HOPE — It had been 22 months since the Hauser baseball team saw the diamond when it played its season opener Wednesday against Shelbyville.
The Jets, who are ranked No. 6 in Class A in the preseason, had their struggles finding a hit against Golden Bears pitch Benny Thompson. Thompson pitched a no-hitter to give Hauser a 10-0 loss in six innings.
“We knew Shelbyville was going to be a big test for us early on,” Hauser coach Nathan Long said. “We schedule teams like that so we can see pitching like that.”
The Golden Bears drew three straight walks to lead off the top of the first inning until Thompson hit a single to drive in two runs. Two batters later, Luke Johnson hit a single to drive in another run for an early 3-0 lead.
The Jets couldn’t get much going at the plate during the six innings. They had only one baserunner during the first five innings and only three on base the entire game. Thompson threw 12 strikeouts.
Shelbyville started the third inning with a walk, then Thompson blasted a double to drive in a run. Tyler Smalley, Brock Pittman and Karson Schaf all produced RBI-singles in the inning for a 9-0 lead. The Golden Bears added a run in the top of the sixth and finished off the game via the 10-run rule.
Hauser’s Alex Pattingill took the loss on the mound, allowing nine runs in three innings. Eli Miller, who started the game in center field pitched the final three frames in relief.
“Alex pitched well. He didn’t have a secondary pitch tonight,” Long said. “Eli came in and was able to have a secondary pitch, and he can mix pitches up and keep them off balance. That’s why he did a great job holding them.
“We’ve got some guys that are going to be out there that don’t have a lot of experience, and I know we’re not the only team in the state, and I get it,” he added. “That’s not an excuse. We’ve got to do a better job as a coaching staff getting these guys prepared.”
Hauser has rescheduled next week’s games against Edinburgh with the Lancers being in quarantine. The Jets will play at Edinburgh on April 19, and Hauser hosts the Lancers on May 7. The games were originally scheduled for April 8 and 9.
