It hasn鈥檛 become a problem yet for sixth-ranked and unbeaten Hartford Union but the Orioles would prefer a bit more offense and the margin of error that comes with it.
On Wednesday, the Orioles found a workaround by making their hits count. Hartford got home runs from Aidin Kolb and RJ Thomae and the rest of its six hits were doubles in a 9-3 North Shore Conference baseball win over West Bend East at Regner Park.
Carter Kutz had two of those doubles and the Nebraska recruit certainly appreciated the 5-0 cushion midway through the second. He gave up four hits in the first two innings but settled in to fan 10 Suns in 5.1 innings of work.
"It鈥檚 no secret Carter is one of the best players not only in the North Shore, but in the state," West Bend East coach Zach Fountain said.
"You don鈥檛 want to give him extra opportunities.鈥
East (10-4, 5-3 NSC) did just that in the top of the first as Aidin Kolb reached on an error before Kutz popped a 1-0 pitch foul that landed a few feet from first base without being caught. Kutz took the next pitch down the left field line for a double.
RJ Thomae walked to load the bases but East starter Blake Twito got a strikeout and a contact play as Mason Roell cut down Kolb at the plate. Joe Landgraf would draw a bases-loaded walk for a run and sophomore Nathan Belfield, filling in for the injured Victor Gurrola, lost the handle on Braycen Burg鈥檚 grounder to third for a 2-0 lead for the Orioles (11-0, 8-0).
East added to their missed opportunities in the bottom of the first. Cutler Schmidt and Roell both doubled deep to right but the Suns were unable to get a run out of it.
Schmidt reached third on a groundout and tried to score on a wild pitch. Hartford catcher Brandon Pohl alertly flipped the ball to the covering Kutz, who dropped the tag just in time to catch Schmidt.
Hartford then added to its lead when Kolb doubled with one out down the left field line and Kutz plated him with a ground-rule double deeper down the line. Thomae then took a 1-0 offering off of one of the flag poles in left field for a 5-0 edge.
The Suns got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the second when Ben Hesse walked, Dominic Richlin got plunked and Belfield singled to right for a run. Schmidt singled to right to bring in Richlin but Kutz got a strikeout to escape further damage.
Kolb capped a nine-pitch battle with Twito by hitting a solo shot to left to lead off the fourth. Meanwhile, Kutz was on a stretch of facing 14 batters without allowing a hit and striking out nine of them. He left after taking a grounder off his hand in the sixth but Landgraf came on to get out of the jam.
The Orioles drew a pair of walks off of Schmidt in the seventh and a double steal worked when Hesse threw high to third to bring in a run. Ethan Birkel hit a two-run double the opposite way for a 9-2 lead.
Hesse got an RBI single in the seventh for the Suns, who head to Port Washington Friday. Hartford moved its visit from Slinger up a day with a 6 p.m. start time this evening.