“They focused. They worked hard. They gave it everything they got the last 40 days,” Meier said. “Today’s the 40th day; we finished out on top.”
Broad Run (16-1) was bolstered by Connor Hale, who kept the Hawks without a hit for 5⅔ innings, his only mistake a two-run homer in the sixth. But the senior bounced back.
“He’s played in big games. He’s played in [front of] big crowds,” Meier said. “He just knows how to fight through it.”
Hale worked himself through that stumble, striking out the next batter, but it was his defense that kept the Spartans on top for most of the matchup. Despite Hale’s five walks, Hanover left only one runner on base. Two double plays and two pickoffs kept the bases clear for much of the day.
One of those pickoffs secured the win for the Spartans: Reliever Ethan Walker, who entered with two outs in the seventh, caught a runner on first base too far off the bag to end it.
“Our defense was shutdown all game today,” Hale said. “If that wasn’t happening, the game could’ve been a lot more different.”
The Spartans capitalized on the Hawks’ fielding troubles to get on the board in the second inning, grabbing a lead they would not relinquish. First, Tyler Morley scored on a wild throw by Hanover’s pitcher, turning a bunt by Joe Ferguson into a two-base error. Later, Ferguson scored on a poor throw to third base by Hanover’s catcher.
Adam Chow gave the Spartans a key insurance run in the fifth, bringing Jacob Flicker home on a chopper to second that was delivered low to the first baseman, allowing Chow to take second and giving Broad Run a 3-0 edge.
With just four outs left, Seth Keller gave Hanover life with a two-run homer to center. But Hale was not going to let that pitch define him; he retired the next three batters before Walker finished it off.
“He’s insane,” Morley said of Hale, shaking his head. “That’s it. He’s just insane.”
Hale, who three years ago became the first freshman to start on Broad Run’s varsity squad in 10 years, ended his high school career with the state championship that he had wanted for so long.
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