~by Noah Rohlfing for The Scranton Journal
The bats of the Greene County High School baseball and softball teams went cold Friday night, resulting in a clean sweep by the South Hamilton (Jewell) Hawks.
In the baseball game, the Rams’ offense could only get four hits, with Brent Riley collecting the Rams’ only RBI against Hawks pitcher Zeke Balderus in a 6-1 defeat.
Five Greene County errors contributed to the Rams’ large deficit, falling behind 4-0 after the first inning and failing to mount a comeback. This is the first loss of the season for new coach John Hupp, as Greene County baseball falls to 2-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference.
In the softball season opener, a young starting lineup for the Rams — including two eighth graders, pitcher Emma Hoyle and catcher Emma Stream — hung close with South Hamilton, trailing 3-1 after the sixth inning.
The Rams were in the game despite striking out 12 times on the night. It was in the seventh inning that the Hawks scored seven runs, pushing their lead to 10-1 and sealing a second win of the season. The Rams open the season 0-1.
