It was either supposed to be a long year for Gilman City’s baseball team or a year with no baseball at all. The cooperative between Pattonsburg and Gilman City broke up, and Pattonsburg formed one of its own with Winston, while Gilman City was left to fend for itself along with its partner, North Daviess. But someone forgot to appraise the Hawks of the fact that it was supposed to be a long year for them, and they burst out of the gates with an 8-0 win over Braymer Friday and a 15-3 win over OSHS Monday.
The Hawks are following the model used by Northeast Nodaway for its last banner year, the 2022 season, in which they went 14-2. That year, the Bluejays relied on two dominant pitchers Auston Pride and Dylan McIntyre almost exclusively on the mound; they were able to manage it so that both were available the next game for the most part. They both ran out of pitches one time, but Ben Boswell, who had been clamoring to pitch all year, finally got the ball and the save when he got the final two outs in one game.
Gilman City is following a similar model in its season this year. Camden Griffith and Mason Preston showed through the first two games that they can form a two-headed monster; the Hawks only needed to use those two on the mound despite one game going the distance and the other going six innings. Through their first two games, they have only given up two hits so far.
Braymer was 16-6 last year, but they have fallen on hard times so far this year, coming in with a 15-0 loss to Wellington-Napoleon. They threatened in the first when Dylan Swindler walked and stole second, but pitcher Camden Griffith picked him off second to end the threat.
Camden Griffith struck the first blow of the season when he hit a home run to center in the first to make it 1-0.
Alex Young snagged Cy Cox’s line drive to stop the Bobcats in the second.
The game remained scoreless until the Hawk fourth, when Alex Young hit a pop fly that was dropped. He took second on a passed ball and Bo Eads singled him home to make it 2-0. Jace Estrada followed with a home run to left to make it 4-0.
An error put Brody Haughton on first in the Bobcat fifth, and Mason Preston started fighting the strike zone, plunking Cy Cox and Dakota Wright to load the bases. But he got out of the inning, striking out the next two to preserve the tie.
Parker Holcomb walked to start the Hawk fifth and stole second. Mason Preston doubled him home to make it 5-0. Camden Griffith walked and Alex Young was plunked to load the bases. Jace Estrada walked to force in a run to make it 6-0.
With two outs in the Bobcat sixth, Jamesyn Haley walked and Brody Haughton got to 3-0 against Mason Preston. But Preston came back to strike him out.
Dakota Meringa walked to start the Hawk sixth. He took second and stole third. Parker Holcomb walked and stole second. Braymer elected to throw down, but the throw got away as Meringa scored and Holcomb took third. Camden Griffith flied out to score Holcomb and make it 8-0.
Camden Griffith struck out eight and Mason Preston six more for a total of 14.
The Hawks only got five hits but made each of them count. Mason Preston, Camden Griffith, Alex Young, Bo Eads, and Jace Estrada all got hits.
Against OSHS, the Hawks had 10 hits, took advantage of 10 walks, and got stellar pitching from Camden Griffith and Mason Preston, who struck out 14 and only gave up one hit. The Hawks were playing away from this area’s equivalent of the Baker Bowl, the bandbox home of the Philadelphia Phillies where balls would fly out of the park and arcade-style games were normal. But it didn’t matter as they delivered death by 1,000 cuts in Monday’s game.
It didn’t look like it at first. OSHS was coming off a tough-luck season in which they won just four games last year, but they looked anything but as they pulled off a third-to-first double play in the first after the Hawks had threatened to have a big inning.
That play gave the Wildcards hope, and they proceeded to walk their first two batters to start the third as Griffith was fighting the strike zone. Kaden Slagle scored on an error to make it 1-0 and Ryan Orta singled to make it 2-0. It looked like it would be a long bus ride back, but Griffith struck out the next three batters to get out of the inning.
But when the Wildcards plunked the #8 and #9 hitters, Nick Grover and Carter Robertson, that opened the floodgates for the Hawks in the third inning. Parker Holcomb singled to load the bases. Mason Preston singled to left to score Grover to make it 2-1. Carter Robertson was cut down trying to score as Holcomb took third and Preston took second. Camden Griffith singled on a hard grounder to third. Mason Preston held up, but Parker Holcomb scored to tie it at 2-2. Mason Preston stole third and then Camden Griffith took second on defensive indifference. Alex Young was out on a dropped third strike for the second out, but Preston scored on the play to put the Hawks in front 3-2.
Griffith held the fort in the third and the fourth inning, retiring six straight Wildcards.
Camden Griffith walked to start the Hawk fifth. Alex Young grounded out as Griffith took second. Jace Estrada doubled home Griffith to make it 4-2. Dakota Meringa worked a seven pitch walk and Andrew Young walked. Nick Grover struck out, but Carter Robertson reached on an error as Estrada scored to make it 5-2, Dakota Meringa took third, and Avery Gregg (running for Andrew Young) took second. Parker Holcomb and Mason Preston walked to force in two more runs. Camden Griffith singled to score Robertson to make it 8-2.
Jaymon Strickland scored on an error to cut the Wildcard deficit to 8-3 in the fifth.
Jace Estrada reached on an error to start the sixth, which was enough to open the floodgates for the Hawks. Dakota Meringa singled. Andrew Young struck out, but Nick Grover, who had gotten caught looking twice before, had a short memory and worked a 3-2 count for a walk to load the bases. Carter Robertson walked to force in a run to make it 9-3. Parker Holcomb singled to score Grover and Meringa; Holcomb took second and Robertson third on the throw home. Mason Preston grounded out to score Robertson to make it 12-3 as Holcomb took third. Camden Griffith singled in Parker Holcomb to make it 13-3. Two more Wildcard errors loaded the bases and Dakota Meringa and Andrew Young walked to force in runs to make it 15-3.
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