The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Reds rebound vs. Chiefs, look to Districts
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 31, 2007
The Milan baseball team won't win a Huron League championship. But as players showed in their game against New Boston Huron last Thursday, the Big Reds shouldn't be counted out of winning a different title just yet.
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Milan trashed the Chiefs 11-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule win in New Boston, snapping a three-game losing streak and giving the Reds new confidence as they head towards Saturday's district tournament.
"It's exactly what we needed," said head coach Adam Gilles. "They came out prepared and pumped up and got back the momentum we'd lost over our last couple of games."
Milan took advantage of a pair of Chief errors to build a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and never looked back, scoring four in the top of the fifth to push the lead past 10 runs and into the mercy-rule range.
Senior heart-of-the-order hitters Cameron Hynds and Ryan Bordine led the way, combining for four hits, three RBIs, and five runs scored. Zack McGovern added two hits and three runs scored while Lance Smith finished with two doubles and three RBIs in the offensive explosion, which more than tripled Milan's run total from their last three games (against Monroe-Jefferson and Airport) combined.
"It was good to see," Gilles said. "We had nine hits and only one strikeout. We did a better job of putting the ball in play."
With the win, Milan finished their Huron League schedule with an 11-3 record. But it wasn't enough to catch Airport, which clinched the Huron title with a win over Riverview the same day.
Gilles said that with the Huron race behind them, coming away with a district title becomes an even more critical goal.
"Tuesday's the start of a new season," Gilles said, referring to the Big Reds' pre-Districts warm-up double-header against Ypsilanti. "It's extremely important for us, both for our seniors and for our juniors and sophomores, even if we don't come away with the title, to play well and set the stage for next season."
To take Districts and advance to June 9's Regionals in Chelsea, Milan will have to survive a difficult field that includes Tecumseh, Airport, and New Boston Huron. The Big Reds will face Tecumseh in one semifinal while the Chiefs and Jets square off in the other.
"Whoever comes out of our district is going to have earned it," Gilles said. "We should be in every game. The key is our defense. We know we're going to be able to score some runs. We just played a double-header at that field (at Airport) so we should be comfortable there. If our defense holds up and we don't beat ourselves, I think we can be successful."
Gilles said ace Cameron Hynds will likely pitch the opener against the Indians, with Zach McGovern, Mike Latham, or even sophomore Kyle Crump all possibilities to pitch a potential district final.
Staff Writer Jerry Hinnen can be reached at 429-7380 or at jhinnen@heritage.com.
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