SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk's baseball team opened the season with wandering expectations.
"I was thinking it was going to be tough. We only got to go outside about four times," Warriors head coach Chris Ray said after his team dropped a doubleheader Saturday to Belmont, 14-1 and 9-4.
After losing six three-year starters to graduation in 2008, Black Hawk was left without a sure thing at numerous positions.
"We are really inexperienced, and I think it will take the course of the season to start figuring it out," Ray said.
GamE 1
Belmont wasted no time putting balls into play, sending pitches from Nick Good all around the field. Most of those hits went toward Warriors; however, the errors started adding up. The Warriors finished the first inning with three of their eight errors in the five-inning game.
"First game, I think just about anything that could go wrong did go wrong," Ray said.
The biggest inning came in the first, as the Warriors allowed five runs. Belmont added three runs in the third, four in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Black Hawk scored its only run in the first inning when senior second baseman Adam Moore scored with one man out.
"If you compare the two games, I think we improved drastically from the first to the second," Ray said.
Game 2
The second game looked eerily similar to the first game at the beginning. Pitcher Payton Schliem allowed a pair of hits, but passed balls and poor glove work allowed the Braves to score four runs before the Warrirors had a chance to pick up the stick.
The last out came when a lined ball ricocheted off of Schliem's right shin and rolled halfway between first and second base. First baseman Shane Jackson gathered the ball and flipped it to a hobbling Schliem just in time to beat the runner to the bag.
The second inning saw the errors start stacking up again; however, Schliem got out of a bases-loaded jam and allowed just one run to score.
Jackson led off the second inning despite a plate appearance in the first (Mike Walker was caught stealing second base to end the inning). The fourth pitch Jackson saw in the second was ripped back up the middle in a hitter's retaliation for what happened in the first inning. The ball hit Belmont's starting pitcher, but Jackson still was gunned down. The Warriors again failed to have anyone cross the plate.
In the top of the third, Belmont scored two more runners, thanks to a pair of Warriors' errors, to make the score 7-0.
In the bottom of the third, Schliem took out his bruised aggression at the plate, drilling the same Braves pitcher with yet another line drive. However, like Jackson, Schliem was thrown out by his counterpart from the mound.
In the fourth, Belmont added an eighth run when a dribble down the first-base line took a wicked hop past Jackson.
In the bottom of the fourth, Jackson was caught in a delayed steal, forcing three throws in a rundown.
The fifth inning is when Black Hawk left its mark.
Belmont scored one run to make the score 9-0, but the Warriors started putting the ball in play - and hard. Good lined a hit up the middle. Moore doubled to deep right. Jordan Luhman hit the ball to second base, where the fielder bobbled the ball and a run scored. Jakobi Dammen then reached after the first baseman dropped the putout throw, allowing a second run to score. Sophomore catcher Jake Meier hit into a fielder's choice, but a third run crossed the plate for Black Hawk.
"We took it to right field a lot," Ray said.
Schliem struck out, then Walker doubled to right center, scoring the speedy Meier from first. Jackson ended the inning with a pop-out to the pitcher, but the Warriors seemed recharged because of the inning.
"It got the bench up and going. If you can string a few hits together, it can get the guys pumped up," Ray said.
Over the final two innings, neither team scored, but Ray was impressed with how well his team grew.
"That second game we got a lot better during the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, we grew. Offensively we were starting to hit the ball better. Defensively we were much better than the first game."
Walker replaced Schliem in the fifth inning on the mound, and looked solid the rest of the game.
Black Hawk next hosts Argyle on Tuesday.
"I was thinking it was going to be tough. We only got to go outside about four times," Warriors head coach Chris Ray said after his team dropped a doubleheader Saturday to Belmont, 14-1 and 9-4.
After losing six three-year starters to graduation in 2008, Black Hawk was left without a sure thing at numerous positions.
"We are really inexperienced, and I think it will take the course of the season to start figuring it out," Ray said.
GamE 1
Belmont wasted no time putting balls into play, sending pitches from Nick Good all around the field. Most of those hits went toward Warriors; however, the errors started adding up. The Warriors finished the first inning with three of their eight errors in the five-inning game.
"First game, I think just about anything that could go wrong did go wrong," Ray said.
The biggest inning came in the first, as the Warriors allowed five runs. Belmont added three runs in the third, four in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Black Hawk scored its only run in the first inning when senior second baseman Adam Moore scored with one man out.
"If you compare the two games, I think we improved drastically from the first to the second," Ray said.
Game 2
The second game looked eerily similar to the first game at the beginning. Pitcher Payton Schliem allowed a pair of hits, but passed balls and poor glove work allowed the Braves to score four runs before the Warrirors had a chance to pick up the stick.
The last out came when a lined ball ricocheted off of Schliem's right shin and rolled halfway between first and second base. First baseman Shane Jackson gathered the ball and flipped it to a hobbling Schliem just in time to beat the runner to the bag.
The second inning saw the errors start stacking up again; however, Schliem got out of a bases-loaded jam and allowed just one run to score.
Jackson led off the second inning despite a plate appearance in the first (Mike Walker was caught stealing second base to end the inning). The fourth pitch Jackson saw in the second was ripped back up the middle in a hitter's retaliation for what happened in the first inning. The ball hit Belmont's starting pitcher, but Jackson still was gunned down. The Warriors again failed to have anyone cross the plate.
In the top of the third, Belmont scored two more runners, thanks to a pair of Warriors' errors, to make the score 7-0.
In the bottom of the third, Schliem took out his bruised aggression at the plate, drilling the same Braves pitcher with yet another line drive. However, like Jackson, Schliem was thrown out by his counterpart from the mound.
In the fourth, Belmont added an eighth run when a dribble down the first-base line took a wicked hop past Jackson.
In the bottom of the fourth, Jackson was caught in a delayed steal, forcing three throws in a rundown.
The fifth inning is when Black Hawk left its mark.
Belmont scored one run to make the score 9-0, but the Warriors started putting the ball in play - and hard. Good lined a hit up the middle. Moore doubled to deep right. Jordan Luhman hit the ball to second base, where the fielder bobbled the ball and a run scored. Jakobi Dammen then reached after the first baseman dropped the putout throw, allowing a second run to score. Sophomore catcher Jake Meier hit into a fielder's choice, but a third run crossed the plate for Black Hawk.
"We took it to right field a lot," Ray said.
Schliem struck out, then Walker doubled to right center, scoring the speedy Meier from first. Jackson ended the inning with a pop-out to the pitcher, but the Warriors seemed recharged because of the inning.
"It got the bench up and going. If you can string a few hits together, it can get the guys pumped up," Ray said.
Over the final two innings, neither team scored, but Ray was impressed with how well his team grew.
"That second game we got a lot better during the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, we grew. Offensively we were starting to hit the ball better. Defensively we were much better than the first game."
Walker replaced Schliem in the fifth inning on the mound, and looked solid the rest of the game.
Black Hawk next hosts Argyle on Tuesday.
