The Hounds dispatched the Vikings 14-6 on four right arms and six doubles Friday night in Maywood park.
Four Hounds hurlers made their 2020 pitching debut: Phil “PZ” Zelenka (#21), Thomas Feazelle (#82), Phil Oweimrin (#25), and Hans Hetrick (#18), PZ being the only experienced pitcher of the lot. The platoon held the Vikings to 6 runs on 3 hits requiring no strikeouts.
The first Hounds doubles (RBI doubles, in fact) occurred in the first inning from Arron Kruse (C, #11) and “Little” Timmy Riggenbach (CF, #8). The remaining runs that inning came on wild pitches (the Vikings tallied 5 WPs on the day). Matt Steffens (2B, #5) dumped a into right, wisely yoinking an extra base for his double (although his RBI would have to wait for his single later in the game). The fourth and sixth doubles (RBI double, in fact) came off the bat of local deity Nick Schmidt (EH, #23), bouncing back from a “humbling” 1 double (no RBI) outing at Southwest. Brian Lehman would split those two RBI doubles with a double of his own in the fourth (an RBI double, in fact), responding to a Vikings four spot in the previous half inning maintaining their 5-run advantage. The Hounds broke it open in the 6th attracting 3 HBPs and 2 BBs from the wobbly Vikings reliever. Hans capped the Hounds scoring with an RBI single.
In his infinite mercy, The Mayor of Maywood Hans Hetrick would be the only pitcher to not surrender a HBP. He would adjourn the session in the final frame with the help of a great defensive line-out double play by Counselor Matthew Steffens.
The Hounds return to Maywood to take on the Pirates midday Saturday.