MAC baseball squad kicks off season with tough tests
The Mission-Arlee-Charlo baseball team opened its season with two challenging matchups last week, facing off against veteran Class A programs Corvallis and Hamilton. While the final scores leaned heavily in favor of the opponents, the early contests provided valuable experience for a young MAC squad.
In their season opener on Tuesday, March 25, MAC hosted the Corvallis Blue Devils in St. Ignatius. Corvallis jumped out to a commanding lead, scoring eight runs in the first inning en route to a 16-0 victory in three innings.
Despite being held hitless, MAC did show flashes of promise. Hudson Hawkaluk, Kyle Hammond and Sage Assiniboine all put the ball in play, forcing Corvallis to stay sharp defensively. On the mound, Jake Helser and Jason Leishman combined for three innings of work, with Leishman striking out one in relief.
Three days later, the Bulldogs traveled to Hamilton for another non-conference matchup on Friday, March 28. Facing a red-hot Broncs lineup, MAC again found themselves on the wrong end of a tough 15-0 score-line.
This time around, MAC managed to collect their first hit of the season — a single by Hudson Hawkaluk. Pitcher Vinny Shepard got the start and struck out two in two innings of work, while Ronson Hout made his debut on the hill, allowing just one run in his inning of relief.
At St. Ignatius
CORVALLIS 16, MAC 0
Corvallis - 808 - 16 - 11 - 0
MAC - 000 - 0 - 0 - 4
MAC HITTING: Hudson Hawkaluk 0-2, Jason Leishman 0-1, Milo Crooks 0-1, Jake Helser 0-1, Dylan Lovejoy 0-1, Vinny Shepard 0-0, Chayton Bartell 0-1, Kyle Hammond 0-1, Sage Assiniboine 0-1
MAC PITCHING: Jake Helser (2IP, 6H, 13R, 11ER, 5BB, 2K), Jason Leishman (1IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, 0BB, 1 SO)
At Hamilton
HAMILTON 15, MAC 0
MAC - 000 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 4
Ham - 654 - x - 15 - 14 - 0
MAC HITTING: Hudson Hawkaluk 1-1, Jason Leishman 0-2, Milo Crooks 0-1, Kyle Hammond 0-1, Vinny Shepard 0-1, Chayton Bartell 0-1, Dylan Lovejoy 0-1, Jake Helser 0-1, Isadore Mitchell 0-1
MAC PITCHING: Vinny Shepard (2IP, 12H, 14R, 14ER, 4BB, 2SO); Ronson Hout (1IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB)
MAC baseball's Jason Leishman throws heat against Corvallis from the mound. (Kaleb Unger/Leader)