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Sports

Parkview Baseball Alive in Championship Series

Panthers split with Hillgrove, face Game 3 Monday.

Robert Stewart redeemed himself after breaking a promise Saturday.

The Hillgrove senior told his coach he would successfully bunt in the 10th inning of Saturday's Class AAAAA championship baseball series at Parkview, and after two failed attempts, instead hit his first home run to win 13-10 and force a deciding third game Monday.

Max Oberkofler was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 10th for Hillgrove, and after Tyler Graham reached on a throwing error at first, Stewart's shot over the right field fence equalized Parkview's win in the doubleheader's first game.

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"My dad told me before I went up there to watch the ball all the way," Stewart said. "I just threw my hands at (the pitch)."

Hillgrove coach David Richardson said forcing Monday's 5:30 p.m. game showed his team's heart.

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"These guys have been resilient throughout this playoff run," he said. "Solid defense gave us a chance and kept us in it."

After winning the first game 6-5, Parkview (28-10) appeared en route to its fourth championship and first since winning in 2001 and '02. Ahead 5-0 and 8-2 in the second game, things seemed nearly in hand for the Panthers, who were coming off a 16th region championship and hosting just a fifth-year team in its first championship series.

Matt Olson's three-run homer put the Panthers ahead in the first inning, and his two-run shot -- his team-leading 16th -- had Parkview up 10-7 in the sixth. But Hillgrove's Michael Adkins, who led all hitters by batting 7-of-8 with two homers, three doubles and five RBI, made the score 10-10 with his three-run homer in the sixth for Hillgrove (29-8).

Adkins said he was "lucky enough to get pitches he could stay on and do stuff with."

Olson, the Region 8-AAAAA player of the year, said losing Game 2 gave the Panthers resolve to play hard Monday. The Region 4-AAAAA champion Hawks needed a third game in only one of their previous four playoff series, but Parkview is now facing a third game for the third time.

"It was hard to watch them celebrate in our yard," he said. "But we'll use that as fuel for Monday."

The Panthers survived a scare late in Game 1, when Oberkofler's three-run homer barely over the fence in right brought the Hawks within a run. And after Graham doubled, Jack Esmonde came in as Parkview's second reliever and induced a game-ending line-out to center.

Hillgrove came from 2-0 down to tie the opener 2-2 on a third-inning double, but allowed Parkview three runs on a hit and an error in the bottom of that inning and never recovered.

Panthers coach Chan Brown, coaching his first championship series, considers Monday's third game welcome drama.

"That's what it's all about," he said. "Game 3 -- winner take all."

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