Broncos lose to MTCS
If the Boyd baseball team was going to go down in Monday’s home district game, Tyler Hillis made sure they went down swinging.
Hillis connected for a mammoth two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning at Edley Newman Field, breaking up a no-hit bid by Middle Tennessee Christian’s Taylor Beckham. But it wasn’t enough to pull the Broncos ahead, as they fell to the visiting Cougars by an 8-2 final.
Walks and errors proved to be the Broncos’ undoing, especially in the top of the third, when MTCS struck for its first four runs.
After Boyd starter Josh Burton gave up a leadoff double to the Cougars’ Logan Siler, Beckham drew a walk, and Michael Colvin reached on an error to load the bases. Burton got the next two batters to ground to first baseman Dylan Keith, who fired the ball home for a pair of force-outs. But just when it seemed Boyd might get out of the jam unscathed, MTCS catcher Clint Carter drilled a bases-clearing double to left, and came home on a single from Kyle Pitts before the end of the inning.
The Cougars got to Boyd reliever Jon Bryant for three more runs in the top of the fifth, as he surrendered five straight hits and hit a batter before a double play and another ground ball stopped the bleeding.
The final MTCS run came in the fifth, when John Wright walked, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and came home on a sacrifice fly from Siler.
Still without a hit entering the home half of the seventh ‘ and with only two baserunners to that point ‘ the Broncos gave their chilly but enthusiastic fans something to cheer about when David Watson drew a one-out walk and Hillis followed by launching a Beckham offering over the center-field fence. Dylan Keith also walked, but Beckham regained his composure, struck out Austin Young, and got Burton to ground into a game-ending fielder’s choice.
Beckham helped his own cause with three hits for MTCS, while Siler was 2-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice.
Burton took the loss for the Broncos, allowing three hits, walking five batters and striking out four. Bryant worked a pair of innings of relief, while Hillis pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh.
The Broncos were scheduled to travel to Murfreesboro for a rematch with the Cougars Tuesday afternoon, and play host to Webb Friday at 4 p.m.