CENTERBURG – Hunter Billman hit a two-run double that capped a nine-run rally in the first inning for the Utica baseball team.
But the team in the other dugout, Centerburg, was coming off a three-game stretch in which it scored 62 runs. The Trojans came storming back and had the tying run at the plate before Collin McCullough closed out an 11-9 victory for Utica on a cold, windy, rainy afternoon.
Billman went 3-for-4 — scoring twice in the first inning alone — and ended up with three RBIs after an RBI single in the third for Utica (4-6), which won it's second consecutive game.
“(My) approach this year has been to try to hit the ball through the center field wall,” Billman said. “Every time I’ve caught myself trying to lift it out to left field, it just hasn’t worked out well for me. It just ends in a pop fly somewhere. That’s what I think Coach (Michael) Sandman has really tried to get us to do is hit the ball to the center field fence — try to hit hard somewhere in play.”
Sandman’s impact on the team is felt even though he has yet to coach his first game. He was hired before the start of the last season, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctors found a tumor in his lung this past winter that required surgery. He is at home recovering and the prognosis is good. He’s due to join the team on May 1. All the Utica grad wants to do is coach his alma mater and he has yet to do that.
“The kids like him real well,” interim coach Don Carter said. “He talks to the kids all the time. He has a great approach with the kids. He’s still a part of this team. All I’m trying to do is keep the team rolling for when he gets back.”
Sandman trusts Carter in his absence.
“He is a tremendous human,” Sandman said. “I can’t thank him enough for what he is doing for me.”
Sandman has been to a couple of games, watching from the outfield fence he tells his players to aim for.
“Every single game — beforehand or afterwards — he’s texting us individually,” Billman said. “He’s still a huge, huge part of the program even though he’s not been here physically. He’s a spark for our team. He’s constantly there to uplift everybody when they make mistakes and get on people when they need it.”
McCullough struck out four batters over the final two innings, allowing a hit and an unearned run to get the save. It was a big step forward after Utica was on the bad end of a pair of walk-offs over the weekend.
As for Centerburg, there just aren’t enough runs out there to create a comfortable lead.
Joe Tepper hit a two-run bloop double to right and ended up scoring on the play because of an error. That capped a six-run third inning that pulled Centerburg within 9-6. But the nine-run head start was just a bridge too far for the Trojans (7-4).
“We weren’t efficient with our pitching and our defense in that first inning, and all of a sudden it’s 9-0,” Centerburg coach Joe Smith said. “We’ve done that to a lot of teams this year. I’m very proud of my kids for their effort. We played six innings of really good baseball. You can’t dig that kind of hole and expect to win against a good team.”
