By John Rittenhouse
The Hills Thunder posted their first win of the 2001 amateur baseball season while playing four games in a five-day period late last week.
Hills opened the week by losing a 13-3 game in Luverne Wednesday, June 6.
The Thunder hosted a pair of tilts on Saturday, nipping Wilmont 7-6 in the opener before falling by a 13-4 score to Vermillion (S.D.) later in the day.
Hills traveled to Wilmont Sunday and came up on the short end of a 6-1 decision.
The highlight of the busy stretch was Saturday's win over Wilmont.
Trailing 6-2 heading into the bottom half of the sixth inning in a scheduled seven-inning tilt, things didn't look good for the Thunder.
Hills, however, scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to knot the score before winning the game with a run in the bottom of the eighth.
Eric Harnack, who drove in four runs with two hits in the game, came up big when the game was on the line for Hills.
After Matt Funke drove in a run with a double to make it a 6-3 game in the bottom of the sixth, Hills loaded the bases for Harnack, who delivered a three-run double to knot the score at sixth.
After Jarud Lang was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the eighth, Harnack produced the game-winning single in a 7-6 win.
Wilmont scored two runs in the first, third and sixth innings off Hills' pitcher Adam Hansen, who fanned six batters in eight innings to pick up the win.
Cade Lang singled and scored Hills' first run in the bottom of the first. Jarud Lang singled and scored the teamÕs second run when Chad Rauk singled in the bottom of the fifth.
The momentum of posting a win didn't carry into Saturday's second game, when Vermillion handed the Thunder a 13-4 setback.
Vermillion scored three runs in the top of the first and didn't lose the lead as the game progressed.
Hills trimmed the difference to one run (3-2) when Chris Putnam walked and scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the first. Rod Scholten (who led Hills with two hits) doubled before scoring on Derek Sammons' double in the second, but the visitors put together three-run rallies in the third and sixth innings to make it a 9-2 difference.
Hills did plate two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Vermillion countered with four runs in the seventh to win by nine.
Darin DeBoer and Cade Lang singled and scored on errors in the sixth for the Thunder.
Putnam (one strikeout and four walks) tossed the first 6 and two-thirds innings and took the loss for Hills. Funke recorded the final out.
Wilmont gained revenge on Hills during SundayÕs game in Wilmont.
The hosts scored two runs in the first and seventh innings and added single runs in the third and fifth frames to open a 6-0 lead that would turn into a 6-1 win.
Hills came up with a run in the top of the eighth, when Hansen doubled and scored on Putnam's single.
Rauk tossed the first seven innings and took the loss. He fanned three batters and walked two. Hansen tossed one frame.
Putnam and Funke had two hits each.
The Thunder also fell behind early and never recovered during a 12-2 June 6 loss in Luverne.
The Redbirds scored two runs in the first and second innings, three in the third and fourth innings, and one run in the sixth and seventh frames.
Funke drove in a run for Hills with a single in the seventh. Matt Carroll picked up an RBI in the seventh with a fielder's choice.
Jarud Lang pitched the first three and two-thirds innings and took the loss. Putnam worked the last three and one-third innings. Both pitchers walked one batter and had one strikeout.
The 1-6 Thunder host Hadley Sunday (3 p.m.) and play in Pipestone Wednesday, June 20.