WEBSTER CITY – Making contact, hitting the ball hard, putting runners on base and scoring runs – those are not the problems for the Webster City baseball team at this early juncture in the season.

But none of the team’s offensive explosiveness will be rewarded without improvements defensively – a fact first-year head coach Mark Fisher is all too aware of.

Making its North Central Conference debut on Monday, Webster City (0-2, 0-1 NCC) out hit Hampton-Dumont (2-0, 1-0 NCC) 11-5, but nine walks issued and six errors swung the contest in the Bulldogs favor and they went on to win, 9-7.

WCHS has put up double-digit hit totals in both of its appearances, but the pitchers have allowed 15 walks and the defense has committed 13 errors.

“We’re a good offensive team and (the players) are being aggressive at the plate, that’s the big thing,” Fisher said following Monday’s loss. “But what you’re seeing right now defensively and pitching wise is we just don’t have that same aggression. We’re timid defensively and we’re afraid of making mistakes, and it’s the same thing with the pitchers. Getting into that mindset more than anything that I’m going to attack, I’m going to be aggressive, I’m going to go get the ball and if I make a mistakes, so be it, that’s what we need.”

Just four of Hampton-Dumont’s runs were earned and four of the walks translated into runs. Conversely, Bulldog pitchers Cole Miller, Bo Brass and Bailey Miller surrendered just three free passes.

“Right now our pitchers are trying to be too fine and there are a lot of nerves to it,” Fisher said. “We’re going to keep preaching that you’ve just got to go out and pound the (strike) zone, and in high school baseball good things happen if you do that.”

Alec Fuhs was strapped with the loss on the mound. He allowed just one hit and struck out three in his three innings of work, but he also walked six. The Bulldogs plated four runs in the second off of five walks, a hit batter and an error; they only got one hit in the frame.

Seth Crouthamel took over in the fourth and went the rest of the way. He allowed only one earned run and fanned five.

Trailing 6-0 after 31?2, WCHS cut the deficit in half in the last half of the fourth. Ty Schnathorst delivered a timely two-RBI double into the gap in left-center and he later scored on a wild pitch.

Singles by Connor Shannon, Cal Zahn and Collin Oswald in the sixth led to three more runs to pull the Lynx within 8-6. Jordan Moen plated a run on a ground ball to the right side and two batters later Oswald lashed a RBI base knock to right field.

Hampton-Dumont got an insurance run in the seventh, courtesy of a lead-off double by Jesus Del Valle. He was sacrifice bunted over to third and then scored on Brandon Westendorf’s RBI single to left.

Ty Schnathorst picked up his third RBI of the game in the seventh when he plated Avery Fuhs to trim the Lynx deficit to two, but Bailey Miller got Moen to fly out to center to end the potential rally and pick up the save.

Oswald went 2-for-4 at the dish, while Zahn and Moen were both 2-for-5. Hunter Hayden slapped a single and drove in a run; Max Hackbarth and Cole Reigelsberger also singled.

WCHS suffered a potentially significant injury in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore designated hitter Drew Fielder crumbled in the batter’s box on his first swing of the season. It appeared to be the same type of knee injury he suffered in last July’s district opener against Clear Lake – an ailment that forced him to miss half of the fall football season.

“He took a big cut and went down right away, and he said it was the same thing he did last year,” Fisher said. “His bat was obviously going to be good for us and everyone is going to have to pick up the slack.”

The Lynx will head out on their first road trip of the season tonight when they make the short drive to Fort Dodge to face St. Edmond at 7:15 p.m.