WORCESTER — As a freshman a year ago, all Harry Hinckle got to do in Milton’s state championship win was pinch run.
As a sophomore, Hinckle stamped his impact all over the Wildcats’ second-straight title.
Hitting out of the No. 9 spot in Friday night’s Division 2 state title game, Hinckle scored three of the Wildcats’ six runs — including a steal of home that added a final insurance run in the sixth — in a 6-2 win over No. 3 King Philip.
“Harry’s the best,” Milton coach Brendan Morrissey said. “He’s a true competitor, he works hard. He’s in the nine-hole for a reason. He runs really well, he puts the ball in play, he’s a really strong kid, he turns the lineup over. He’s been doing it all year.”
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The left fielder’s box score line was littered with crooked numbers. He went 2 for 2, reached base three times, stole two bases, and scored three runs.
Leading off the third inning, Hinckle doubled to left-center and came around to score on a walk to Scott Longo after the Wildcats (22-3) loaded the bases. His run was the first of three the Wildcats pushed across in the inning.
“Against bad pitching, he’ll be fouling balls off and then every time we play a good pitcher, he’ll rip a double,” senior catcher Jack Finnegan said. “He’ll go 2 for 3 every single time. He comes up big in the big moments, every single time.”
In the fourth, Hinckle came up with two outs and knocked a single up the middle. He stole second, then came around to score on a single to left from Owen McHugh.
“When I came in, obviously I was nervous, that’s just how it’s going to be,” Hinckle said. “But once you get up there, like [the] first play, it all goes away. It’s just back to basics. I was playing like a little kid. It’s just fun to play.”
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But his most electrifying contribution came in the sixth inning with the Wildcats looking for insurance runs. Hinckle drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. After a Jimmy Fallon RBI single, Hinckle moved up to third with two away.
With King Philip’s Tommy Martarano on the mound, Morrissey knew the Wildcats needed to find a way to get the run in — especially with two strikes to Longo at the plate. So on a designed play, Fallon tripped while leading off first and drew a throw. Hinckle bolted from third to home and beat the throw from first to extend the lead to four.
It’s a play that the Wildcats had never called in a game before. But with Hinckle’s speed on third, the opportunity presented itself – and Hinckle cashed in.
“It was quite the stage to do it on,” Morrissey said.