Honkers 10-run Hamilton

The Willows baseball team's pitching staff struggled with its control at times, but held host Hamilton to just three hits on Wednesday in a 15-5 road victory over the Braves.

Freshman leadoff hitter Clark Love powered the Honkers' offense with three hits, including a triple, five runs batted in, and two runs scored.

The Honkers (2-4) plated two runs in each of the first two innings, and four more in the top of the fourth, to amass an 8-0 advantage.

Hamilton roared back to score five in the bottom of the fourth, and had the tying run aboard before Sam Amaro induced a bases-loaded flyout to quell the Braves' rally.

Willows tacked on seven runs in the fifth and starter Justin Ehorn, who had exited after two innings of work, re-entered to finish the job on the hill.

Ehorn pitched a total of three innings to earn the victory. He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out five.

Braves starter Kyle LaClaire took the loss after 3 2/3 innings of work. He gave up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Daniel Domienighini and Ehorn smacked back-to-back RBI doubles during the first inning to put the Honkers on the board.

Casey Taylor singled with one out in the second, scored on a dropped fly ball off the bat of Sebastian Mahnke, and Mahnke crossed on Love's RBI ground out.

Willows' 4-0 lead doubled in the fourth. Forrest Bateman drilled a double and Seth Fleming and Taylor drew bases on balls to load the bases.

The lefty-swinging Love drilled a two-run single to right, Ryan Welsh singled up the middle for a RBI and Domienighini's fielder's choice moved runners to the corners. Ehorn muscled a double the opposite way, over the left-center fence on a hop, to make the score 8-0.

Hamilton's uprising began swiftly, as the Braves sent 11 men to the plate in the bottom half to score five runs.

Briley Fumasi and LaClaire led it off with walks and Jonathan Jacobo singled to left for Hamilton's first run. Leclaire scored on an infield hit from Cody Deitz and Jacobo followed on a throwing error. Drew Knight, Alex Bejarano and Trevor Simmons were all granted free passes to force in another run, and Adrian Noffsinger plated Knight with a ground ball to the right side.

Fumasi walked again to load the bases and represent the tying run, but Amaro relieved Javier Raigoza at that point and got LaClaire to fly out.

LaClaire doubled for the Braves in the first inning, an opposite-field bullet down the left-field line.

Jacobo and Stephen Chappell combined to finish the game in relief of LaClaire for Hamilton.

Love tossed a 1-2-3 third inning for Willows after Ehorn's first appearance, but couldn't record an out in the fourth. After Raigoza and Amaro navigated the Honkers out of that jam, Ehorn returned to pitch the bottom of the fifth and help enforce the 10-run mercy rule.

Las Plumas 10, Hamilton 0

The Braves mustered just a pair of hits Tuesday, losing to Las Plumas at home.

Contact Paul Gadbois at 824-1036.