Hinkell, Blue Devils Advance to State Quarter-Finals

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – In four games this season against the crosstown rival McCann Tech Hornets, Drury pitcher Connor Hinkell has been nearly untouchable.

 

But for just a moment in Wednesday’s Division 5 State Tournament game at Joe Wolfe Field, it looked like the guys in green may have figured something out.

 

A two-out hit by Brodie Smith and back-to-back walks gave the Hornets bases loaded in the top of the first inning.

 

Hinkell settled down, got a strikeout to end the inning and retired the next 11 batters he faced in an eventual 7-0 win.

 

Third-seeded Drury (18-3) earned a spot in this weekend’s state quarter-finals against either Mount Everett or Monson, who meet on Thursday afternoon in Sheffield.

 

“I didn’t feel all there mechanically,” Hinkell said of the game’s start. “So just trusting Julian [Feliciano, Drury’s catcher] back there and trusting is pitch calling.

 

“I figured it out mechanically, and came in and threw strikes. And the defense played for me.”

 

Drury committed just one error behind Hinkell, who struck out nine in 6 and a third innings before giving the ball to JJ Prenguber to finish up.

 

And the error it did commit, with one out in the top of the sixth, was immediately followed by a 4-6-3 double play started by second baseman Brayden Durant.

 

By contrast, defensive miscues by the Hornets factored into two rallies for Drury.

 

In the bottom of the first, the Blue Devils had runners on first and second when Prenguber dropped a sacrifice bunt. He was out at first, but the Hornets attempted to then throw to third to get the lead runner. The throw was wide, allowing Carson Rylander to come home with the game’s first run and Hinkell to get to third.

 

Hinkell then scored on a pitch that got to the backstop to give Drury a 2-0 lead.

 

McCann Tech coach Justin Howland said the Hornets (10-9), who went 0-4 against Hinkell this spring, have inexplicably been intimidated when facing the Drury right-hander.

 

“And when we’re not doing well at the plate, we tend to make errors in the field,” Howland said. “Too many errors today.

 

“It’s lack of communication because our heads are down. We’ve always been able to come back against most teams. We’ve been down a lot of runs against some teams, and we’ve been able to come back. It’s just, for some reason, when they get down against Hinkell, they fell they can’t get out of the hole.”

 

The hole got a little deeper in the third, when Drury’s Rylander worked a walk, stole second, moved up on a groundout and scored on JJ Prenguber’s single to left field to make it 3-0.

 

In the fourth, Jake McAllister drew a walk, moved up on a passed ball and came home on a single by Brayden Canales, who led the Drury offense with a 3-for-3 day at the plate.

 

“Canales, he prepares at such a high level,” Drury coach Rob Jutras said. “It doesn’t matter what the outcome is – fly out, strikeout – he’s going to be ready for the next pitch. His preparation and the way he attacks everything daily, we have so much confidence in him. That’s what makes him really, really good for us.”

 

The climb was steep but still surmountable for the Hornets going to the bottom of the fifth with Drury ahead, 4-0.

 

But three unearned runs against Hornets reliever Lukas Rylander put the game all but out of reach.

 

Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases for Drury, but with two out, Rylander induced a fly ball to left-center and appeared to get out of trouble.

 

Instead, two McCann Tech outfielders collided, the ball went in and out of one of their gloves, and three runners raced home to make it 7-0.

 

That was more than enough for Hinkell, who has a .630 earned run average and all the confidence of his coach despite the rough start.

 

“He loves this,” Jutras said. “He loves being on the mound. He loves having the ball in his hands. And he’s constantly making adjustments and just fights to get it right. The best thing about him is he loves this game. He’s a tremendous leader, and he just competes his tail off every second. And it doesn’t really matter the circumstance.”

 

The circumstance now is going one round deeper in the tournament than it did the last two years, when Drury fell in the Round of 16.

 

McCann Tech, meanwhile, went one round deeper than it did a year ago thanks to Monday’s road win in the Round of 32. And, all things considered, that is no small accomplishment.

 

“We lost eight players last year,” Howland said. “We brought in eight new players, not knowing exactly where they were going to fit in. We lost good pitching last year. Lukas [Rylander] couldn’t pitch the first half of the season.

 

“I look at it as a successful rebuild year. We finished 10-9. We beat some good teams. We lost some games we probably shouldn’t have. But if we can build off of this year into next, I think we’re going to have a good season next year.”