Ison's arm, bat propel Hillcrest

After surrendering only four runs in his first two region starts, Hillcrest pitcher Nick Ison was frustrated to find himself 0-2 to begin league play.

Wednesday against the Bingham Miners, Ison gave up a season-high four runs, equaling his total from the previous two starts.

Hillcrest coach Gary Daniels jokingly called his performance "the worst outing he's had all year." But it is an effort Daniels will gladly take.

Ison pitched a complete game, and went 3-for-4 from the plate, including a dramatic three-run home run, to lift the Huskies to a 6- 4 victory over the Miners.

"Nick is a great pitcher," left fielder Andrew Luikart said. "He's willing to do whatever it takes to help us win."

The victory pulled Hillcrest to 4-4 in Region 2, while Bingham fell to 6-2. Through the first four-and-a-half innings, the Miners appeared well in control, methodically building a 4-0 lead behind the stellar pitching of Matt Clark. Facing the prospect of falling to 3- 5 in region play, the Huskies used the final three innings to rally for the victory. Hillcrest had several important hits to cut the deficit to 4-3 heading into the final inning.

"We've been struggling the last few weeks," Daniels said. "Today, we had guys step in key situations and give us big hits."

Leading 4-3, but facing the heart of the order in the final inning, Bingham was unable to hold off the Huskies. With one out and two runners on base, Ison drilled a 3-1 pitch from reliever Zach Druce over the left field fence, giving Hillcrest the win.

"When I got up to bat, I knew I needed to get the runners in," Ison said. "I just looked for my pitch, and I was able to get it." After starting region play 6-0, the Miners have now lost two league games in a row. Bingham coach Joe Sato said, "In this region, everyone is good. We learned today that no lead is safe."

Bingham will look to rebound from its recent losing streak when it visits Copper Hills on Friday. Meanwhile, Hillcrest will look to build on its new-found momentum when its travels to West Jordan.

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