Breaking the trend

After allowing an average of 14 runs during an eight-game losing streak, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn's baseball team won a low-scoring game with George-Little Rock, 3-2, on June 7 in Hartley.

Starting pitcher Jack Mastbergen earned the win. He limited the Mustangs to one hit over 5-1/3 innings, walked three and struck out 10. Neither run scored by G-LR in the fifth and sixth innings was earned.

Jacob Cates gave up one hit and struck out four of the six batters he faced in 1-2/3 innings.

The Hawks took the lead with a run in the second inning and extended it to 3-0 on a two-run double by Blake Meendering in the fourth.

Cates finished with two hits and Hunter Daggett hit a single.

• Westerners roll to win

H-M-S got on the scoreboard first but Akron-Westfield lit it up in a big way the rest of the game to earn a 25-1 win June 3 at Akron.

The Hawks scored in the first inning when Daggett drove in Mastbergen.

Akron-Westfield answered with three runs in the opening inning and broke the game open with 14 runs in the second. The Westerners added eight runs in third to seal the win.

Four Hawk pitchers combined to allow 15 hits and 13 walks. Dominic Tripp was charged with the loss, as he allowed 12 runs and seven hits. Talan Zearing allowed five runs, and Ricky Smith and Lawton Schiphoff both gave up four runs.

Daggett and Mastbergen both hit doubles, and Schiphoff hit a single.

• Hinton breaks game open

Another big inning hurt H-M-S during a 13-0 loss to visiting Hinton on June 5.

The Blackhawks were leading 3-0 when they broke the game open with an eight-run fourth inning. They scored two more runs in the fifth.

Schiphoff had the Hawks' only hit.

Daggett pitched 3-2/3 innings, giving up seven runs (two earned), four hits and five walks. He struck out five. Grant Kunzman was charged with six unearned runs and allowed five hits.

H-M-S (2-9, 0-4) plays at West Sioux on June 14 and at Harris-Lake Park on June 19.