The bats get going

Following a season-opening loss, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn coach Jeremy Gloden said the Hawks need to put the ball in play to pressure an opposing defense. Three nights later, they did just that.

The Hawks had eight hits, including four doubles, against Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire at Ruthven. They helped propel H-M-S to a 10-2 win on May 18.

The biggest hit came in the seventh inning, when Trenton Vollink hit a double to drive in three of H-M-S's five runs.

Bradley Van Beek's double in the second inning drove in the game's first run. He scored on passed ball. Tanner Tesch also scored in the fourth on a passed ball, and Jacob Cates doubled in a run in the fifth. Jack Mastbergen added an RBI with a bases loaded walk.

"I was glad to see the bats get going," Gloden noted. "We had some guys finally break into the hit column and I'm hoping that builds more confidence."

Tesch had two hits including a double. Others hitting singles were Tyson Tessum, Blake Meendering and Mastbergen.

Cates pitched five no-hit innings to earn the win. He struck out 11 and walked six.

"Jacob had a solid night on the mound. He was able to pitch himself out of several jams," Gloden said.

GT/RA scored once in the sixth inning and again in the seventh off reliever Evan Eilers. He allowed one hit and walked four, but was able to limit further damage.

"My big takeaway was we avoided the big inning and were able to strand nine Titan runners on base," Gloden noted. "It was a good team win."

• vs. OABCIG

One bad inning spoiled the Hawks' season-opener with OABCIG. The Falcons scored four runs after two outs were recorded, giving them a 5-3 win on May 15 in Hartley.

H-M-S started well, scoring a run in the first as Vollink walked and scored on a single by Cates.

OABCIG sent nine batters to the plate in the third inning and scored five runs. The Falcons had three hits and took advantage of five errors to take the lead.

"It was a tough loss," Gloden acknowledged. "We just had one bad inning where we had multiple chances to stop their rally, but ended up allowing four runs with two outs."

Vollink hit a single and scored on an error in the third inning. Ethan Diehm walked to lead off the fifth and scored on a single by Ben Waddell.

"I was very proud of how we continued to battle and gave ourselves a chance," Gloden said.

Tessum pitched 6-1/3 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. He struck out 10. Tesch struck out both batters he faced.

"Tyson pitched a heck of a game and deserved the win," Gloden said. "They both put a lot of time in this offseason and I was happy to see their hard work paying off."

Cates, Vollink and Waddell had H-M-S's only hits.

H-M-S plays at Harris-Lake Park on May 26 and hosts South O'Brien and Trinity Christian on May 30 and 31.