Wildcat nine

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Senior Tyler Hunter beats the throw from the outfield to go from first to third on a single by Marty Herum in the first inning of the Wildcat baseball team’s 7-3 win over Baldwin-Woodville in its season opener last Tuesday. Hunter and Herum both came around to score on a base hit by Trey Peterson. Bob Burrows photo

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The Wildcat baseball team kicked off the 2009 season with a pair of victories, defeating Baldwin-Woodville 7-3 in its opener at home last Tuesday and clobbering Lakeland (Minocqua), 13-1, in five innings Friday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The Cats continue with their early season nonconference schedule when they host Somerset Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and travel to Baraboo for a doubleheader on Saturday. They will visit St. Paul Johnson on Tuesday, April 21, before opening Big Rivers Conference play at Chippewa Falls Thursday, April 23.

In the two games last week, Tyler Hunter went a combined 4-for-6 and drove in four runs while Curtis Christensen earned both victories on the mound.

Hunter led off last Tuesday’s opener against Baldwin-Woodville by getting hit by a pitch and went to third on a single by Marty Herum. Trey Peterson knocked in both with a single to give the Cats an early 2-0 lea.

The Blackhawks got a solo home run off Christensen in the third to cut the Wildcat lead in half, but River Falls broke the game open with four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Mark Bennett.

Austin Johnson drove in a run in the inning with a safety squeeze and Hunter drove in Bennett with a single for the final run of the inning to give the Cats a 7-1 lead.

Peterson went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI in the win while Hunter was 2-for-2 with an RBI and Bennett drove in two runs. Both teams had eight hits in the game.

“It was nice to see our guys execute at the plate today,” Wildcat head coach Ryan Bishop said. “We saw a pretty good pitcher in our first game and we were able to get the job done when it mattered.”

Four different pitchers saw action for the Wildcats. Greg Cheever started and worked two innings, allowing no runs on three hits with no strikeouts or walks.

Christensen picked up the win, throwing three innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out five and walking one. Ricky Troester and Herum each pitched an inning and allowed a run apiece.

Friday at the Metrodome, every Wildcat starter had at least one hit and all but one scored at least one run in a 13-1 win over Lakeland. The Cats also played errorless ball in the field and turned two double plays in the five-inning contest.

River Falls led 3-1 before breaking the game open with six runs in the third. Herum led off with an inside-the-park home run. Bennett drove in one run with a single and Tyler Dusek and Hunter each had two-run singles to stake the Cats to a 9-1 lead.

Herum was 2-for-4 with a double and home run wile Hunter was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Johnson, Bennett and Sam Witt each drove in a run while Bennett also scored three runs.

Christensen started and worked four innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one and walking one. Cheever pitched one scoreless inning to close out the game.

“Curtis got ahead of hitters and let his defense make the plays behind him,” Bishop said.

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