HUMBOLDT — Mike Miller admits it may take a while for his Humboldt offense to hit high gear.
While the Cubs racked up 21 hits in their home-opening doubleheader against Erie, “we couldn’t come up with hits in key situations,” Miller said.
Of course, with pitching performances like Daylon Splane and Evan Gean’s to lean upon, Humboldt doesn’t need much offense.
The pair combined to throw 12 2/3 scoreless innings as Humboldt rolled to a pair of 7-0 victories.
“I can’t say enough how good our starting piching was,” Miller said. “Daylon and Evan both really threw great games.”
Humboldt scattered its around in the opener.
Gean got the offense going with a second-inning single. He advanced to third on Dagen Goodner’s double, and stole home. Goodner later scored on a wild pitch.
Gean’s RBI single in the third drove in Jake Haviland. Splane followed with a sac-fly for a 4-0 acvntage.
Tyler Korte singled and scored on Splane’s fifth-inning single. Haviland capped the scoring with a two-run double in the sixth.
Splane allowed three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Korte — who went 3-for-4 at the plate — came on in relief and pitched a hitless seventh with two strikeouts.
Rhett Smith singled twice, as did Gean. Corey Whitcomb, Haviland, Goodner and Dillon Aikins all had doubles. Splane added a single.
In the nightcap, Humboldt twice stranded runners at third in the first three innings.
Smith stroked a one-out double in the fourth and scored on Korte’s single.
Lance Daniels singled to lead off the fifth. He scored one out later on a Smith single.
The Cubs broke open the game with one out in the sixth.
Splane walked and Daniels singled before Aikins roped a run-scoring double. Whitcomb’s bunt single pushed the lead to 4-0, followed by Hoepker’s two-run single. Hoepker’s run on a passed ball pushed the lead to 7-0.
