HUMBOLDT — A young, inexperienced Humboldt High baseball squad opened the 2021 season on the right foot Tuesday.
The Cubs earned a pair of victories over host Neodesha, winning 6-4 and 20-8.
“It’s always good to start the season 2-0,” head coach Mike Miller said.
The key to victory were the Cub pitchers, none of whom had pitched at the varsity level before, Miller said.
“I thought all of our pitchers threw really well,” he said. “We had to wiggle out of some jams, especially in the first game. I was proud of the way they competed when things got a little tough.”
Neodesha led 3-2 headed into the top of the sixth in the opener before Humboldt rallied for three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Evan Lucke earned the victory, tossing 4 2/3 innings of relief with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.Starter Trey Sommer allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings, with six strikeouts.
Lucke also had two singles and two RBIs. Sam Hull notched a double and RBI. Sommer went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Trenton Heisler and Hunter Bauer both had singles. Bauer scored twice and drove in a run. Kaiden Barnett had a run with two walks.
“Offensively we really struggled to string many hits together until about halfway through the second game,” Miller said. “Some of it was nerves and some of it was just not having a good approach. We’ll work on it and be better.”
Cub batters worked the Neodesha pitching staff for a combined 29 walks — 21 in the second game alone.
Meanwhile, Humboldt batters stroked 11 hits.
Hull earned the win by allowing one hit and seven walks in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out seven. Lucke struck out a batter, while Bauer struck out two in two-thirds of an inning.
Heisler reached base all five times at bat with two singles, a double and two walks. Hull earned four walks with a double in his only official at bat. Barnett singled three times. Sommer went 2-for-4 with a double.
Humboldt is back in action today at home against Erie.
