In their first high school tournament, JV Blue took third place, and the two losses against three tourney wins came by a total of one run!  I will try throughout the year to keep my editorials to a minimum (You know how difficult that will be for me), so you know what’s coming next: We should all be proud of these freshmen and how well they represented HHS and LISD, not only by their play on the field, but also with their sportsmanship and attitude off the field while suffering two tough and perhaps controversial losses.

   Believe me, not every team conducted themselves with the class our young men displayed.  A big thanks to the Bowie team for the respect they showed the Hawks, when we took our final loss to them by numbers of runners who reached third base, after a 4-4 tie. 

- Compiled by Scott Taylor 

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   Matt Werry and Ryan Taylor combined to throw a one-hitter, and the Hebron bats came alive with 15 hits as JV Blue staved off elimination for the first of three games in Bowie tournament March 9.

   Winning pitcher Werry (1-0) gave up one hit and one unearned run in two innings. Taylor pitched the final three innings, giving up one unearned run while not allowing a hit and collecting five strikeouts.

   After scoring two runs in the first inning, the Hawks blew the game open in the second, scoring 8 runs on 9 hits, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Brandon Vankuilenburg (1-3, 3 RBI).

   Hawk hitters that got the sticks going were Joe Farley (2-3), Alec Isaac (2-3, 2 RBI), Chase Duell (2-4, RBI) and Sterling Sanders (2-4).  Others picking up hits were Werry, Nick Jones (RBI), Seth McBride (RBI), Brett Vaughn and Conner Merutka (RBI).

  -- Scott Taylor

JV Blue Drops Bowie Tournament Opener to FW Nolan 2-1

   Coming up just one run short to eventual tournament champion FW Nolan could not put a damper on Joe Farley’s superb five-inning pitching performance in Game 1. 

   Throwing a complete game, not only did Farley (1-1) hold Nolan to just two earned runs on three hits, he had an impressive 12 K’s and faced one over the minimum through the first four innings.

   The Hawks' sole run came in the 1^st when Brandon Vankuilenburg doubled, stole third, and scored on a wild pitch.  Several Nolan pitchers combined to keep the rest of Hebron’s bats silent, with the only other hit being a single in the 4^th off the bat of Jeremy Liu.  The game ended after time was called before the start of the 6^th inning but after the 5^th was completed.

- Thanks to Scott Taylor for this report!

    A long journey always starts with a first step, and the JV Blue took its first step toward a 2012 Class 5A state championship with a 10-6 win over Justin Northwest Feb. 23rd in the first official high school game for the players.

   If first impressions are correct, this team will be pitching strong. Joe Farley picked up the win in the opener, picking up seven strikeouts in three strong innings of work. He was touched for just two hits, and the only run he allowed was unearned. Nick Jones pitched an inning of relief, striking out two, and Matt Werry slammed the door shut, going the final three frames. He surrendered four hits, but struck out five and did not allow an earned run.

   The Hawks' sticks showed up late, and the team broke open a one-run game with four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Farley provided a key triple to help his own cause while Seth McBride, Brandon Vankuilenburg and Werry also contributed key hits. "Overall, the pitching was stellar," Coach Mike McBride said. "If we continue to work hard and shore up the defensive mistakes, we're going to have a good year."

   The JV Blue next plays in the Bowie JV Tournament set for March 5-7 at Arlington Bowie. The Hawks' first game of the tournament is set for Thursday, March 5, at 5 p.m. vs. Kennedale.