By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (May 16, 2025) – All season long Evergreen has relied on getting the ball across the plate, stellar defense and manufacturing enough runs to win games.
The getting the ball across the plate part waned late against Hilltop but by the time that happened it didn’t matter.
That was because rather than manufacture runs by playing small ball and running the bases, Evergreen unleashed a 16-hit barrage on Hilltop in a 19-5 victory.
“We are still making some mistakes,” Viking coach Chris Owens said. “But you get a day like today when we make good contact and drive the ball, those mistakes get covered up.”
The Vikings jumped on Cadet starter Cameron Schlosser in the first inning for a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead.
After a walk, Layne Vance got the first of his four hits, then Bryce Bolger’s fielder’s choice grounder put the Vikings up.
Blake Boucher’s infield hit loaded the sacks and Troy Manz’ sacrifice fly added another run.
Vance’s RBI single chased home Austin Burghardt who led off the second with a base hit for a 3-0 lead and Evergreen piled on from there.
Colton Robertson’s triple to right center plated one run in the third, Vance followed with an RBI knock to cap a four run inning to boost the margin to 7-0.
Evergreen put the game out of reach in the fourth against Devin Dempsey. Chris Shrader’s leadoff triple was the start of a seven-run explosion that included a run producing single from John Herdman, and RBI double off the bat of Burghardt, Robertson’s two-run homer to right, and a pair of runs off wild pitches for a 14-0 bulge.
Hilltop’s Terry Rebeck got one back with a long homer to left off Nolan Hudik, but that was the only run the sophomore right-hander allowed.
Vance got the Vikings four more in the fifth when he drilled a line drive over the left field wall for a grand slam that gave Evergreen a 19-1 lead.
Robertson went to the mound in relief of Hudik in the fifth but walked five hitters between three strikeouts.
Of those five base runners, four came to roost, two on bases loaded walks and the others on a passed ball and a wild pitch.
Hudik worked four innings to get the win, giving up just two hits, both to Rebeck. Hudik struck out six and walked one.
Evergreen plays on May 24 in a Division VI sectional final at home against Northwood. Hilltop hosts North Central in a Division VII sectional title game on May 22.
EHS 214 75 – 19 16 1
HHS 000 14 – 5 2 1
Records: EHS 11-7, HHS 10-10
WINNING PITCHER: Hudik (4 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts) Other: Robertson
LOSING PITCHER: Schlosser (3 innings, 8 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts) Other: D. Dempsey, B. Dempsey
LEADING HITTERS: (Evergreen) Robertson – home run, triple, 4 RBIs, 4 runs; Vance – grand slam, double, 2 singles, 6 RBIs, 2 runs; Boucher – 2 singles, 2 runs; Manz – 2 singles, RBI, 2 runs; Burghardt – double, single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Herdman – single, 2 RBIs; Shrader – triple; (Hilltop) Rebeck – home run, RBI, 2 runs