Bears advance to second round in state baseball
By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com

Trent Hillis picked up two wins against Cairo to help the Bears make the second round. Staff - Anne Marie Kyzer

The Bears needed a solid performance from their leading right-hander, and he didn't disappoint.

Burke County High School senior Trent Hillis threw his way to two wins and helped the Bears advance to the second round of the AAA state playoffs last weekend.

Battling the scorching heat and the Cairo High School Syrupmakers, Hillis pitched all 7 innings for a 12-1 win in the first game of the best-ofthree format and sealed the deal with a four-inning assault in the final game. The Bears won game-three, 7-0. The right-hander tallied 21 strikeouts in his 11 innings on the mound in two days and didn't allow a single earned run. Senior Cody Bolden relieved Hillis in game-three and held the Syrupmakers scoreless for the final three innings.

"Trent threw two phenomenal games," head coach Sean Tiernan said. "I know he has the potential to do it, but it's always a difficult task to throw that many innings in two days."

Tiernan was relieved to see one of his best pitchers back in business. Hillis just returned to the mound two games ago after nursing a pulled hamstring.

"He was just in the zone," catcher Tyler Hammett, who caught all three games in Cairo, said of Hillis. "That's the best I've ever seen him pitch."

Hillis wasn't just hot on the mound either. He went 3-3 at the plate in game one and 1-1 in game-three.

The Bears offense saw a surge overall in the series, which included a doubleheader on Friday. They tallied 12 hits in the first game, including homeruns by Bolden (2-4), Daniel Braswell (3-3) and Charles Morris (1-5). Cole Thames was 2-4. Despite a 15-8 loss in game-two, the Bears still managed 9 hits. Braswell (1-3) hit another homer in that game. Thames was 2-4, Hammett was 2-3, and Zach Eubanks was 2-4.

In the final game on Saturday, the boys didn't let up. They totaled 8 hits with help from leading hitters Eubanks (3-3), Brandon Love (1-3, with a double) and Hillis (1- 1).

"I think they showed a lot of maturity and handled the pressure of a three-game series well," Tiernan said. "They had a much better approach at the plate."
ROUND 1
Burke County vs. Cairo
12-1 (Burke County)
15-8 (Cairo)
7-0 (Burke County)

ROUND 2:

Now Burke County looks ahead to the second round, which they will play against Shaw High School in Columbus. Games one and two are scheduled for 2 and 4:30 p.m. today (Wednesday), and game three, if necessary, will be played on Thursday. Shaw knocked Ola High School of McDonough out in the first round in just two games, which the Raiders won 10-0 and 8-1.

The Bears hope to have star lefty Brandon Love back on the mound. Love, who Coach Sean Tiernan said was battling a touch of tendonitis, hasn't played since his shutout against Benedictine more than two weeks ago.

Tiernan said the Raiders boast an equally impressive left-handed pitcher and a right-hander that throws similar to Hillis.