Travis Herrmann picks up win in first varsity start as H-BR downs Polo

HINCKLEY – Making his first high school start, Travis Herrmann had a straightforward approach on the bump for Hinckley-Big Rock against Polo on Thursday.

“I wanted to start out strong, don’t let them crowd the plate and let them know who’s boss,” said Herrmann, who also had two hits, a run and an RBI in the Royals’ 13-8 win over the Marcos.

All three earned runs came in the first, as did three of the eight hits Herrmann allowed. The Marcos (0-5) went up 4-0 before the Royals (2-4) came to the plate.

But Hinckley-Big Rock put up six in support of its freshman starter. The Royals chased Polo starter Jackson Willis without putting the ball in play with four walks and a hit by pitch.

Korbin Cavanaugh came on and gave up a two-run single to Austin Roop to tie the game and an RBI single to Herrmann. Matthew Badal drove in a run on a groundout.

“We have many, many great hitters on this team,” Herrmann said. “It’s really great to be a part of that. And there’s a couple kids who can steal bases here, so it’s awesome.”

Hinckley-Big Rock committed two errors in the top of the second. Aiden Messer and Cavanaugh had RBI singles in the frame to tie it up.

Martin Ledbetter was hit to lead off the second, stole second, stole third and scored on a Luke Badal groundout. That put the Royals up 7-6, and they never trailed again, giving Herrmann a big cushion with a five-run third.

“I think he handled the big stage for a freshman coming in,” Hinckley-Big Rock coach Greg Jourdan said. “I’m proud of the kid. He’s not going to overwhelm anyone with his speed and velocity, but he worked around the plate and had guys reaching for pitches. With all the sloppiness going on around him, he kept his head in there.”

Messer came in to pitch for the Marcos in the third and started a little shaky, letting two inherited runners score along with RBI singles by Badal and Jacob Orin.

But he settled down, pitched the rest of the way and only allowed one more run. He finished the game, allowing two earned runs and one hit. He retired eight of the last 10 batters he faced.

“He’s a guy who can come in and get us out of some tough situations,” White said. “He throws strikes and trusts the defense behind him. I had to leave him in to keep us in the ballgame.”

Luke Badal had two RBIs for the Royals. Every Hinckley-Big Rock starter scored at least one run, with Skyler Janeski, Ledbetter, Matthew Badal and Orin scoring twice.

“They were putting the barrel on the ball, finding some green, and we moved some runners with base hits,” Jourdan said. “That’s how we got that 13 up there.”

Luke Badal gave up one hit and two unearned runs in the seventh. Gage Zeigler had an RBI single in the frame as part of a two-hit, two-RBI day.

Messer also had two hits and scored twice for the Marcos, who had scored four runs combined in their first four games.

“Not our best baseball, but we did a lot of things right,” White said. “It’s just a matter of stringing those together consistently and playing more consistent and fundamentally sound baseball.”