The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

How do you spell relief? V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.

Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's baseball team hadn't been on the plus side of the scoreboard prior to their June 30 game at George-Little Rock. So when the visitor's score read "3" and the home team's said "1" at the end of the game, the Hawks had plenty to celebrate.

"For me it was relief," Hawk coach Jeremy Gloden admitted. "That was the first time when we put a full seven innings of really good baseball together."

Junior Sam Heyn followed up a strong pitching performance in his previous outing with another one against the Mustangs.

"He pitched well against South O'Brien, so I was glad he could get the win," Gloden said.

Heyn allowed three hits, including two in the sixth inning when G-LR scored. He walked two and struck out eight, and had plenty of support behind him.

"He was really effective with his curveball, and he was throwing a lot of strikes," Gloden noted. "The defense had his back the entire night."

Dawson Schiphoff recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless relief appearance.

The offense wasn't prolific, but it was enough. H-M-S scored a run in the first inning on a single by Keaton Graves. Two innings later Heyn drove in a run with a single and Graves added an RBI with a groundout.

Graves and Heyn finished with two hits and Schiphoff had one.

• vs. South O'Brien

Rather than one offensive outburst, South O'Brien scored at least one run in each inning to defeat H-M-S, 10-1, on June 29 in Hartley.

Double-digit stolen bases, timely hitting and errors by the Hawks helped South O'Brien score two runs in the first inning and three runs in the fifth, along with single runs in the other innings. Only half of the Wolverines runs were earned.

"We gave them all those free chances," Gloden noted. "We aided what they like to do."

Jordan Ortega was the losing pitcher. He allowed seven hits, walked five and struck out six. In addition to giving up two hits and two runs, Samuel Haack struck out three.

H-M-S got on the board in the first inning when Kooper Ebel reached on an error and scored on a single by Sam Heyn.

The Hawks' other hits were a double by Dawson Schiphoff and singles by Haack and Ebel.

Gloden said the Hawks' hitting is still a work in progress.

MIKE PETERSEN/SENTINEL-NEWS

Jordan Ortega takes a good cut at a pitch in action against South O'Brien on June 29.

"It has been a big emphasis. We are making more contact, but we need to work on making solid contact," he said. "I think it will come over time."

• vs. Hinton

The Hawks got off to a rough start and never recovered during a 14-0 loss at Hinton on July 1.

Poor defense, hit batters and seven hits led to four Blackhawk runs in the first inning and seven more in the second.

"We had four errors in one inning. We just mentally fell apart," Gloden said. "We had to get refocused."

The Hawks (1-8, 0-7) did play better after that, holding Hinton to two runs in the third inning and a run in the fourth.

Keaton Graves and Jacob Cates, an eighth grader making his first varsity start, each hit a single.

Losing pitcher Samuel Haack allowed eight hits and reliever Dawson Schiphoff allowed four. Only five of Hinton's runs were earned.