The first Heart of Iowa Activities Conference victory and first road win of the season for the Greene County baseball team was a down-to-the-wire thriller. Coach Matt Paulsen’s team won 6-4 in Jewell on Friday night vs. South Hamilton to improve to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play while the Hawks fell to 0-4, 0-2. Three of the losses by the Hawks have been by one or two runs. The game was heard on KG98 and streamed on raccoonvalleyradio.com.

The final out of the game was on a “bang-bang” play on a ground ball from shortstop Bryce Stalder to first baseman Joe Carey with the bases loaded. Had the call gone the other way, the teams might still be playing! Instead, Matthew Hovick picked up a save for starter Joe Carey, who fanned 13 Hawks in five innings and left with a 6-3 lead. The win was Carey’s first this season and Hovick in two relief appearances has a win and a save.

Catcher Brayden Roberts had a career night with a double, two-run homer, a single, three runs batted in, and three runs scored. The home run was his first as a varsity player, and the catcher also threw out a would-be base stealer for the first out of the sixth inning after the Hawks had closed the gap to two runs. They threatened, but would not score again. Stalder doubled and Blake Hamann singled for the other Greene County hits.

The Rams had six runs, five hits and two errors while SH had four runs, nine hits, five errors and they left 12 runners on base. Greene County had just three left on. The two teams combined to strike out 28 times with the Rams fanning 16 Hawks and SH striking Greene County out 12 times.

The Rams scored once in the second inning, twice in the fourth, and three times in the sixth The Hawks had a two-run third and single runs in the fourth and sixth.

Next up for Coach Paulsen’s team is a May 31 home date at Allensworth Field in Jefferson on KG98 with defending Class 2A State Champion Van Meter.