Why Hickman's victory over Jefferson City could serve as a turning point this season

Hickman baseball quickly experienced and overcame adversity in a 5-1 victory at Jefferson City.

In the bottom of the first inning, the Jays (9-16) advanced runners to second and third base off a Kewpies (9-13) throwing error to first base. Jefferson City then proceeded to go up 1-0 off a sacrifice fly ball by Mason Wall.

In response to the Jays, Hank Cummings provided what Hickman head coach Isaiah Cummings described as the “boost” in the second inning.

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“First off, I was coming back to the dugout and told my teammates, let’s get back on the board. Let’s get that one back,” Hank Cummings said.

Hank Cummings approached the plate with Kyle Haynes on base at the top of the second inning, launching a ball off a Lucas Bauridl pitch. The ball carried behind flew into deep left field, and the Jays outfielder could only watch it as it landed behind the wall for a 2-run homer.

“I was getting up in the box, always aggressive up there on the attack,” Hank Cummings said. “I hit it, and it felt good off the bat, but I didn’t think it was gone at all.”

A group of energetic Kewpie players happily welcomed Hank Cummings home at the plate as Hickman went ahead 2-1.

“It’s a great feeling. You can’t describe it. It’s one of those that the next couple days you’ll feel even more. Kind of feels like it didn’t happen, but it was a great feeling,” Hank Cummings said.

From there, Hickman managed to stay in front of the rest of the contest. Cooper Thornill and Haynes each collected RBI singles in the top of the fifth making it a three-run game. The final run for the Kewpies came in the bottom of the seventh on a walk with the bases loaded.

The Kewpies are no strangers to handling adverse conditions. This season hasn’t gone the way the team has wanted it to as the team is four games below .500.

Hickman started the year losing three straight. After winning five of seven, the team dropped five consecutive games between April 6-12. Following two victories in the Columbia Tournament and against Gateway Legacy Christian Academy, the Kewpies lost to Booneville 9-1 and a double-header to Parkway South by a combined score of 21-5.

Injuries factored into the Kewpies struggles this season. Junior pitcher Tanner Graham, an Evansville commit, missed the season's first five weeks. Senior pitcher Connor Lovin, an East Central College commit, has missed a significant amount of time. Against Parkway South, the Kewpies had just four to five available arms at one point, according to Isaiah Cummings, with many guys in the bullpen still banged up.

Nevertheless, the Kewpies have managed the ups and downs of the season. The team understands that injuries are a part of the game, and, according to Isaiah Cummings, the encouraging part about them is that they create new opportunities and surprises.

“Baseball is going to hand it to you sometimes and it’s going to give you a win sometimes,” Isaiah Cummings said. “We just try to approach it every day we come out, we don’t change what we’re doing.”

The message heading into Hickman’s game against Jefferson City was to regroup and reassess as the team began CMAC play, which the team wanted to make some noise in. The Kewpies still have four of five conference games left.

That goal was ultimately accomplished on Monday night. Graham returned to the mound and struck out four batters in 4.0 innings while Haynes closed the game.

“We’re starting to see guys come back that we expected to have from the beginning,” Isaiah Cummings said. “We know what they’re capable of. We just had to have them healthy and out there doing it.”

Defensively, the Kewpies overcame their first-inning mistake. Zane Kuhlman recorded a difficult throw to Haynes, who left the mound to get Ethan Lipp out at first base in the bottom of the fifth inning. Later in the contest, third basemen Kaelin Tindall made a diving catch, preventing a ball from screaming into left field.

“We did all the things we have not consistently done this year and picked a good time to do it,” Isaiah Cummings said. “Hopefully this might be a sign.”

The Kewpies play their second CMAC game on Wednesday, playing Smith-Cotton (13-11) at home. On April 13, the Kewpies defeated the Tigers 13-12 in the Columbia Tournament, and Darian Kemp collected a walk-off single. The first pitch between Hickman and Smith-Cotton will be at 5 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why Hickman's win over Jefferson City is key for the rest of the season