Following a 7-2 victory over Black Hawk College at The Corn Crib on Tuesday, the Heartland baseball team hit the road to play in the 2024 March Madness event at USA Stadium Complex in Millington, Tenn. on Friday and Saturday. The Hawks dropped both contests on Friday before splitting their two games on Saturday to finish 1-3 on the trip.
 
Tuesday 2/27 vs. Black Hawk
The Hawks got back in the win column on Tuesday, defeating the Braves 7-2 at The Corn Crib behind a three-hit day from Kaden Griffitts. Heartland surrendered just five hits on the afternoon.
 
Black Hawk jumped out in front in the top of the first frame, as Jean Cortes swiped home on a wild pitch to make it 1-0. Griffitts got the Hawks on the board in the second inning on a two-RBI single up the middle to give the home team a 2-1 advantage.
 
A run-scoring single by Jesse Contreras and a miscue by the Braves extended the Heartland lead to 4-1 in the third. Black Hawk would score once more in the fourth, but three more tallies by the Hawks in the eighth gave them some cushion heading into the final inning. Kyle Jannenga connected on a solo shot to begin the inning before RBI singles by Corey Boyette and Adam Price made it 7-2.
 
Jimmy Amptmann picked up the win for the Hawks, allowing one run on two hits in three innings pitched with seven strikeouts.
 
Friday 3/1 vs. KCCC & NW Mississippi CC
Heartland then hit the road to Tennessee for four weekend games, with the first coming against Kansas City Community College on Friday. The Blue Devils got the best of the Hawks with a 14-2 victory in six innings after recording 16 hits on the afternoon.
 
Kansas City scored four tallies in the second, five in the fourth and four more in the sixth. Price drove in a run in the first for the Hawks with a hit, while Jannenga accounted for the lone other RBI with a groundout in the fourth. Price, Beau Polickey and Boyette each registered a hit for the Hawks.
 
Game two of the day saw the Hawks battle Northwest Mississippi Community College. In a low-scoring affair, three early runs by the Rangers proved to be the difference in a 3-0 defeat.
 
TJ Williams finished with two hits for the Hawks, while Jannenga, Griffitts and Tommy Atkinson each had one base knock.
 
Patrick Gardner took the loss for Heartland, throwing four innings and yielding three runs on six hits with one walk and four punchouts.
 
3/2 vs. Elgin & Mineral Area
Day two of the tournament saw the Hawks get back on track with an 8-0 victory over Elgin Community College on Saturday. The Hawks scored four times in the first, as Williams bunted a single to third base to leadoff the frame. Brady Davidson followed with a walk before Boyette and Price each singled to drive in a run to make it 2-0.
 
A double by Griffitts and another hit by Aidan McNamee extended the lead to 4-0 for the Hawks. Four more tallies in the fifth ended the contest, as Griffitts scored on an error before a Davidson walk and a sacrifice fly by Price drove-in two more tallies.
 
Heartland starter Jacob O'Day was outstanding in the contest, tossing a complete game shutout with just one hit, one walk and 13 strikeouts.
 
In the finale of the Tennessee trip, the Hawks fell 4-1 to Mineral Area College. A sacrifice fly by Price in the first gave the Hawks a 1-0 early lead, but that was all the Hawks could muster. The Cardinals would tie the game in the second frame on a solo shot, and scored three more times in the bottom of the sixth to secure the victory.
 
Davidson had two hits for the Hawks. Atkinson and Max Hennemann each had one hit.
 
The Hawks will return to action at 2 pm Thursday, as they welcome Bryant and Stratton College to The Corn Crib.