Trail Blazers mount late rally, can’t erase entire deficit in Region 24 loss to Hawks

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The John Wood Community College baseball team didn’t go away quietly.

Trailing nationally ranked Heartland Community College by seven runs in Saturday’s championship game of the Region 24 tournament at the Corn Crib, the Trail Blazers put together a five-run rally in the eighth inning.

The rally ended there. The Hawks, ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division II national poll, retired three of the four batters the Trail Blazers sent to the plate in the ninth inning, finishing off an 8-6 victory to advance to the Central District tournament.

The Trail Blazers, who finish with a 26-31 record, made things interesting in the eighth as Kevin Martinez, who belted a walk-off home run Friday, was hit by a pitch leading off. Hayden Rakestraw followed with a single before Gavin Duran doubled to plate the first run of the inning.

After Drew Quinlan delivered an RBI single to center field, Michael Lucas hit a three-run homer to left field to make it a two-run game. The Hawks escaped the inning without further damage despite McGill drawing a two-out walk.

Heartland built its lead with a consistent attack that featured three-run outbursts in the third and fifth innings and single tallies in the sixth and seventh innings. Jimmy Anderson and Kaden Griffitts both homered for the Hawks.

Duran went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Quinlan had two of the Trail Blazers’ 10 hits.