Baseball steals one from Hawaii

Picture it: Hawaii. Sunny days with a cool breeze flowing through the palm trees.

Not this time.

“On Friday night the game was delayed because the lights went out, we had a couple of rain delays, and the wind was unbelievable,” Hornet baseball coach John Smith said. “The winds were blowing 30 to 40 miles everyday. From start to finish, we had to contend with the wind. The ball was doing some funny things.”

Smith said the trip to Honolulu over the weekend was one of the worst trips ever.

Yet, he is happy?

“I was extremely pleased with everything that I saw,” Smith said. “I thought this team got very focused very early and stayed focused for the majority of the time.”

The Hornets opened the three-game series against the (previously) undefeated Rainbows with a 12-4 victory. Pitcher Pat Edwards got his first win of the year for the Hornets, pitching seven innings. Edwards allowed three runs off three hits while striking out seven batters.

“Edwards pitched as perfect a game as anyone can this early in the season,” Smith said.

Several Hornet players contributed offensively in the win. Senior shortstop Brandon Marshall, center fielder Aurelio Jackson, designated hitter Shawn Visger, third baseman Brian Gilman, catcher Jeff Proud and first baseman Ryan Hodgson each had two hits. The team had 14 hits altogether on Thursday, before dropping to six and nine on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

“So many positive things came out of that trip,” Smith said. “I was very encouraged by the play of this team. They have it in them to play well when the pressure is on÷and when they are on the road.”

The next two games didn't go as well. The Rainbows beat the Hornets 10-3 on Friday before winning 21-4 on Saturday.

Smith said the pitching is still trying to get settled into the season.

“I would like to see a more consistent job on the mound during a three-game series,” he said. “We seen that we can hit, and we can play catch, now we need to pitch the entire series.”

The Hornets continue to travel, facing 2-1 San Diego for a three-game series that starts Friday.

“I think we are off to a real good start,” Smith said. “The players have demonstrated that they can be focused and be ready to play.”