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Hilner overcomes frustrating injuries to lead Williamsport

A shoulder injury delayed Riley Hilner’s wrestling debut last winter. He briefly returned, but a painful sports hernia ended that promising senior wrestling campaign.

The Williamsport senior underwent surgery a day before spring practices started. Hilner’s doctor told him he might miss as many as nine weeks and not play baseball this season. Still, he offered a caveat.

Work hard and Hilner might return. That was all Hilner needed to hear. He took it from there, returned by his team’s fourth game and has become a valuable player, helping Williamsport win four straight games.

And Monday at Logue Field, Hilner showed everyone how far he has come. The right-hander dominated Troy, throwing a 1-hit shutout and striking out nine as Williamsport blanked the Trojans, 10-0 in five innings. Drake Mankey and Kyle Caringi each had two hits and Joe Fagnano added a two-run double as the Millionaires (8-3) continued surging.

“I fought really, really hard to make it back. It’s been a rough road,” Hilner said. “They told me if I worked hard I could make it back, so I worked hard.”

Hilner embraces hard work the way a farmer does fertile soil. That is why he never doubted he would play this season and is why he will wrestle at Thaddeus Stevens College next winter. That also is why he is performing so well since returning. Hilner has a .348 on-base percentage, has made just one error and improved to 2-1 on the mound with a 2.00 ERA.

Troy put runners on the corners in the first inning and Hunter Kendall hit a two-out single. Hilner ended that threat, inducing a pop-out. He then went into overdrive, retiring nine straight hitters and fanning five straight at one point. His curveball baffled Troy and Hilner spotted his fastball all afternoon. The result was a likely District 4 Class AAA-playoff team mounting no threats after that first inning and hitting just two balls out of the infield.

Through all the frustration, Hilner has kept fighting and now is creating something memorable.

“He’s been in the program for four years, he’s a great kid to have around and he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen play the game,” Williamsport coach Kyle Schneider said. “It’s rewarding to see him play and do well. For him to throw a 1-hitter, that’s exciting to see.”

“It was hard to sit through wrestling and I would hate to sit out baseball, not just for the sport but because it’s my friends. It’s like a bond,” Hilner said. “Once I got through the first-inning jitters, I settled in and then it got better. It felt good.”

Williamsport was feeling good in the second inning when it pounded out five hits and scored five runs, taking a 5-0 lead Troy never threatened. Caringi opened the inning with a double, Brock Moyer (1 for 1) walked and both scored on a wild pitch and a Dallas Griess RBI single. Braeden Mazzante (1 for 2, 3 steals) followed with an RBI single and scored from second on a Brayton Rowello hit and run grounder.

The Millionaires scored three more times in the fourth inning when Rowello and Mankey were hit by pitches and Fagnano hit a two-run double to the left-center field fence. Caringi added an RBI single, making it, 8-0. Mankey continued swinging a hot bat an inning later, hitting an RBI double. Rowello scored on a passed ball two pitches later, clinching the win. All nine Millionaires reached base, seven had hits and Cameron Sims stole three bases.

“It wasn’t just the top of the lineup or the bottom, it was all the way through,” Schneider said. “It doesn’t matter where we were in the lineup, we were hitting the ball hard. I love seeing that.”

Williamsport has loved watching Mankey hit all season.

The junior catcher patiently waited behind Michael Weber and Ryan Jolin the past three seasons and is flourishing as a first-time starter, hitting .444. Mankey has hit safely in 10 of 11 games and is 4 for his last 6 following his only hitless game.

“Confidence plays a major role. The game when I went 0 for 4, I knew I had to work on something,” Mankey said. “I figured out what I had to work on and I went straight to the cage from the field and worked on it and I’m out of that slump now.”

“Drake is aggressive. If Drake sees a pitch he likes he swings at it and he’s been on fire recently,” Schneider said. “He’s making connections, driving the baseball and most of the time it’s a line drive. He’s seeing the ball well and hopefully he continues doing that.”

Mankey also has played error-less defense and has been a consistent presence in the middle of Williamsport’s order. He has produced at least two hits in four of his last six games and has driven in at least one run in three of those games. Mankey earned that coveted starting job and now is embracing his opportunity the same way Hilner has his.

Williamsport hit a bump in the road following a 4-0 start, but now has its second four-game winning streak this season. Hilner and Mankey are big reasons why.

“Michael Weber and Ryan Jolin had an impact and I watched them closely and learned a lot,” Mankey said. “I was really excited for my opportunity to start this year so I’m pretty happy.”

Troy 000 00–0 1 2

Williamsport 050 32–10 9 0

Jacob Hall, Nick Colton (3) and Trevor Williams. Riley Hilner and Drake Mankey. W–Hilner, (2-1). L–Hall.

Top Williamsport hitters: Mankey 2-3, 2B, RBI; Kyle Caringi 2-3, 2B, RBI, R; Joe Fagnano 1-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, R; Brock Moyer 1-1, 2 BBs, R; Dallas Griess 1-4, RBI, R, 2 SBs; Braeden Mazzante 1-2, RBI, 2 R, 3 SBs; Brayton Rowello RBI, 2 R, 3 SBs.

Records: Williamsport 8-3. Troy 8-4.

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