MITCHELL — A lightning delay was just about all that slowed down the Mitchell High School baseball team on Tuesday night.
After the delay cut the scheduled doubleheader down to a single contest, the Kernels (5-1) needed just four-and-a-half innings to roll up a 14-4 lead and defeat Huron by the 10-run rule at Cadwell Park.
While only two of Mitchell’s hits were extra-base hits — a first-inning triple by Jonah Schmidt and a fourth-inning double by Mason Geraets — the Kernels had plenty of success at the plate, recording 14 hits in 26 at-bats and drawing four walks.
Schmidt set the tone early both with his pitching and hitting, first sitting down the Tigers in order to start the game on the mound before his triple knocked in the first of his four RBIs. Huron reversed its fortunes in the top of the second inning, drawing five walks as part of a four-run burst.
But shortly after the bottom half of the inning got underway, the game was delayed and the Tigers never recaptured the same offensive form. Meanwhile, the Mitchell bats only continued to roll through the break, as the Kernels scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings.
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“We just dealt with a little bit of adversity in some situations,” said Mitchell coach Luke Norden. “... We displayed the focus, not just after the break but every chance we had to be productive, especially to be able to get the runs we needed to make a 10-run lead.”
Through six games, Mitchell has scored at least 12 runs in five of them, all wins.
“The productivity up and down the lineup is the best part of our start so far,” Norden said. “I’m just glad every guy is playing a key role in scoring as many runs as we have.”
Dylan Soulek notched a team-best three hits (all singles) along with a walk across his four plate appearances, finishing with two RBIs. Seth Muth, Jace Larson and Brock Sparks each added a pair of hits, with Muth and Carson Fahey each driving in two runs and crossing the plate three times apiece. All told, each Kernel with a plate appearance recorded at least one hit.
Larson relieved Schmidt on the mound after the second inning, tossing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts to pick up the win. Schmidt had four strikeouts in his two innings of work. Neither allowed a hit in the contest, as all nine Huron base-runners reached via a walk.
Johnny Hernandez scored one of the Tigers' runs and pitched 2 1/3 innings, striking out three batters.
Mitchell is in action again on Friday, as the Kernels host Pierre in a doubleheader scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
