Follow @PBRMaryland
Facebook & Instagram

Ferris McIlmail scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning to give the Urbana Hawks a 4-3 victory over the Sherwood Warriors in the 4A North, Section II final on Tuesday.

The Hawks would take an early lead in the second inning after Sean Barry led off the inning with a single and would eventually score on a Jake Wills hit in the 4-hole to give Urbana a quick 1-0 lead. Urbana had actually got the bases loaded in the inning with no out but Sherwood starter Ben Vok did an excellent job of only allowing one-run in the frame.

Through the first four innings both teams starters made it a low scoring affair. Vok for Sherwood got himself out of a few jams in the game, while his counterpart, Trey Lipscomb (Tennessee) for Urbana did the same for the Hawks and it was 1-0 ball game heading to the top of the fifth.

Urbana would get back on the board and extend their to 3-0 in the inning. After a ground out to start the frame, Lipscomb was hit by a pitch, then would steal second a few pitches later.  Eli Hageman would be awarded a single after placing a sac bunt perfectly down the third base line with a runner on second, forcing the pitcher to get off the mound and all he could do was fake the throw to first. Graham King would then battle at the plate to eventually hit a sac fly out to right field, scoring Lipscomb and giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead. Hageman would later score off a passed ball to give the Hawks a 3-0 advantage.

The Warriors would respond in the bottom of the inning. With a strikeout to start the inning, Sherwood's next three hitters would get on with Jake Becker knocking in their first run of the game with a sinlge through the right side. Warrior first baseman Michael Bouma (Maryland) would hit a laser directly at third baseman McIlmail, who made the catch to keep runners at first and third with two out. A walk would load the bases and Vok was hit-by-pitch to score the second run for Sherwood. The inning would end with the bases loaded and Urbana holding on to a 3-2 lead.

Sherwood would tie the game up in the sixth inning when Michael Mbony led the inning off with a single up the middle. he would steal second the next at-bat and with one-out would score after a single through the right side off the bat of Joey Hunt to tie the game up at three. Sherwood would load the bases that inning but could do no more damage as Urbana went to Tyler Kitchen to relieve Lipscomb.

The game would go back and forth until the ninth inning when McIlmail would reach base by getting hit-by-pitch with one out. He would steal second the following hitter and advance to third on a groundout. The second pitch of the next at-bat was an errant breaking ball that went to the back stop, allowing McIlmail to score and give the Hawks the lead. Urbana would get two quick outs in the bottom of the inning and Sherwood would threaten by getting two runners on, but the Warriors hopes were dashed as Mbony ended the game with a well hit line drive right at the Urbana center fielder.

King led the Hawks going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI, Wills, who although is better known as a pitcher made some highlight plays for the Hawks in left field saving their season, had the other RBI going 1-for-3. Lipscomb had a line of: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 8 K, 3 BB.

JP Yore and Jake Beck each led Sherwood with two hits apiece. Vok struck out six in five innings of work with one walk and three runs (two earned)