Hawks Headed to Semis with 7-6 Win

Wednesday’s quarterfinal playoff game between  and had all the makings of a blockbuster movie.

There were heroes, comebacks, drama and a finale in the form of a walk-off RBI single by designated hitter Tyler Weyenberg that gave the Hawks a 7-6 win in extra innings.

Mill Creek started the scoring early. Nick Tillman blasted a solo home run in the second, and Chandler Boyd drove in two more with a single.

A third-inning double by Tillman added two more runs for Mill Creek and knocked Hillgrove's starting pitcher, Max Oberkofler, off the mound and over to play first base.

Mill Creek starting pitcher Cody Pugh sailed through four innings quickly, allowing just three hits and striking out five Hillgrove batters. But in the fifth inning, Pugh got into trouble.

Ryan Raper, Michael Adkins and Tucker Ehmig each had an RBI in the fifth inning before Oberkofler drilled a 3-1 pitch out of the ballpark to tie the game.

Hillgrove scored five runs in the fifth inning on six hits and deeply wounded a Mill Creek team that was cruising at the time. After the game, Hillgrove Head Coach Dave Richardson praised his team for never giving up.

“I can't say enough about our guys and the guts that they showed," he said. "We were down 5-0 in the fifth, we got a run here, a run there, and then Tucker Ehmig busts his butt to beat out an infield hit with two outs. Then Max (Oberkofler) hits a two-run home run and the place goes nuts.”

The game stayed tied until Connor Kasten hit an RBI single in the seventh inning to bring in Jerad Curry and give Mill Creek a one-run lead.

Hillgrove’s Tucker Ehmig laser-beamed a 2-0 pitch out of the park during the first at-bat of the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. The Hawks didn't score again in the inning.

Since high school baseball games are typically over after seven innings, the game went into extra innings.

All this time, Hillgrove relief pitcher Josh Hagerman was pitching what his coach would later call an outstanding effort.

Hagerman threw seven innings in relief and gave up just five hits and no earned runs. On his way to the mound in the third inning, Hagerman said the only advice he received from his coach was to keep Mill Creek from scoring again "so we have a chance."

Hagerman got the message, striking out six and twice sitting down seven straight Mill Creek batters.

“The curve ball wasn't really working in my first inning,” Hagerman said. “Gradually I found it and it started becoming a good pitch to throw.”

Richardson gave a more detailed account of what worked for his relief pitcher: “First of all he had command of his breaking ball, and he was able to throw it at any count. He did an outstanding job of being able to throw his fastball in locations. He was able to throw it in; he was able to throw it away. He just had command of both pitches all night.”

While Hagerman was the anchor—and even a vocal leader on the field—two unsuspecting heroes brought the victory home for Hillgrove in the bottom of the ninth inning.

While Robert Stewart was pinch running in the seventh inning with one out, he was called out during a double play, killing a Hillgrove rally. Richardson pulled Stewart aside and said, "Keep your head up—you're going to come up big somewhere here."

For those of you who aren’t literature aficionados, that’s called foreshadowing.

Stewart laced a double into the right-field gap in the bottom of the ninth and moved to third base on a passed ball. With one out and two base runners on, Weyenberg took a 1-1 pitch the other way and scored Stewart, giving Hillgrove the win.

That was the first game-winning, walk-off single for Weyenberg.

“People always look at my size and see that I'm small, so they always throw me a first pitch fastball,” he said. "I'm ready to jump on it every first pitch. That's pretty much what I do.”

The Hawks are set to play Newnan on Monday in the Georgia High School Association AAAAA semifinals, the farthest any Hillgrove baseball team has ever been in the school's five-year existance. Richardson plans to give his team a day off on Thursday before beginning preparations for Newnan.

The coach said he learned a lot about his team on Wednesday. Hillgrove had never played in a Game 3 in the state playoffs, so the game was uncharted waters.

Richardson said he now knows that his kids are tough and they never quit.

“These kids are resilient and they battled," he said. "They did whatever it took to win the ballgame, so I feel pretty good about any Game 3 situation.”

For a photo gallery of Wednesday's game, click here.

Here's an inning-by-inning recap of the game:

5:55 p.m. First pitch will be a little delayed as umpires were late getting to Hillgrove.

5:56 p.m. Hillgrove will be the home team tonight in Game 3. Mill Creek bats first.

Top of the first inning: Mill Creek gets zero runs on one hit as Hillgrove gets great defense from Ryan Raper and Eric Baguley on the left side of the infield.

Bottom of the first: Hillgrove fails to score after getting a runner on with a walk. Mill Creek 0, Hillgrove 0 after one inning.

Top of the second: Mill Creek scores three runs on three hits in the second inning. A Nick Tillman solo homer started things off.

Bottom of the second: Hillgrove goes down 1-2-3 in the second inning. Mill Creek leads 3-0 after two.

Top of the third: Mill Creek scores two more on two hits in the third, driving Hillgrove starter Max Oberkofler off the pitcher's mound.

Bottom of the third: Hillgrove strands two runners and fails to score. Mill Creek leads 5-0 after three innings.

Top of the fourth: Hillgrove gets out of a jam with a 1-5-3 double play. Mill Creek comes away empty handed in the fourth but leads 5-0.

Bottom of the fourth: Hillgrove gets a pair of two-out hits but doesn't score. Mill Creek leads 5-0 after four innings.

Top of the fifth: Mill Creek gets the lead runner on but can't make anything happen in the fifth.

Bottom of the fifth: Hillgrove's Max Oberkofler ties the game at five with a two-run home run. And after five innings, Hillgrove and Mill Creek are even at 5-5.

Top of the sixth: Mill Creek goes down 1-2-3 in the sixth. The score is still tied at five.

Bottom of the sixth: Hillgrove gets another two-out hit (its seventh) but can't score. We have a tie ballgame, 5-5, after six innings. Remember, the seventh inning is usually the last inning in high school baseball.

Top of the seventh: Mill Creek scores one in the seventh on a fielding error by Hillgrove. Hillgrove needs one to tie and two to win in its final inning at bat.

Bottom of the seventh: Hillgrove's Tucker Ehmig ties it up with a leadoff home run. Hillgrove is still at bat, and Mill Creek is changing pitchers with one out. Another Mill Creek pitching change comes with the bases loaded with one out. A hit, walk, sacrifice fly, etc., will win it for Hillgrove. But instead a double play saves Mill Creek and sends the game to extra innings with the score 6-6.

Top of the eighth: It's a 1-2-3 inning for Mill Creek. Hillgrove needs one run to win it in the bottom of the eighth.

Bottom of the eighth: Hillgrove gets the leadoff runner on but doesn't score. We head to the ninth tied 6-6.

Top of the ninth: Mill Creek gets a runner on, but he is picked off to end the inning. It's 6-6 headed to the bottom of ninth.

Bottom of the ninth: A Tyler Weyenberg RBI single ends the game. Hillgrove wins 7-6 to advance to the Final Four.