harnack drew a walk before scoring on a triple by Funke in the top of the fourth to make it an 11-1 game.
Hadley, however, scored once in the fifth and five times in the sixth to win handily.
Rauk pitched the first five innings and took the loss. He allowed 13 hits, 12 runs and two walks. Sammons surrendered two hits, five runs and five walks while pitching one inning of relief.
Funke's run-scoring triple in the fourth proved to be Hills' lone hit in the contest.
SundayÕs 9-3 loss to Heron Lake in Hills eliminated the Thunder from the playoffs.
Hills beat Heron Lake twice during the regular season, but the Thunder never played with the lead on Sunday.
The Lakers gained a 3-0 advantage in the top of the second before Hills rallied to score twice in the bottom of the third to trail by one.
Jarud Lang and Eric Harnack singled to start the rally in the third. Scott Harnack singled home Lang, and Eric Harnack scored on a single by Cade Lang.
Heron Lake put the game away by plating single runs in the fourth and fifth innings before scoring four times in the eighth to make it a 9-2 difference.
Cade Lang singled and scored on a single by Rauk in the bottom of the ninth to cap the scoring.
Jarud Lang tossed nine innings and was saddled with the loss. He allowed seven hits and two walks while recording a pair of strikeouts.
Cade Lang led the Thunder at the plate with two hits.