The Hounds extended their win streak to 2 with a 9-8 win over the Pirates at Maywood Park.

Colin French (#10) got the start and gave 3.2 good innings, allowing 3 hits. In relief was Nick Schmidt (#23) who posted no walks and a .609 strike percentage, marking a promising 2020 start for the southpaw. Defensively, Aidan French (SS, #12) and Arron Kruse (3B, #11) combined for a throw and tag on a ground ball with the infield in, nabbing the lead runner and stemming a go-ahead attempt by the Pirates in the 6th. With the save was Brian Lehman (#2) who extinguished the Pirates in the bottom of the 7th on 11 pitches.

The game was an exciting one with both teams scoring two runs in eight different half-innings. The offense was robust for the Hounds, highlighted by doubles by Aiden French and Nick Schmidt (+2 RBIs). An expertly executed sacrifice bunt (almost a hit) by Matthew Steffens (EH/2B, #5) and later sacrifice fly by Arron Kruse in the 6th combined for 2 of 4 sacrifices on the day. The “New-Look Selfless Hounds” (Coined by Tim Riggenbach (RF/C, #8) re-took the lead for the final time in the top of the seventh: Aiden French led the inning off with a single, topping it off with a steal of second and third. TJ “Uncle Chicken” Rinaldi (LF, #1) came through with a long sac fly to seal the deal for the Hounds.

Asterisks for today’s contest:

• Bright, bright light shining directly into the umpire’s eyes resulted in a third strike being called against Nick Schmidt.
• Tim Riggenbach was caught looking on a 4-2 count. 4 balls not equaling a walk can only be explained by umpire oversight due to an earlier wild pitch.

The Hounds will face the Marlins in a doubleheader Sunday starting at 9:30 AM at Southwest Park in Park Ridge.