HUMBOLDT — Patience at the plate paid off handsomely for Humboldt High’s baseball team Thursday.
The Cubs took advantage of 14 walks in their opener against Burlington and eight more in the nightcap.
Sprinkle in some dominant pitching by Logan Page, Evan Lucke and Cole Mathes, who allowed a combined four hits, while striking out 13, and you have victories of 15-0 and 18-0.
“It’s easy when you don’t see a lot of good pitches to lose your approach,” Humboldt head coach Mike Miller said. “We stayed disciplined at the plate. We swung at good pitches but also drew a lot of walks.”
A six-run second inning got things started before the Cubs tacked on eight more in the third and one in the fourth to end the opener.
Meanwhile, Page struck out eight and allowed two hits over his three innings of work. Mathes came on in relief to pitch the fourth inning, striking out one without allowing a hit.
The Cub batters were able to pack a punch when the Red Devil pitchers ventured into the strike zone.
Gavin Page, Lucke and Logan Page had doubles to account for three of the five Cub hits. Sam Hull and Kaden Barnett singled as well.
Erie’s pitchers weren’t quite as wild in game 2, walking eight, but Humboldt scarcely needed the extra help, pounding out 12 hits in two innings. The Cubs plated six in the first and a dozen in the second to wrap up the scoring.
Gavin Page singled and doubled, while Trey Sommer and Sam Hull singled twice. Barnett, Logan Page, Maddox Johnson, Lucke, Jacob Harrington and Blake Ellis all had singles.
Meanwhile, Lucke shut down any semblance of an Erie offense by striking out five and allowing two hits over three innings of work.
“Logan and Evan were both really good in their starts,” Miller said.
The doubleheader wins were in Humboldt because of wet field conditions in Erie. The Cubs are back in action Monday at Bluestem.
