On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hickman baseball team faced crosstown rival and CMAC opponent Battle in a two-game series. Leading up to the opener at Hickman, the Kewpies were on a four-game losing streak, with two losses to top-10 teams, Francis Howell, losing 7-17 and to Staley, 4-8.

However, new Hickman coach Ehrich Chick, former Tolton head coach, believes their former record of 9-10 doesn’t reflect the team’s identity.

“The thing that doesn’t show [from our record] is really who we are, identity-wise…We’re not the most talented team in the state…but we’re gonna be scrappy. We’re gonna play hard against any team,” Chick said.

Chick has brought in new coaches and a renewed team spirit, which players have embraced.

“Coach Chick has done a phenomenal job; he’s brought in a fantastic staff, and we feel very well prepared… We’ve run into tough opponents… but we’ve been bouncing back,” first baseman Spencer Baehman (12) said.

Pitcher Tanner Graham (12) also noticed the difference.

“Coach Chick and the rest of the staff [have] been really good. Every day in practice, we’re doing productive things…very specific things for each position.” Tanner said.

First Game: Tuesday at home

The first game pitted Hickman pitcher Tanner Graham against Battle’s Brady Crites (11) . In the first inning, both pitchers retired the top of the order 1-2-3.

In the second, Tanner stayed sharp with two more strikeouts and a groundout to shortstop Jackson Shults (11). Hickman then got on the board with an RBI single from Kolton Crane (11). In the third, they added three more runs to go up 4-0.

Battle scored in the fourth on an error, cutting the lead to 4-1, but Hickman answered with four more runs to extend the lead.

After a scoreless outing, Tanner was replaced by sophomore Kai Stubbs, who threw a clean sixth inning. In the seventh, Kai gave up a hit and a walk, allowing two runs. Chick called in Micah McArthur (11), who struggled early with three walks and a hit, leading to three more Battle runs, but settled in to close out the 9-6 win.

“It was really about building confidence, letting Micah know… we’re gonna finish [the game] with you,” Chick said.

Scoring nine runs, Hickman’s offense was led in large part by Spencer, who had three hits.

“I just wanted to be on time today…staying on [top of the ball], staying through it, getting the barrel to [the ball],” he said.

Having a pitcher like Tanner is important for a team’s success, and Chick credited Tanner’s performance as a key to the win.

“He’s a huge asset…He’s helped us in a lot of key wins…Hopefully, our young guys see what it takes to compete,” Chick said. 

The Kewpies weren’t done. They traveled to Battle on Wednesday for game two.

“We [have] to up the intensity tomorrow…They’re gonna [put] a guy [on the mound], [who’s] gonna be really good, and we gotta be ready,” Chick said.

Second Game: Wednesday at Battle

Like game one, Hickman started strong with senior Kyle Haynes, while Battle turned to Brayden Groseclose (12).

The game stood out for its low scoring. In the first, both teams went down in order. In the second, Hickman threatened with a Spencer double and Kyler walk, but Brayden escaped the jam.

Kyle kept rolling in the second with two strikeouts, and Hickman broke through in the third with two runs on a double and two singles.

Kyle gave up just two hits and one walk overall. In the fourth, Battle’s Ty Putnam (11) tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 2-1. Haynes responded with a groundout and strikeout to end the frame.

The pitching duel continued. In the seventh, Hickman turned to Evan York (12) and Battle to Ty. Ty allowed one hit but stranded runners after a dropped third strike by Jackson.

In the bottom of the seventh, Evan needed just 13 pitches to retire the side with a flyout and two strikeouts, securing the 2-1 win.

From scoring nine runs on Wednesday to only two on Thursday, game two was significantly different from the first, and Chick felt that there were more reasons than the score. 

“We had a game plan going into [this game], and [Battle] completely threw [it] out the window. So, we just had to fight and scratch and claw for those two runs,” Chick said. “Luckily for us, as I told the boys, win’s a win, and pitching carried us today…We’re starting to learn that [it] doesn’t matter how we do it, all that matters [is] that we do it together.”

Putting up fewer runs caused a shift to the defensive side and increased confidence in the team’s pitchers. 

“I think offensively [the game] wasn’t great, but Kyle did a really good job on the mound, [and] he picked up for the lack of offense,” Shults said. 

During game two, Kyle Haynes had another great performance, and after six innings in 83 pitches, he had 8 strikeouts with just one walk. A pitching performance like that and the one of Tanner Graham on Wednesday give Hickman a dominant 1-2 punch, one that will help down the stretch.

“It definitely gives us confidence, conference-wise, when we’re going back-to-back each week. [Having a 1-2 punch like that] allows us to get more guys in the game throughout the week as well as when we’re playing [in] non-conference [games]. It’s setting us up to be prepared for districts, which is good for us,” Chick said. 

Kyle and Tanner are good friends, and Haynes enjoys being a 1-2 punch with his friend. 

“I love it. I think that me and Tanner [are] a pretty good duo. He trusts me, and I trust him. We both go out there and just do what we can do.

With the conclusion of the two-game series, the Kewpies are now 21 games into the season with a record of 11-10 and know of certain things that they need to do well to have success later on. 

“We’ve had [an] up and down offense, [and] I think, [to have success, we need] a little bit more offensive consistency. Our defense is really solid, so [if pitchers] put the ball in play, we’ll get outs for [them],” Shults said. 

With these two wins, Hickman has started a winning streak, Coach Chick feels that momentum will be a big part of their success, and today they will be able to strike while the iron is hot when they host Booneville. 

“[They’re] gonna be scrappy just like us, they’re gonna want to beat us and so we got to do the same, [we have to] have more energy, got to have more drive, more intensity, [we] can’t take them lightly at all…I told the boys we got it [and] we [have] to be ready to go [from the] first pitch,” Chick said.