Struggling at the start

Akron-Westfield combined a pair of three-run innings with good pitching and defense to defeat Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, 8-0, in War Eagle Conference baseball action on June 5.

Three first-inning runs gave the visiting Westerners the early lead. After scoring once in both the second and fourth innings, they added three runs in the seventh.

Singles by Jacob Cates and Tyson Tessum in the third inning were H-M-S's only hits.

"I liked how we kept ourselves in it after giving up three runs right away," said Hawk coach Jeremy Gloden. "However, our bats continue to struggle and we need to keep working to find a way to get them going more consistently in order to give ourselves a chance."

Tessum pitched four innings and gave up eight hits and five runs while walking two. Tanner Tesch allowed two hits, walked two and struck out six.

• vs. Hinton

Two-out scoring helped Hinton regain the momentum during a 12-3 win over H-M-S on June 7.

Hinton built a 4-0 lead by scoring twice in the second and third innings. The Hawks responded in the fourth when Cates scored on a hit by Evan Eilers and Blake Meendering stole home. Eilers later scored on a single by Trenton Vollink to make it a one-run game.

In their half of the inning, consecutive two-run hits extended the Blackhawks' lead to 8-3. They added four runs in the sixth.

"I like how we responded and cut the lead to 4-3. Unfortunately, we gave up four runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and that gave them all the momentum back," Gloden noted.

The Hawks were limited to hits by Eilers, Meendering, Tesch and Vollink, but Gloden liked hitters' approach at the plate.

"We cut our strikeouts in half and put more balls in play," he said. "We need to continue to build on that and clean up some of the small mistakes that were made. Those small mistakes really add up against a team like Hinton."

Cates pitched 5-1/3 innings. He gave up seven hits and five earned runs, walked three and struck out seven. Eilers allowed one hit and one run.

• vs. Unity Christian

Five early runs gave Unity Christian the cushion it would need to defeat H-M-S, 8-3, on June 9 in Hartley.

The first six Knights reached base safely in the first inning and five of them scored. Unity Christian added a run in the fourth inning and two runs in the sixth.

"I thought we came out flat and spotted them five runs right away. That was disappointing for sure, but after that we battled them to the final out," Gloden said. "We need to continue to find a way to put a full seven innings together consistently."

For H-M-S, Meendering scored on a single by Josh Cruz in the second inning, Tessum scored on a double by Cates in the third and then on a single by Tesch in the fifth.

Cates and Bradley Van Beek finished with two hits, while Tesch and Cruz each had one.

Eilers pitched 3-2/3 innings and took the loss. He allowed seven hits and walked two. Tessum allowed two runs on three hits, walked two and struck out four.

H-M-S (2-8, 0-5) hosts West Sioux on June 16 and Harris-Lake Park on June 21, and plays at West Bend-Mallard (Gilmore City) on June 20.